When a child is born, parents face the decision of whether to vaccinate them against various illnesses. Whilst jabs aren't compulsory, they're strongly advised and highly recommended for public health reasons, with certain requirements in place for some healthcare workers.
However, since 2022, no childhood vaccine in the UK has achieved the World Health Organisation's 95 per cent uptake target needed to safeguard vulnerable people. Because of this, cases of measles and other avoidable diseases have risen.
Multiple factors contribute to this decline, including safety concerns, distrust in institutions or healthcare systems, or religious and philosophical beliefs such as favouring "natural immunity". Some parents have also reported struggling to secure GP appointments for vaccinations, according to a BBC report.
This comes as a failing IT system has prevented 'thousands' of NHS patients from receiving appointment letters for vital jabs Now, one NHS GP has issued an urgent plea for more parents to vaccinate their children, sharing concerning data about how declining vaccination rates have triggered outbreaks of preventable illnesses.
"Every parent wants to keep their child safe," Dr Bhasha Mukherjee wrote in the caption of the post. "But here's what data shows about the actual risks today."
She continued by highlighting that numerous vaccine-preventable diseases are surging because fewer children are receiving full immunisation. She said: "This isn't hypothetical - it's happening now."
In the UK, confirmed measlescases soared to nearly 3,000 in 2024 - a stark jump from just 367 in 2023 - predominantly among unvaccinated kids. This marks the highest annual figure since 2012.
The bulk of these patients were children aged between one and four, and five and 10, with 710 and 730 cases respectively, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Dr Mukherjee went on to write: "Global estimates show more than 10 million measles cases in 2023, a 20 per cent increase compared to 2022, linked directly to drops in routine vaccination coverage."
Meanwhile, Pertussis, better known as whooping cough, has also surged. In England alone, there were more than 14,000 lab-confirmed cases in 2024, according to UKHSA, including hundreds in infants aged less than three months - the age group at highest risk of severe disease. Multiple deaths from the condition were also recorded.
Other vaccine-preventable illnesses such as polio are also making a comeback in parts of the world where jabs aren't reaching children. Whilst many parents worry vaccines can make their children poorly, Dr Mukherjee reminded people that diseases such as measles can be extremely serious.
"They can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis, hearing loss, long term disability, or death," she explained. "Vaccines aren't perfect, but high coverage prevents spread and protects the whole community, especially infants and immunocompromised children."
In the UK, the uptake of the MMR(measles, mumps, and rubella ) vaccine was at 88.9 per cent according to 2023-24 data. This falls significantly short of the 95 per cent required to prevent outbreaks of these diseases. Dr Mukherjee warns that this shortfall is fuelling a resurgence in these illnesses.
At the end of her post, she stated: "Bottom line: Choosing not to vaccinate increases your child's risk of catching real, rising threats - and contributes to outbreaks that put many other children at risk too."
