The percentage of children receiving vaccines against deadly diseases such as polio and measles has fallen to its lowest level for more than a decade.
Not a single vaccine met the target needed to ensure diseases cannot spread among children, new data from NHS England for 2023/24 shows.
At least 95% of children should receive their set of vaccine doses for each illness to achieve herd immunity – which stops illnesses from transmitting across the population – according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The data shows that 91.9% of five-year-olds had received one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, the lowest level since 2010/11, while just 83.9% had received both doses, the lowest since 2009/10.
Uptake of the first MMR dose at 24 months stood at 88.9% in 2023/24 – again, the lowest since 2009/10.
Coverage of all the main vaccines fell year-on-year, with the largest drop seen for the Hib/MenC vaccine, which protects against Haemophilus influenzae type B and meningitis C.
This stood at 89.4% for children aged five in 2023/24, down from 90.4% in 2022/23 and the lowest level since 2011/12.
All other vaccines decreased by about 0.5%.
The last time any vaccine surpassed the target of 95% uptake was in 2020/21, when 5-1 vaccine coverage among five-year-olds stood at 95.2%.
The NHS says vaccines prevent more than 5,000 deaths and 100,000 hospital admissions every year in England.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging parents to check their children’s vaccinations are up to date amid fears of a back-to-school surge of diseases like measles and whooping cough due to falling vaccine rates.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, said: “As a mum and doctor, I know the additional stress that comes with having a sick child.
“I encourage all parents to take up the offer of vaccinations for their children at the right time, to give them the best protection from preventable diseases.
“Childhood vaccines prevent babies and children from suffering needlessly and can even be life-saving.”
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Dr Saliba said she was pleased that parents whose children have missed vaccines are coming forward after campaigns but added: “We are a long way from ensuring all are protected and safe.
“It only takes one case of measles to get into a school or nursery where many children are unprotected for numbers to suddenly surge.”
There has been a “general downward trend” in uptake of this vaccine since a peak of 94.7% in 2012/13, NHS England said.
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It added the NHS and GP practices have been sending reminders to the parents and carers of children not fully vaccinated.
The data shows London had the lowest uptake levels in England of MMR, with 73.1% of children having received both doses by the age of five, and 86.2% of children getting all three doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine by their first birthday.
