Parents urged to check children's vaccinations are up to date following a drop in uptake
Hackney Council is urging all parents and guardians to ensure their children are fully vaccinated against serious illnesses including, polio, tetanus, measles, mumps and rubella as part of a NHS London campaign to reduce infection rates and increase vaccine uptake.
Following a recent discovery of the polio virus found in sewage in North and East London there is renewed urgency to ensure that children who may have missed their vaccinations during the covid-19 pandemic are up to date.
The NHS provides vaccinations against serious illnesses as part of its routine immunisation schedule. Babies under one year old should receive three sets of vaccinations at 8, 12 and 16 weeks. These vaccinations cover a wide range of illnesses including polio, tetanus and whooping cough.
Once your child reaches the age of one they are then eligible for their first dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, with a second dose administered when they reach three years and four months, before they start nursery or school. Two doses of the vaccine are needed to ensure full protection.
Director of Public Health for the City and Hackney, Dr Sandra Husbands said: “It is incredibly important that parents make sure their children are up to date with their vaccinations.
“Vaccines offered to children, as part of the NHS routine immunisation schedule, are safe, quick and free. I would urge all parents to check their child’s Red Book or or speak to their GP practice to ensure all immunisations are up-to-date.
“If your child has missed a vaccination, it’s not too late to catch up.”
It is incredibly important that parents make sure their children are up to date with their vaccinations.
Vaccines offered to children, as part of the NHS routine immunisation schedule, are safe, quick and free. I would urge all parents to check their child’s Red Book or or speak to their GP practice to ensure all immunisations are up-to-date.
If your child has missed a vaccination, it’s not too late to catch up.
Getting vaccinated against all illnesses including measles, mumps and rubella is vitally important as these conditions can lead to other serious problems including meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.
The NHS London campaign comes amid data showing uptake of the childhood vaccination across the capital remains below the 95 per cent target recommended by the World Health Organisation, and significantly lower than before the covid pandemic.
The figures are even lower in the City and Hackney, where according to data from Queen Mary University’s Clinical Effectiveness Group research, there was a reduction of up to 36.7% in immunisation consultations during March and April 2021, in comparison to the same months in the previous year.
Parents and guardians can find out more about the NHS vaccination programme here:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/nhs-vaccinations-and-when-to-have-them/