Concern at vaccination rates among children

ANY children may be about to return to school in Bristol without protection from illnesses like measles - with falling vaccine rates prompting fears of a fresh surge of infections.

- RICHARD AULT

Over the summer holidays, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has urged parents to prioritise vaccine catch-up appointments to protect against infectious diseases like measles.

However, new data published on Thursday shows that only 83.7% of children in England had received both doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine by their fifth birthday, a slight fall from the previous year and well below the 95% target.

With measles in resurgence across Europe, the UKHSA is also concerned that families who travelled abroad over the summer may have carried infections back to the UK from countries where there are outbreaks.

In England, while children have been away from school, weekly lab-confirmed cases of measles appear to have fallen, although that may be due to reporting delays.