West Midlands parents are being urged to protect their children with life-saving vaccinations ahead of the new school term, as latest data shows around 1 in 5 children starting school in the region are not fully protected against a range of serious infections.

The latest Annual COVER Data on Childhood Vaccines 2025-26, published yesterday (28 August) by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that while uptake of vital vaccines offered as part of the NHS Childhood Vaccination Schedule by age 5 years are finally stabilising, after a decade of slow decline across England, around 20% of 5-year-olds in the region are still vulnerable to a range of potentially life-changing and life-threatening diseases.

In recent years, the West Midlands has seen a number of outbreaks of measles, which can be fatal in rare cases. However, only 83% of 5-year-olds in the region have had both doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines, slightly less than the 83.8% uptake nationally – and well below the 95% uptake advised by the World Health Organization to protect the population from outbreaks of this highly infectious disease. In some parts of the region, this drops as low as 74.1%. 

While two doses of MMR provide maximum protection, one dose gives around 93% protection from measles. However, latest figures show 8% of children in the West Midlands are starting school without having any MMR vaccines – similar to the 7.9% national figure. 

Data also shows that 18.5% of children have not received their pre-school booster jab in the West Midlands, (18.1% nationally), meaning around 1 in 5 children are also unprotected against diseases including diphtheria, hepatitis B, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and infections causing meningitis.

Angela Cartwright, Consultant in Health Protection for UKHSA West Midlands, said: “We know parents in the West Midlands region want to do what’s best for their children, and that includes making sure they are immunised against childhood infections which can be unpleasant at best, and potentially life-changing and life-threatening at worst.

“While people generally have confidence in the childhood vaccinations offered by the NHS, it can be hard juggling busy lives, so finding time to book appointments can be difficult. This means that far too many children won’t be fully protected when starting school and will be at risk of serious infections including meningitis, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis B, along with whooping cough and measles – which have caused outbreaks in recent years.

“It’s easy to forget that vaccinations save thousands of lives and prevent tens of thousands of hospital admissions every year. That’s why it’s important that families make time to check their child’s red book, the NHS app or speak to their GP practice, to make sure everyone in the family is up to date with their routine vaccinations and arrange an appointment as soon as possible to catch up if necessary. Making sure children are fully protected before starting primary school is essential to keep them safe and give them the best opportunity to thrive at school.”

In the West Midlands region, uptake of 2 MMR vaccinations by 5-years old ranges from as low as 74.1% to 90.4%. Uptake of the pre-school booster ranges from 89.4% to a low of 72.1%.

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 chicken pox (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.

More information on vaccinations is available at nhs.uk/vaccinations.