Vaccine booster numbers drop in West Midlands

Data published by UKHSA shows that uptake of the adolescent vaccines offered to 13 and 14-year-olds who were in School Year 9 during the 2021 to 2022 academic year has fallen leaving many young people unprotected from life-threatening diseases.

The teenage (Td/IPV) booster is the last routine dose for tetanus, diphtheria and polio, and provides young people with long lasting protection into adulthood. The MenACWY vaccine helps protect young people against four types of meningococcal disease.

These rare but serious diseases can cause life threatening illness leading to hospitalisation, permanent disability and even death.

Uptake of the Td/IPV and MenACWY vaccines for children in School Year 9 was 69%, around 7% lower than the previous year and well below pre-pandemic levels (87.6% for Td/IPV and 88% for MenACYW in the 2018/19 academic year).

The data suggests that the NHS has already caught up many children who missed out on their vaccines, with uptake improving to around 80% for children in year 10.

All the routine adolescent immunisation programmes have been impacted by the pandemic and coverage is not back up to pre-pandemic levels. UKHSA is urging parents and guardians to ensure eligible young people are up to date with their adolescent vaccines before they leave school.

Doctor Sarah Smith is from the West Midlands Health Protection Team, and said: "We always want to encourage to raise vaccination rates.

"Covid has been a huge impact on this drop. We had school absences from people isolation and staying away from the school, which caused disruption.

"It also disrupted teachers that provide the immunisation programme."