Coverage declined for nine of the 12 routine vaccinations measured at age 12 months, 24 months or five years in 2017-18 in England compared to the previous year, according to new figures published in NHS Digital’s Childhood Vaccination Coverage Statistics report.

Coverage for the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine for children reaching their second birthday fell to 91.2 per cent in England in 2017-18 compared to 91.6 per cent in 2016-17 – the fourth consecutive year that MMR coverage has decreased. The World Health Organization (WHO) target is 95 per cent.

The report also shows that coverage for the 5-in-1 vaccine at 12 months fell from 94.7 per cent in 2012-13 to 93.1 per cent in 2017-18. It is the fifth successive year coverage for the vaccine for diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis), tetanus, polio and Hib disease has fallen in children aged 12 months.

The Rotavirus vaccine was the only one that had an increase in coverage, from 89.6 per cent in 2016-17 to 90.1 per cent in 2017-18.

Coverage of the meningitis B vaccine – included as a national statistic for the first time this year – was 92.5 per cent, with eight out of nine regions achieving coverage above 90 per cent.

For all vaccinations detailed in the report, the North East had the highest coverage and London had the lowest.