Health and Nutrition
MMR vaccine take-up in children below WHO target
New figures from the NHS reveal that despite an increase in the number of children being immunised against MMR, the rate of vaccination still falls below the World Health Organisation's target.
According to NHS Immunisation Statistics for 2010-11, 89.1 per cent of children in England received the MMR vaccine by their second birthday, compared to 88.2 per cent in 2009-10.
Regionally in England, the highest percentage of children who received the vaccination was in the West Midlands, with 95.1 per cent of children being immunised. The lowest percentage was in London, at 83.8 per cent.
However, despite the increase, the NHS warns that the number of children being immunised against measles, mumps and rubella in England by their second birthday still falls short of the World Health Organisation’s target of more than 95 per cent.
The current figure is also below the levels seen in the mid-1990s before the controversy sparked by a study in the Lancet which claimed that there was a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in children.
Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, said, ‘The percentage of our child population immunised with the MMR vaccine continues to rise. However, even though the figure has reached nearly 90 per cent, it is still below the World Health Organisation target of more than 95 per cent.
"While there is understandable interest in MMR, today's report also shows the percentage of children in England immunised with other vaccines, against diseases like Meningitis C, Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio, has also risen.’
