Parents Encouraged to Get Children MMR Vaccine as One in Six Not Fully Vaccinated

Parents Encouraged to Get Children MMR Vaccine as One in Six Not Fully Vaccinated

Parents are being encouraged to get their children vaccinated following the release of new NHS data showing that one in six children had not received both doses of the MMR vaccine by the age of five.
The latest annual vaccination data, published by NHS England, shows that 16.1% of children who turned five between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 had not received both doses of the MMR vaccine, marking the lowest coverage level since 2010-11. However, the data did show that 91.9% of five-year-olds had been given at least one dose of the vaccine.

In addition, the data show that one in nine children who turned two years old in 2023-24 did not get the first dose of the MMR vaccine, and one in 12 babies had not received all three doses of the 6-in-one vaccine, which includes protection against whooping cough and other serious diseases such as diphtheria and polio by the age of one.

Receiving both doses of the MMR vaccine provides long-term protection against measles, mumps, and rubella, which can lead to serious health complications such as blindness and meningitis.
The NHS are encouraging parents and carers to check that their children are vaccinated against these diseases, and, if necessary, to schedule an appointment with their GP. The NHS is also urging pregnant women to get vaccinated against whooping cough, as evidence shows that vaccination during pregnancy is over 90% effective in preventing infant deaths if the vaccination is administered at the optimum time.

According to Government statistics, since 1st January 2024, there have been 2,465 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England. The majority (61%) of these cases were in children aged 10 and under. Increasing vaccination rates is key to reducing the outbreak of infectious diseases in childcare settings.