BMA urges government to continue routine vaccinations
The British Medical Association (BMA) has urged the government to ensure routine vaccinations continue after coverage has fallen in recent years and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A recent report by the BMA highlights a concerning drop in immunisation coverage in certain parts of the UK, due to both Covid-19 and a change in rhetoric surrounding the efficacy of vaccines.
The BMA is calling for immunisation programmes to be restarted and that any individual who has had an appointment cancelled be contacted for another appointment.
The report details how coverage for the first dose of the MMR vaccine in England is below the 95% target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), sitting at 94.5% in 2018-2019.
The WHO has set this target so populations are appropriately vaccinated, helping to ensure herd immunity throughout a community.
The report also notes that childhood vaccination rates have fallen by around a fifth in total during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite advice for services to continue during the crisis.
The BMA is also urging the government to raise public awareness around the benefits of immunisation programmes. This follows public concerns surrounding a lack of confidence in a Covid-19 vaccine.
Other actions the BMA are calling for include:
- widening vaccine availability and targeting specific populations
- ensuring adequate funding to deliver fully resourced immunisation services
- ensuring health service IT supports vaccine uptake
- increasing vaccine uptake among NHS workers
Dr Peter English, BMA public health medicine committee chair, said: “It’s been incredibly worrying to watch the decline in vaccine rates in the UK over the past few years – for example, we lost our ‘measles-free’ status in 2019 and the pandemic has of course meant even fewer vaccinations have been carried out as the NHS battled on all fronts to keep the virus at bay.
“Routine vaccination is so important, and many doctors can remember a time without it. Vaccination against common but often serious ailments has changed the face of public health and are rightly ranked by WHO, alongside clean water, as the public health intervention which has had the greatest impact on the world’s health.
“That’s why, as we recover from this pandemic, everything must be done to increase vaccine uptake – particularly as we head into flu season and vulnerable people are at greater risk of becoming ill.
“This means not only making sure the public understands the importance of getting vaccinated, but also resourcing the health service with what it needs to deliver this; adequate funding for immunisation programmes, IT services, and encouraging staff to protect themselves too.
“Health has never been more at the forefront of people’s minds, and the government needs to utilise this as a matter of urgency – not just for the sake of the population now, but the generations that follow.”