1 in 10 children unvaccinated against measles in England
Fewer children are getting immunised against potentially fatal diseases, according to the latest NHS data.
The figures show that at the age of one, two and five years, there has been a decline in vaccination rates against 13 diseases — leaving thousands of children unprotected.
Among children aged two years, vaccinations against MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) in South East have dropped from 91.5% in 2017/18 to 91.4% in 2018/19. The rate in England has gone down each year for the last five years.
The UK lost its measles-free status in August this year, following the drop in rates of MMR immunisation — leaving many parents worried about the outcome.
A Portsmouth mum, Emma Youngman, finds it worrying that children could be at risk of contracting these diseases unknowingly.
She said: ‘’I believe it should be compulsory for adults and children to be vaccinated and kept up-to-date with these vaccinations to ensure that there are no outbreaks and others aren’t put at risk.’’
Coverage of 95% of the population is needed to prevent outbreaks, but England is currently below the target with only 90.3% of the population immunised in 2018/19.
