Swindon MMR Vaccine take-up rate in children better than average but still lower than target

More children than average in Swindon are being vaccinated against measles, rubella and mumps.

But the figure is still below the World Health Organisation target and Swindon lags behind its neighbour in Wiltshire.

Following the reported death of a child at Liverpool’s Alder Hey hospital from measles earlier this month a spokesman for Swindon Borough Council told the Local Democracy Reporter: “In 2023-24, 87.4 per cent of five-year-olds in Swindon had received both doses of the MMR vaccine.

“Data for the current quarter, covering January to March 2025, shows 88 per cent of children have been vaccinated for MMR.

“During this period, there have been fewer than five confirmed cases of measles in Swindon.”

That puts Swindon nearly five percentage points ahead of the national figures. Whitehall statistics show that in 2023-24, 83.9 per cent of children received their 2nd dose of MMR vaccine by their 5th birthday.

That’s a decrease of 0.6 percentage points from 84.5 per cent in the previous year.

While Swindon is ahead of the England figures, it is below the WHO target of 95 percent, as is Wiltshire Council, which is much closer to that figure.

In the same year, 96.3 per cent of children in the county had received their first  MMR jab by the age of five, while 92 per cent had received the second dose of the  combined vaccine.

There is widespread concern among public health organisations that cases of measles in the UK are rising amid the lower than hoped-for vaccination rates.

In 2025 so far, there have been 29 laboratory confirmed measles cases, with children under five accounting for  45.2 per cent of those cases.

Fewer than 10 cases were reported in Wiltshire.

Measles can be a potentially serious disease and can cause death.

The UK Health Security Agency South West said: “Measles is highly contagious and can cause serious complications.

“It is preventable with the MMR vaccine, so parents should make sure their children are up to date and catch up on any missed doses.”

Symptoms to look out for include cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

This progresses with a distinctive rash that starts on the face or behind the ears and then spreads to the rest of the body.