STORY
Parents are being urged to ensure their children receive vaccinations at the recommended time after new figures showed that uptake in England remains below the World Health Organization target. The UK Health Security Agency said vaccination levels among children reaching primary school age appear to be stabilising following a decade of gradual decline.
Among five-year-olds, 83.8 per cent had received two doses of the MMR vaccine in 2025/26, compared with 83.7 per cent during the previous year. Coverage for the six-in-one vaccine stood at 92.9 per cent, while uptake of the four-in-one preschool booster increased from 81.3 per cent to 81.9 per cent. None of the vaccinations measured currently meets the WHO target of 95 per cent.
UKHSA warned that uptake among children measured at one and two years old had fallen again for every vaccine. Vaccinations are available free through the NHS, with catch-up appointments offered by GP practices and school programmes. Dr Mary Ramsay, UKHSA’s Director of Immunisation, said parents whose children had missed vaccinations should contact their GP practice, adding that it was not too late to catch up with most childhood vaccines