Childhood vaccinations down for third year in a row

NHS figures have shown that the percentage of under-twos in England receiving most routine vaccinations is down slightly for the third year in a row.

NHS Digital data reveals that in 2015-16, only 88.2 per cent of children had received both doses of the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine by the age of five - a slight decrease from the 2014-15 figure.

The target for immunising children is 95 per cent in the UK, with children meant to receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine after their first birthday, and then a second dose between the age of three years and four months and five years old.

Additionally, in 2015-16, 93.6 per cent of children in England received their first course of immunisations - the 5-in-1 vaccine - which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib, and are given at two, three and four months of age. This compares with 94.2 per cent coverage for the vaccine in 2014-15, and 94.3 per cent in 2013-14.

Prof Peter Openshaw, president of the British Society for Immunology, said: “We are behind many countries in our vaccine uptake, exposing our children to risks of potentially harmful and even fatal diseases.

"It is crucial that local authorities and the NHS take joint action to reverse this trend. There needs to be sufficient funding and skills to be able to both communicate the benefits of vaccination and to deliver vaccines efficiently and effectively to the people who need them."