UK misses MMR target, but immunisation at all-time high
Katy Morton
Friday, September 27, 2013
The number of children having the MMR jab has reached a record high, however coverage is still lower than the 95 per cent target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The latest statistics from Public Health Wales for April-June 2013 show that that 92 per cent of children had received the MMR vaccine by the time they were five-years-old, up from 90 per cent in the previous quarter.
In April, parents in Wales were urged to vaccinate their children against measles as the number of cases in the country hit a record high at 765.
Figures for England (NHS) show that in 2012-13, 92 per cent of children reaching their second birthday received the first dose of the MMR vaccine, the highest level since the vaccine was introduced in 1988.
The number of children who had both doses of the vaccine by their fifth birthday also rose, from 86 per cent a year earlier to 88 per cent.
The MMR is offered to children between 12-13 months. They receive the second dose before they start school, usually between three and five years of age.
Take-up of the vaccine varied depending on the region, in both England and Wales. In England, coverage was highest in the North-West at 95 per cent, and lowest in London at 87 per cent.
The NHS says that an increase in take-up in recent years could be down to the national measles, mumps and rubella catch-up campaign in 2008 and local initiatives to improve coverage.
There was a significant decline in the number of children having the vaccine during the late nineties and into 2000 because of a study, now discredited, which claimed there was a link between the MMR jab and autism.
Despite the increase in take-up, the number of children immunised against MMR is still short of the WHO's target of 95 per cent.
Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at Public Health England, said, ‘Routine vaccination in childhood is vital in protecting children from a range of infectious diseases, many of which have now been consigned to history. The findings from the report are a good indication that parents and children are increasingly able to access primary care to receive these vaccinations and to protect their health for the years to come.
‘This is a good reminder to parents to ensure their child’s vaccinations are up-to-date, and, if not, to contact their GP.’
