Childhood vaccination rates have fallen across Britain over the last 15 years. The share of five-year-olds in England who have received a four-in-one jab (protecting against viruses like polio and tetanus) is now 81%, down from 89% in 2014. About 84% have received both recommended MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jabs, down from 88% a decade ago. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
According to Prof Dan Hungerford, an epidemiologist at the University of Liverpool, these figures are worse compared to neighbouring European countries. "If you just look at the generalised population, the decline doesn't look horrific, but if you compare us to other nations, particularly our European neighbours, we are one of the worst-performing countries in terms of getting early-life vaccinations to children," he says.
Politicians are now asking how Britain could have allowed its immunisation rates to drop so low. One Labour MP on the Health Committee has said it's time to consider mandatory childhood immunisations, a policy common in some countries but still taboo in Britain.
Scientists broadly agree that vaccines were key to reducing child mortality. Before the 1800s, between 40% and 50% of children in Europe died before their 15th birthday. Now, in Britain that number is well below 1%, according to the UN. Ben Kasstan-Dabush, a lecturer in global health policy at the University of Edinburgh, says: "Along with clean water and sanitation, immunisations have had a profound impact on keeping children alive."
Last year saw measles outbreaks in parts of Birmingham, Bristol, and north London; so far this year, two children in England have died of the disease. In January, MPs on the Health Committee described the backslide as "national disgrace".
Some blame the rise of misinformation on social media. Last year, a group of American scientists found that reading just one anti-vax Facebook comment about the HPV jab was enough to make some parents hesitate. But all of the public health experts who spoke to the BBC said that whilst anti-vax social media sentiment plays its part, they don't think it's the main reason.
Instead, they point to something more mundane: parents of young children simply have fewer face-to-face contacts with medical professionals than they did 10 or 15 years ago. Beccy Baird, a senior fellow at the King's Fund think tank, says that most parents who turn down vaccination are not ideologically opposed to it. Convenience plays a big role; vaccination rates are highest when parents regularly interact with medics.
England has seen a 45% decline over the last decade in the number of health visitors (nurses and midwives who treat young children at their home), according to BBC analysis. It's part of a health visitor's job to remind parents about vaccines and, in some cases, administer jabs directly. Over roughly the same period, the number of fully trained GPs in England struggled to keep up with rising patient demand, while the Nuffield Trust suggests that patients have become less likely to see the same GP on repeated visits.
To address this, a vaccination clinic has been opened in a vacant retail unit at the Airedale shopping centre in Keighley, west Yorkshire. Local charity coordinator Flora Jennings says: "This was an empty shop; there was nothing here, the windows were all blacked out." The clinic, led by Dr Zoyah Hussain, helps boost the area's immunisation rates. It includes a kitchen and a playpen, making it inviting for families. This innovative solution aims to make vaccination more convenient for parents.