Children put at risk as vaccinations hit 10-year low

The UK is at risk of potentially deadly diseases amongst children after vaccination levels dropped to its lowest in ten years.

Britain remains below the 95 per cent coverage threshold recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for all routine vaccines by the age of five.

Before the age of five, children are supposed to have the MMR jab; the six-in-one vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis B; and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Children also get vaccines against meningitis B and C. Missed vaccines can be caught up with at any age.

However, a rise in vaccine scepticism has led to a significant drop in numbers.

Vaccination rates for the six-in-one jab plunged from 89 per cent in 2014 to 83 per cent in 2024 for children, according to an analysis by The Sunday Times.

Rates have dropped from 88 per cent to 84 per cent for MMR.

Last year there were 2,911 confirmed measles cases in England, the highest number since 2012, with outbreaks in Birmingham and London. There were 14,894 confirmed cases of whooping cough in 2024 and 11 babies died.

Dr Julie Yates, the UK Health Security Agency’s deputy director for immunisation, told The Sunday Times: “The decline of the uptake of routine childhood vaccinations over the past decade, including MMR and flu, means that many thousands of children are left unprotected with the risk of outbreaks linked to nurseries and schools.

“Taking vaccination into homes, for a small number of families who have additional needs or who are not able to access core GP services, is another important step towards addressing the decline and ensuring children in areas with the lowest vaccination uptake and potentially greatest need are also protected by supporting parents and offering them greater flexibility.”

Earlier this year, the Pharmacy Vaccinations Development Group (PVDG), a coalition of organisations representing the entire vaccines supply chain, has urged the government to leverage community pharmacies in addressing declining vaccination rates.

The group recommended expanding the NHS National Booking Service to include all vaccines, integrating it with pharmacy booking systems to provide a one-stop-shop for patients.

The government has asked local NHS regions to draw up plans to improve vaccine uptake in their area by this winter.

Last week, NHS England a flu vaccination walk-in finder service will launch in October that will help patients easily look up where they can walk into a community pharmacy to have a vaccine.

The announcement was part of the NHS urgent and emergency care plan 2025/26 which is also looking at how to ‘strengthen the childhood vaccination offer’.

“Each year we send out millions of letters, texts and emails to parents and carers to encourage them to book their child’s recommended vaccination appointments — but we recognise some of the challenges busy parents may face, and improving access to vaccines is a key part of our vaccination strategy,” Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care at NHS England, told the Sunday Times.

“We want to make sure as many children as possible are protected against becoming seriously unwell and our new trialling of home visits aims to reach those who haven’t previously come forward for their jabs — helping to protect children, and their friends and families.”