ENGLISH students starting university in Glasgow are being urged to check if they missed out on a vaccine against deadly meningitis.

The head of public health for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said students who did not get the MMR vaccine as children - due to unfounded fears about the jab - were “top of the list.”

While uptake rates in Scotland didn't drop below 86%, some areas of England, particularly London, slumped to 60-70%.

A vaccination programme in schools means most students will be covered already but those who missed it are advised to seek advice from their GP.

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Dr Linda de Caestecker, director of public health for NHSGGC, said: “We are particularly concerned this year, as those who were babies when the completely unfounded fears around the MMR vaccine were at their highest, are now about 18-19.

“While uptake in Scotland didn’t really drop below 86%, some areas of England were around 60-70%. This means that many students coming here could be at risk of spreading measles, mumps or rubella to unvaccinated students here too.

"Only two years ago there was a measles outbreak amongst students in Edinburgh so this, combined with a measles outbreak in Europe at the moment, means we are urging young people to find out if they got their two doses of MMR and if not get it now."