Outbreaks of measles and polio are now “likely”, leading experts warned today, as official statistics revealed childhood vaccination rates have fallen.
Uptake is now below the key threshold of 95% for the 14 inoculations routinely offered to children.
This includes measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), which has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. Uptake also hit a record low for the six-in-one vaccine, which protects against polio, whooping cough and hepatitis B.
Fewer than 60 per cent of under-5s in some parts of England were vaccinated against serious diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and polio in March 2022.
Uptake was down by up to 1.3 percent compared to last year for the 14 routine vaccines offered to young people, including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
Health chiefs warned that the drop, although small, could lead to a resurgence of diseases thought to be confined to history, such as polio.
At the same time, it leaves the country vulnerable to an outbreak of measles, which typically only infects a few thousand each year.
Vaccination rates have fallen over the past decade, fueled by an increase in inaccurate anti-vaccine information being distributed online.
However, officials said the new and “extremely worrying” figures were also likely due to the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic.
In a plea to parents, the UK’s Health Safety Agency urged families to check their children’s jabs are up to date so they have “maximum protection against what can be terrible diseases”.
NHS digital data for England shows uptake of the 14 vaccines offered to children in the year to March 2022 (pink) compared to the year to March 2021 (blue) . Hit participation fell to 1.3 percent last year. Health chiefs warned that even this small decline could lead to an increase in diseases largely confined to history, such as measles and polio, and trigger potentially deadly outbreaks.
Only 84% of under-fives in England were protected against serious diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella in March 2022
WHICH STITCHES SHOULD I HAVE AT THE AGE OF 18?
Vaccines for a range of nasty and deadly diseases are given free on the NHS to children and teenagers.
Here’s a list of all the shots someone should have before age 18 to make sure they and others around the country are protected:
Eight weeks old
- 6-in-1 vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B.
- pneumococcal (PCV)
- Rotavirus
- Meningitis B
12 weeks old
- Second doses of 6 in 1 and rotavirus
16 weeks old
- Third dose of 6 in 1
- Second doses of PCV and men. B
One year old
- Hib/meningitis C
- Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
- Third dose of PCV and meningitis B
From two to eight years
- Annual childhood flu vaccine
Three years, four months
- Second dose of MMR
- 4-in-1 Preschool Booster for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio and Pertussis
12-13 years (girls)
- HPV (two doses in one year)
14 years
- 3-in-1 Teen Booster for Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio
- MENACWY
Source: NHS Choices
Today’s figures, published in an annual report by NHS Digital, revealed that only 89.2% of children had received the MMR vaccine by the age of two.
This was down from 90.2% the previous year.
But the rate was just 65.4 per cent in Hackney, east London.
Only 16 of the 149 local authorities achieved 95% of the World Health Organization target, while 61 recorded uptake below 90%, including all parts of London.
Scientists say the WHO threshold is necessary to prevent viruses from escaping into the population.
Every child is given the first dose of the MMR vaccine from the age of one year, while a second dose is given at three years and four months.
MMR uptake has been declining for years and health chiefs are blaming the pandemic for some of the declines seen in the past 12 months.
School closures, a focus on the Covid vaccine rollout and a lack of PPE have all been blamed for declining uptake.
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) called for rates to be brought back “as soon as possible” to levels recommended by the WHO.
Although rates are low, there is a higher risk of “serious preventable, and sometimes fatal, diseases” such as measles and polio spreading, he warned.
UKHSA consultant epidemiologist Dr Vanessa Saliba said: “Measles is highly contagious and can be dangerous.
“It is extremely concerning that we are seeing MMR vaccine uptake levels decline among young children.”
Since the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1968, an estimated 20 million cases and 4,500 deaths from the infection have been prevented in the UK.
There were up to 2,000 cases of measles, 6,000 of mumps and 70 of rubella, infecting thousands of people annually until the 1990s, per year in the decade before the pandemic.
But cases fell to virtually zero during the pandemic, as the side effects of Covid restrictions also led to a reduction in cases of other viruses.
The combination of low uptake and a return to pre-pandemic travel habits means measles is more likely to be introduced from countries that have higher levels of the disease and cause outbreaks in the UK, officials have warned .
