How Cornwall compares to rest of UK for MMR vaccine

Millions of parents and carers in England are being urged to book their children in for their missed measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as part of a major new NHS drive to protect children from becoming seriously unwell, as measles cases continue to rise across the country.

The NHS campaign will see all parents of children aged from six to 11 years contacted, encouraging them to make an appointment with their child’s GP practice for their missed MMR vaccine.

NHS figures show more than 3.4 million children under the age of 16 years are unprotected and at risk of catching these serious and completely preventable diseases.

A similar campaign last winter saw the number of MMR vaccinations increased by 10% compared to the previous year after two million, texts, email and letters sent to parents between September 2022 and February 2023.

A breakdown of the proportion of children in England who received both doses of their MMR (measles, mumps & rubella) vaccine by their fifth birthday has been published by NHS England, according to upper-tier local authority area data.

The figures are for the year spanning 2022/23, which are the latest figures available.

It shows that in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 89.0% of children under five received both doses during that time. This puts the Duchy around the middle of the table nationally, but lower than other parts of the south west.

In Devon and Dorset the equivalent figure was 92.3%, while Bath & North East Somerset it was 93.3%, North Somerset 91.4% and Somerset 90.4%.

The local authority area of East Riding of Yorkshire saw the highest take-up in the country, with 94.4% of under-fives receiving the vaccine.

At the other end of the scale, the lowest ten areas are all from London, with Hackney & City of London the worst for take-up at just 56.3%.

The full list can be found at the bottom of the article, ordered by the percentage of children who received both doses, starting with the highest.

Steve Russell, NHS director of vaccinations and screening, said: “People who are unvaccinated can get catch-up jabs at MMR pop-ups in schools and other convenient places while GPs, teachers and trusted community leaders are encouraging groups that are less likely to get their jab to come forward.

“Measles is a serious illness, with one in five children who get the disease having to be admitted to hospital for treatment, so if you or your child have not had your MMR jab, it is vital you come forward.”

The NHS is warning that measles is not just a childhood disease and can be serious at any age. If caught during pregnancy it can be very serious, causing stillbirth, miscarriage and low birth weight and NHS bosses are urging adults to catch up on any missed doses before thinking about starting a family.

Complications from measles, mumps and rubella can be potentially life changing including blindness, deafness and swelling of the brain (encephalitis).

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed for maximum life-long protection, with the first dose ideally given around the child’s first birthday, and the second dose at around three years and four months old.

However, anyone can catch up at any age on any missed doses.

Analysis shows one infected child in a classroom can infect up to nine other unvaccinated children, making it one of the most infectious diseases worldwide, and more infectious than Covid-19.

Parents and carers can find out more about the different vaccines their child should have and when by visiting www.nhs.uk and searching for ‘NHS vaccinations and when to have them’.

