More Parents in U.K. Refuse Childhood Vaccinations
- by Rishma Parpia
- Published
- Vaccines
In late 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there had been a decline in state required vaccines from 95 percent to 93 percent among kindergarteners during the 2020-2021 school year compared to the 2019-2020 school year.1 2 Now, public health officials in the United Kingdom also are reporting lower uptake of childhood vaccinations in that country.
Recent data from the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed a slight increase in the uptake of some specific childhood vaccines between January 2024 and March 2024. However, health officials say that overall vaccination targets are still not being met. The U.K. follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guideline target of 95 percent of under five-year-olds to be vaccinated.3
U.K.’s 6-in-1 Shot for Children Has Lower Than Expected Uptake
The National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K. recommends a three dose 6-in-1 combination vaccine for babies given at 8, 12 and 16 weeks old. The 6-in-1 combination vaccine includes vaccines for diphtheria, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), polio, tetanus, and pertussis.4
The uptake for the 6-in-1 vaccine and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine exceeded the targets in Scotland and Wales. However, vaccination goals for the entire U.K. were not met. For the U.K. as a whole, only 91.5 percent of children under two years old had received the 6-in-1 vaccine, and only 84.5 percent of children under five years old had received the combination vaccine.5
Vaccine coverage for the first dose of MMR, which is given at age one in the U.K., dropped 0.5 percent to 92.5 percent. Uptake for the second dose of MMR given between three to five years old increased by 0.2 percent but only to 85.2 percent.6
Vaccination Campaign Launched in U.K. to Boost Uptake
In March 2024 during a measles outbreak in the U.K., public health officials implemented a vaccination campaign to boost vaccination rates in children, which they stated have steadily decreased over the past decade, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.7
In a video created by UKHSA streamed on television, radio and online, children tell their parents and caregivers:
Our generation’s risk of illnesses like measles and whooping cough is rising. If we’re not vaccinated, we’re not protected.8
Parents in U.K. Question Safety of Childhood Vaccines
Just like in the U.S.,9 10 many parents in the U.K. were questioning the safety of childhood vaccines prior to the recent measles vaccination campaign. In a Facebook group for parents, a mother asked for advice in November 2023 on the MMR vaccine because she had received a letter from the NHS asking her to take her daughter to get the vaccine. She said she does not know whom to trust. She wrote:
I’ve done some research but feel like a lot of the info on the web is pro-vaccine. Just trying to learn about it all and make the right decisions. Thank you in advance.11
The post received hundreds of replies with stories of children that were injured by the MMR vaccine, others providing information on the risks of the vaccine, and other resources from parents. One parent responded:
No no no. Avoid them all. Once they’re injected into the bloodstream, the metals and toxins have access to the brain and every organ! Arm yourself with information to decline because they will pressure you.”12
Another parent said:
I keep getting letters for all my kids. It’s scaremongering. I’ve threatened my surgery with harassment if they don’t stop sending me letters.13
Dr. Selvaseelan Selvarajah, a general practitioner in the U.K. who is a vaccine proponent said:
Since COVID we’ve seen a lot more hesitancy. Theories about the MMR and COVID vaccines have merged.14
If you would like to receive an e-mail notice of the most recent articles published in The Vaccine Reaction each week, click here.
Click here to view References
No comments:
Post a Comment