Professor Helen Bedford, a child public health expert at University College London, said measles had become “abstainingly rare” because of the country’s childhood vaccination programme.
The infections that vaccines protect against “have not gone away,” so the rate of decline is a “big concern,” he added.
Professor Bedford said: “We are now back to normal and this leaves us with the worrying double whammy of many unprotected children and the inevitability of rising disease rates.
“In this situation, as night follows day, major disease outbreaks are likely.
“Measles is of particular concern because it is so highly infectious that any small decrease in vaccine uptake leads to outbreaks.
“Fortunately, it’s never too late to get vaccinated.
“I urge parents to check the vaccination status of their children
‘Vaccination works, is highly effective and has an excellent safety record. No child should have to face the potentially serious consequences of a vaccine-preventable disease.”
The NHS Digital chart shows MMR vaccine uptake among two-year-olds (purple line) and five-year-olds (grey line)
NHS data also shows that the six-in-one vaccine fell among two-year-olds. It is given to babies when they are eight, 12 and 16 weeks old. Participation fell from 93.8% to 93% last year. In 2014, 96.1% were punctured
MMR VACCINE: Digital NHS data, showing vaccination rates up to March 2022, revealed that only 89.2% of children had received the MMR vaccine at two years of age in the year to March 2022 (right), 90.2% lower. year before (left)
SIX-IN-ONE VACCINE: NHS data also shows that uptake of six-in-one vaccines fell across all ages. The map shows that all regions except London, where uptake was just 86.5%, met the 90% threshold.
HOW DID THE FEES OF THE 13 VACCINATIONS CHANGE LAST YEAR?
Vaccine (by age)
DTaP/IPV/Hib (1 year)
DTaP/IPV/Hib (2 years)
DTaP/IPV/Hib (5 years)
PCV (1 year)
Rotavirus (1 year)
MenB (1 year)
Hib/MenC (2 years)
Hib/MenC (5 years)
MMR (2 years)
MMR (5 years)
PCV (2 years)
MenB (2 years)
DTaP/IPV boost (5 years)
MMR dose 2 (5 years)
2020-21 (% coverage)
92
93.8
95.2
n/a
90.2
92.1
90.2
92.3
90.3
94.3
90.1
89
85.3
86.6
2021-22 (% coverage)
91.8
93
94.4
93.8
89.9
91.5
89
91.7
89.2
93.4
89.3
88
84.2
85.7
Source: NHS Digital
Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist at the University of Nottingham, told MailOnline that the continued fall in childhood vaccine uptake is “disappointing”.
He said: “We have forgotten how dangerous some of these childhood infections can be.
“Measles, for example, was a frequent killer, but vaccination brought this disease under control.
“But measles is incredibly contagious, one of the most easily transmitted viruses we know, so to prevent outbreaks, vaccine coverage needs to be high, around 95 percent.”
NHS data also shows that the six-in-one vaccine fell among children aged one, two and five. It is given to babies when they are eight, 12 and 16 weeks old.
These shots protect against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio and diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type bi and hepatitis B.
The use of the six in a jab among one-year-olds fell nationally from 92 to 91.8 percent in the past year.
Among two-year-olds, use of the six-in-one vaccine dropped from 93.8 to 93 percent in the past year.
Dr Saliba said it was “vitally important” that children get their polio shots to avoid the risk of being struck down by the virus that causes paralysis.
Officials made fresh calls for Londoners to come forward with a polio vaccine earlier this year after routinely checked sewage samples suggested the virus was spreading in the capital.
Unvaccinated children in London were urged to come in for their first dose, while children aged one to nine were offered a booster.
The last case of polio was detected in the UK in 1984 and the nation was declared free of the virus in 2003. Before the introduction of the vaccine, polio infected up to 8,000 people and killed 800 each year .
Dr Saliba said: “I urge parents to check that all children are up to date with their vaccinations and, if not, book them in as soon as possible to ensure they have the maximum protection against what they can be terrible diseases
“Childhood vaccines also boost immunity levels in the population, helping to prevent outbreaks, so by getting all our children vaccinated, we’re playing our part in keeping these diseases confined to the past.”
NHS data also shows that uptake of the PCV vaccine decreased. It protects against the pneumococcal virus, which can cause pneumonia, blood poisoning and meningitis.
NHS England data released…