The NHS is facing mounting criticism for a “clearly failing” system of childhood vaccinations, with measles cases rising and vaccination rates falling to levels comparable with some of the world’s poorest nations. The warning comes as an outbreak in Enfield, North London, has seen 60 children infected, 15 of whom required hospital treatment.
According to figures revealed this month, less than 60% of five-year-olds in some areas of England have received both doses of the MMR vaccine, placing the UK behind Afghanistan (62%) and Malawi (69.3%) in vaccination coverage. The World Health Organization recommends a 95% vaccination rate to achieve herd immunity.
Ben Coleman, a Labour MP on the Commons health and social care select committee, described the situation as deeply concerning. “The long-term decline in uptake of MMR and growing number of very worrying measles outbreaks… reveal that that system is clearly failing,” he said. “That means that children are at risk of hospitalisation and even of dying from measles.”
The current system relies on GP surgeries and schools to deliver the MMR vaccine, with the first dose typically administered at 12 months and the second at 18 months. However, MPs and health experts are now calling for a major overhaul, including expanding access to vaccinations through pharmacies.
“Pharmacies are somewhere families often visit and they’re being wasted as a resource,” Coleman added. “We can’t afford complacency.”
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health echoed this sentiment, stating that enabling pharmacists to deliver MMR vaccines could “build it faster and easier for parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated.” The National Pharmacy Association as well voiced its support, calling the decade-long reduction in MMR uptake “a sign that the current system is simply not working.”
Concerns about the NHS’s response were raised during a recent hearing of the health committee, where Dr. Mary Ramsay, director of public health programmes at the UK Health Security Agency, acknowledged that opposition from GPs to pharmacies being paid for vaccinations was hindering progress. When questioned by Coleman about whether GPs might be “annoyed” by the prospect, Ramsay replied, “That is an element.”
The outbreak in Enfield has reignited fears about the potential complications of measles, which can include pneumonia, encephalitis, meningitis, blindness, and even death. Last summer, a child died of measles at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, highlighting the severity of the risk.
The Department of Health and Social Care has introduced the MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox, and has also allowed children to receive their second dose of MMR earlier. A spokesperson stated that it is “vital for anyone not yet vaccinated against MMR to do so as soon as possible” and that the government is taking “urgent action with partners across London to boost MMR uptake and safeguard children’s health.”
Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at Oxford University, warned of a “real risk of further spread” of the measles virus in London, given the low vaccination rates. He explained that outbreaks will likely continue to occur as unvaccinated children are born and the number of susceptible individuals increases.
