Falling infant vaccination rates put millions at risk, say experts

Millions of children worldwide are at growing risk of serious illness and death due to declining infant vaccination rates, experts have warned, with the UK ranked worst of major western economies for MMR immunisation.

- Anna Bawden

New figures released by the World Health Organization and Unicef show that more than 30 million children are not fully immunised against measles, mumps and rubella and 14.3 million children have not received a single routine infant vaccination.

The UK is the worst performer among G7 nations, the data shows. Only 89% of children received their first MMR jab last year, compared with 96% in Germany; 95% in France, Italy and Japan; and 92% in the US and Canada.

While the figures show measles coverage improved slightly last year—reaching 2 million more children than in 2023—vaccination rates have gone backwards in some countries and stagnated in other regions, leaving children increasingly vulnerable to outbreaks of the disease.