Routine childhood vaccines measured at one, two and five years in England were well below the World Health Organization target of 95%, official figures have revealed.
A report published today by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) showed that vaccination coverage in England was below that of other UK countries at 92.7%.
It also found that levels of vaccination uptake among children under five varied dramatically across different local health authorities
However, the figures also revealed that levels of childhood MMR vaccination coverage in England have risen 0.4 percentage points in the past year, making it the sixth consecutive year that coverage has risen.
HSCIC chair Kingsley Manning acknowledged that the report showed ‘clear variation’ across England in childhood vaccination coverage.
He said: ‘Healthcare professionals should take note of the statistics in this report and make use of them as part of their planning, to encourage parents to immunise their children.’
Pulse reported in July that making information about MMR immunisation available online was found to be the most cost-effective way of increasing uptake, according to academics at Leeds University.
