Childhood vaccination rates in the UK are at their lowest in a decade
Childhood vaccination rates have plummeted to their lowest point in a decade – and measles, a disease once eliminated in the UK, has made a comeback, particularly in London.
This year alone, laboratory tests have confirmed 442 measles cases across the UK, with children admitted to hospital suffering complications that are entirely preventable. The disease had been wiped out in the UK, but recent outbreaks emerged in 2023 before escalating in 2024, when nearly 3,000 cases were recorded – the highest figure in over a decade.
Consequently, in January this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared that the virus had re-established endemic transmission. The MMR jab – now updated to include chickenpox – remains the most effective protection against measles.
However, uptake of this vaccine has declined in recent years, falling well short of the 95 per cent coverage target that WHO says is crucial for achieving herd immunity, which stops disease transmission.
Latest figures reveal that just 83.7 per cent of children in England completed the full two-dose MMR course, while 91.8 per cent received the first jab.
Yet in certain areas, the rates are considerably lower. In Enfield, North London, where laboratory tests have confirmed 97 measles cases so far this year, only 79.3 per cent of children have received the first MMR dose, with merely 64.3 per cent completing the full course.
This means approximately 1,600 children in Enfield who turned five last year and should now be fully vaccinated remain unprotected. Vaccine rates are even lower in Hackney, where just 58.3 per cent of children are fully protected. Although there have been no lab-confirmed cases in Hackney so far this year, there were 133 cases last year, more than anywhere else in England that year.
There are numerous reasons behind the decline in vaccine uptake, including issues around access, inequality, and vaccine skepticism driven by misinformation. The consequences have been stark, with the return of measles – a preventable illness that plagued Victorian Britain but had been effectively wiped out through vaccination programmes, until recently.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “We are very concerned about the decline in MMR vaccine uptake over the past decade. As we have seen in the past few years, measles outbreaks can return quickly in areas with low childhood vaccine uptake. The MMR or MMRV vaccine is the best way to protect your child from this nasty disease that can lead to them ending up in hospital and leave some children with long-term health issues.”
She added: “We can only stop measles outbreaks occurring when we ensure children in all areas and communities take up their two doses of the MMRV vaccine before they start school. Older children and adults who missed vaccinations can catch up through their GP practice whatever their age. The NHS is making vaccination easier, including offering the second MMRV dose earlier at a new 18-month appointment to boost uptake and support elimination goals.”
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