Families urged to bring their children forward for vital pre-school immunisations

NHS vaccination leads in the North West are urging families to bring their children forward for vital pre-school vaccines during World Immunisation Week (24-30 April), as data shows more than one in 10 children are unvaccinated and unprotected against measles, mumps and rubella by the time they start school in many parts of the North West.

The latest published data for October to December 2022 shows that uptake of both doses of the vaccine by age 5 was below 90% in more than half of local authorities in the region, including the Rochdale borough (85.7%).

Measles, mumps and rubella can have serious health consequences and are some of the world’s most contagious diseases.

One in five people who get measles needs to go to hospital; the illness can result in deafness, fits and brain damage.

The MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination is proven to be very effective and safe in protecting children against these highly infectious conditions, which are easily spread between unvaccinated people.

The MMR vaccine is delivered in two doses, the first (MMR 1) at 12-months-old and the second (MMR 2) at three years and four months.

At least 95% uptake of the MMR vaccine is needed to provide ‘herd immunity’ – the point at which the population is protected from a disease.

The routine childhood immunisation programme is designed to provide early protection against vaccine-preventable infections from 8 weeks of age, with boosters offered at 12 months and before starting primary school.

In the North West, uptake of the 6-in-1 vaccination, which includes diphtheria, hepatitis B, Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b), polio, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis) is 91.1% - Rochdale only just surpasses that with a 92.6% uptake rate.

Uptake of rotavirus vaccine, which can only be given to babies up to 15 weeks old to protect them from the most common cause of gastroenteritis, is 87.7% in the region, compared with a national average of 89.3%. In the Rochdale borough, this is a 88.7% uptake.

Tricia Spedding, Regional Head of Public Health at NHS England North West, said: “It’s really concerning to see low uptake of childhood vaccines in some parts of the North West.

“Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or seen very rarely. Other diseases like measles and diphtheria have been reduced by up to 99.9% since their vaccines were introduced.

“However, if people stop having vaccines, it's possible for infectious diseases like measles to quickly spread again.

“It’s really important that babies and children have vaccinations as soon as they are offered to make sure they are protected from the earliest possible age and we recommend that parents whose children are due to start school this September make sure they’ve had all of their routine vaccinations so they can be fully protected from preventable illnesses.”

Dr Helen Wall, clinical director for population health, NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, said: “It is worrying to see a decline in the number of children getting their vaccinations, with even small drops in the number of people coming forward for vaccination, it's possible for infectious diseases to quickly spread again. Indeed, we have had a confirmed case of measles in Greater Manchester earlier this month.

“We want to take this opportunity to remind parents – vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves, our children and those around us against ill health. If you think your child has missed a vaccination, please contact your GP to catch up.

“I understand that parents may hesitate to get their child vaccinated because they worry about the safety of the vaccine. I want to reassure those parents, that all vaccines are thoroughly tested to make sure they will not harm you or your child.

“Children may experience mild side effects such as the area where the needle goes in being sore or being a bit unwell for a couple of days, however, this far outweighs the risk of these, sometimes life-threatening, illnesses.”

If parents and carers are unsure if their child is up to date with vaccinations, they can check their Red Book (personal child health record) or speak to their GP surgery.

Find out more about the routine childhood immunisation programme on the NHS website.