The number of children being vaccinated against diseases including measles and whooping cough has collapsed to the lowest levels in more than a decade in the UK as trust in vaccines plummets following the Covid vaccination drive. The Times has more.
The slump, which appears to be a part of a growing phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy in Britain, means Britain remains below the 95% coverage threshold recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for all routine vaccines by the age of five. It leaves the country at risk of serious outbreaks of potentially deadly diseases among children.
Last year there were 2,911 confirmed measles cases in England, the highest number since 2012, with outbreaks in Birmingham and London. There were 14,894 confirmed cases of whooping cough in 2024 and 11 babies died.
The WHO recommends a 95% vaccination threshold to achieve herd immunity for disease elimination or control.
Before the age of five, children are supposed to have the MMR jab; the six-in-one vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis B; and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Children also get vaccines against meningitis B and C. Missed vaccines can be caught up with at any age.
Vaccination rates for the six-in-one vaccine have dropped from 89% in 2014 to 83% in 2024 for children. For MMR, rates have fallen from 88% to 84%.
The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which protects against streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, has fallen from 92% to 88%. Similarly, the rate for meningitis vaccines is down from 92% to 89%.
London has the lowest immunisation rates for childhood vaccines. Data analysis by the Sunday Times shows that for the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella), Hackney, east London, has just 60% coverage. …
Anti-vaccine sentiment is also on the rise. Polling data reveals a growing belief among adults in Britain that vaccines cause harmful effects which are being withheld from them. According to regular YouGov polling of 2,000 adults, the percentage of people agreeing with this belief has more than doubled, increasing from 14% at the start of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out to 34% this year. …
Dr Yasmin Razak, a GP partner in North Kensington in London, where rates for MMR vaccination are as low as 64%, said vaccine hesitancy was a real problem. …
She said after Covid and the push for vaccinations during the pandemic, people were more sceptical. She described how sometimes mothers fell silent when the topic of vaccination was raised.
“Vaccines are something people are very wary of since Covid. There was a lot of fear in a lot of people and a lot of misinformation as well. The Pfizer jab was obviously fantastic but there were side-effects with the AstraZeneca vaccine and so people are hesitant.”
The Pfizer jab was obviously fantastic, unlike that nasty AZ clot shot. Hmm, it seems the official vaccine disinformation still has a hold over the medical community.
Worth reading in full.
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