Proportion of children who have received MMR vaccine, by local area

East Riding of Yorkshire (Yorkshire/Humber) 94.4%

County Durham (NE England) 94.0%

Cumbria (NW England) 93.5%

Bath & North East Somerset (SW England) 93.3%

Derbyshire (E Midlands) 93.1%

West Berkshire (SE England) 93.0%

North Tyneside (NE England) 92.8%

South Tyneside (NE England) 92.7%

Northumberland (NE England) 92.6%

Wiltshire (SW England) 92.4%

Sunderland (NE England) 92.4%

Dorset (SW England) 92.3%

Devon (SW England) 92.3%

Barnsley (Yorkshire/Humber) 92.2%

Stockton-on-Tees (NE England) 92.0%

Leicestershire & Rutland (E Midlands) 91.9%

Rotherham (Yorkshire/Humber) 91.8%

South Gloucestershire (SW England) 91.6%

North East Lincolnshire (Yorkshire/Humber) 91.6%

Plymouth (SW England) 91.6%

North Somerset (SW England) 91.4%

Stockport (NW England) 91.3%

Wokingham (SE England) 91.1%

Hampshire (SE England) 91.0%

Central Bedfordshire (E England) 90.8%

Darlington (NE England) 90.8%

Oxfordshire (SE England) 90.6%

Norfolk (E England) 90.6%

Worcestershire (W Midlands) 90.6%

Somerset (SW England) 90.4%

Bedford (E England) 90.4%

North Yorkshire (Yorkshire/Humber) 90.3%

Buckinghamshire (SE England) 90.3%

Cheshire East (NW England) 89.9%

Cheshire West & Chester (NW England) 89.9%

Shropshire (W Midlands) 89.8%

Bracknell Forest (SE England) 89.5%

West Sussex (SE England) 89.5%

Redcar & Cleveland (NE England) 89.5%

Torbay (SW England) 89.3%

Gloucestershire (SW England) 89.3%

Staffordshire (W Midlands) 89.3%

Dudley (W Midlands) 89.3%

Cambridgeshire (E England) 89.3%

Wakefield (Yorkshire/Humber) 89.2%

Warrington (NW England) 89.2%

Suffolk (E England) 89.1%

Cornwall & Isles of Scilly (SW England) 89.0%

Halton (NW England) 89.0%

Trafford (NW England) 89.0%

Windsor & Maidenhead (SE England) 88.8%

Hertfordshire (E England) 88.8%

Wirral (NW England) 88.7%

Warwickshire (W Midlands) 88.5%

Gateshead (NE England) 88.5%

Kirklees (Yorkshire/Humber) 88.4%

Wigan (NW England) 88.4%

Essex (E England) 88.3%

Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (SW England) 88.2%

Blackburn with Darwen (NW England) 88.2%

Lancashire (NW England) 88.1%

Herefordshire (W Midlands) 88.1%

Bolton (NW England) 87.6%

Milton Keynes (SE England) 87.4%

Blackpool (NW England) 87.4%

Bromley (London) 87.0%

Telford & Wrekin (W Midlands) 87.0%

North Northamptonshire (E Midlands) 86.9%

Swindon (SW England) 86.8%

East Sussex (SE England) 86.8%

Tameside (NW England) 86.5%

York (Yorkshire/Humber) 86.5%

Portsmouth (SE England) 86.2%

St Helens (NW England) 86.0%

Nottinghamshire (E Midlands) 86.0%

Calderdale (Yorkshire/Humber) 85.9%

Solihull (W Midlands) 85.8%

Southampton (SE England) 85.7%

Hull (Yorkshire/Humber) 85.6%

Isle of Wight (SE England) 85.5%

North Lincolnshire (Yorkshire/Humber) 85.5%

Stoke-on-Trent (W Midlands) 85.4%

Rochdale (NW England) 85.2%

Sheffield (Yorkshire/Humber) 85.2%

Kent (SE England) 85.2%

Newcastle-upon-Tyne (NE England) 85.1%

West Northamptonshire (E Midlands) 85.0%

Southend-on-Sea (E England) 85.0%

Slough (SE England) 84.6%

Hartlepool (NE England) 84.5%

Brighton & Hove (SE England) 84.4%

Reading (SE England) 84.4%

Bristol (SW England) 84.3%

Doncaster (Yorkshire/Humber) 84.2%

Lincolnshire (E Midlands) 83.9%

Leeds (Yorkshire/Humber) 83.8%

Bradford (Yorkshire/Humber) 83.6%

Surrey (SE England) 83.5%

Greenwich (London) 83.4%

Bury (NW England) 83.3%

Walsall (W Midlands) 83.1%

Thurrock (E England) 82.8%

Sefton (NW England) 82.6%

Bexley (London) 82.6%

Southwark (London) 82.5%

Medway (SE England) 82.5%

Middlesbrough (NE England) 82.1%

Coventry (W Midlands) 81.7%

Luton (E England) 81.4%

Ealing (London) 81.0%

Hillingdon (London) 81.0%

Oldham (NW England) 80.8%

Lewisham (London) 80.4%

Sandwell (W Midlands) 80.2%

Salford (NW England) 79.8%

Derby (E Midlands) 79.6%

Havering (London) 79.5%

Leicester (E Midlands) 79.2%

Lambeth (London) 79.1%

Wolverhampton (W Midlands) 79.1%

Harrow (London) 78.9%

Hounslow (London) 77.9%

Sutton (London) 77.7%

Brent (London) 77.6%

Knowsley (NW England) 76.5%

Kingston-upon-Thames (London) 76.4%

Peterborough (E England) 75.7%

Wandsworth (London) 75.2%

Nottingham (E Midlands) 75.1%

Birmingham (W Midlands) 75.1%

Manchester (NW England) 74.5%

Richmond-upon-Thames (London) 74.1%

Westminster (London) 74.0%

Tower Hamlets (London) 73.8%

Liverpool (NW England) 73.6%

Merton (London) 71.7%

Waltham Forest (London) 70.8%

Barnet (London) 70.6%

Hammersmith & Fulham (London) 70.3%

Croydon (London) 70.3%

Redbridge (London) 69.5%

Barking & Dagenham (London) 69.5%

Newham (London) 68.0%

Kensington & Chelsea (London) 67.2%

Islington (London) 66.3%

Haringey (London) 65.9%

Enfield (London) 64.8%

Camden (London) 63.6%

Hackney & City of London (London) 56.3%