Latest data shows signs that vaccine uptake by the time children start primary school in the South West is stabilising, and continues to outperform the England average.
The latest annual COVER data on childhood vaccines 2025 to March 2026, published yesterday by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), shows signs that uptake of key vaccines offered as part of the NHS childhood vaccination schedule by age 5, prior to starting primary school, is stabilising after a decade of slow decline across all vaccines in England.
However, UKHSA is today warning that despite these signs, current uptake rates are still well below the World Health Organization (WHO) 95% target. High uptake is needed to prevent outbreaks and the spread of serious infections, including measles, which is highly infectious, particularly in closed environments like schools.
UKHSA is reminding parents that getting their children vaccinated at the right time is essential to protect them when they are most vulnerable and ensure they are ready to thrive when starting nursery and school.
Today's figures show that for children starting primary school in the South West, uptake rates for vaccines such as MMR and the 6 -in-1 (which includes diphtheria, whooping cough and polio) remain higher than the national average.
In the South West:
- 89.5% of children had received 2 doses of MMR vaccine by age 5, compared with 83.8% across England, while 95.7% had received the 6-in-1 vaccine, compared with 92.9% nationally.
- Plymouth recorded the highest uptake for children at age 5 for the DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB vaccine, at 97.3%. Similar patterns were seen for MMR2 uptake, with Plymouth reaching 92.8%, the highest in the region.
- At 24 months, coverage across the South West also remained ahead of the national picture, with the region recording 95.0% for DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB coverage compared with 92.3% for England as a whole, and 92.1% for MMR1 compared with 87.9% nationally.
- Plymouth again recorded the highest coverage in the region for MenB booster and PCV booster at this age, at 93.8% and 94.1% respectively.
- At 12 months, the South West recorded 93.7% coverage for DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB, compared with 90.5% across England. North Somerset and Plymouth both recorded 95.0% coverage for this vaccine, the highest in the region.
The stabilising of vaccine uptake measured at 5 years will partly be due to NHS catch-up activity in the past year alongside other factors. In addition, a further government childhood vaccinations campaign, launched in February 2026, developed with support from NHS England and UKHSA, aims to reverse the decline in uptake by providing clear, trusted information and making it easier than ever for families to access vaccines.
Vaccines are offered free on the NHS, starting from 8 weeks old, with boosters and additional doses throughout childhood and adolescence. If your child has missed any, catch-up appointments are available through GPs and school programmes.
From 1 January this year, the NHS rolled out the addition of a vaccine to the routine childhood programme to protect against chickenpox. The combined MMRV vaccination provides additional protection against chickenpox, with 2 doses providing long-lasting protection against 4 serious diseases: measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (also known as varicella).
The figures reflect the efforts undertaken by NHS England and regional ICS teams, who have continued the drive to encourage parents to vaccinate their children by making it easier- including hosting extra clinics, catch-up opportunities in schools and localised outreach projects to target low uptake areas across the country.
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