MMR vaccinations for babies in Wakefield is below the level needed to stop diseases spreading

Despite an increase in MMR vaccination rates across England, the British Society for Immunology warned that the national level was still below target and could mean diseases such as measles spreading to vulnerable, unvaccinated people.

Figures from NHS Digital show 94% of babies in Wakefield received the first dose of the MMR vaccination by their second birthday in 2019-20 .

This was a decrease on the 94.9% of two-year-olds who were vaccinated the year before and means 253 babies were not inoculated this year.

Across England, the proportion of children having their first dose of the jab increased from 90.3% in 2018-19 to 90.6% in 2019-20 – though it is still well below the 95% needed for herd immunity.

This is the first time in six years that MMR coverage nationwide has increased, following a peak of 92.7% in 2013-14.

Vaccination rates fell and measles rates began to rise following a study in 1998 by Dr Andrew Wakefield claiming the jabs were unsafe.

The findings were later discredited and the General Medical Council (GMC) struck him off, ruling he had been “dishonest, irresponsible and showed callous disregard for the distress and pain” of children.

The NHS figures show an increase in coverage in six of the nine English regions in 2019-20, with Yorkshire and The Humber having the fourth highest level of coverage, at 92.6%.

The North East, at 95.1%, was the only region to reach the target, while the uptake rate in London was 83.6%, the lowest in England.

Dr Doug Brown, chief executive of the British Society for Immunology, welcomed the “small increase in uptake for most routine vaccinations” but said “none of them have reached the necessary uptake level of 95% at the correct timepoint.”

He added: “The slight rise in uptake of routine childhood vaccinations in England is a step in the right direction but we must still take urgent action to overcome the ongoing trend of missing the 95% target set out by the World Health Organisation.

“Low levels of vaccination coverage matter as it means diseases such as measles have the potential to spread within our communities, infecting unvaccinated people, including vulnerable individuals unable to have vaccinations such as young babies or people with cancer.”

In Wakefield, 92.7% of children had received both doses of the MMR vaccine before the age of five in 2019-20 – compared to 86.8% across England.

Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and NHS national director of primary care, said: “Vaccines provide vital protection against life-threatening diseases and so it is great that coverage of MMR is increasing, but we want even more parents to come forward and get their children vaccinated.

“NHS staff are working hard to ensure that MMR and other vital vaccination appointments are still going ahead safely throughout the pandemic, so as a mum and a GP I want to remind other parents that getting your kids their vaccination is not only safe, but potentially life-saving.”

Separate national figures from Public Health England show the number of vaccinations for the first MMR vaccine dipped in the weeks after the coronavirus lockdown was introduced.

The PHE report suggested stay-at-home messaging and difficulty in getting a GP appointment may have contributed to a "large decline" in vaccine uptake, though rates have since risen again.