Child vaccination rates in England fall across the board, figures show

Uptake of all 13 routine childhood vaccinations for under 5s has fallen in England over the past year, official statistics show.1 Coverage of the first dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, as measured among children aged 24 months, decreased for the fifth year in a row—from 91.2% of children in 2017-18 to 90.3% in 2018-19—figures from NHS Digital show. The World Health Organization target is 95%. MMR coverage rates for the second dose as measured at 5 years decreased from 87.2% to 86.4% last year. Government and medical leaders raised concerns about the figures. England’s health secretary, Matt …