As children across England returned to primary school this week, thousands did so without protection against a number of serious diseases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that at least 95 per cent of children should receive vaccine doses for each illness to achieve herd immunity, when it's hard for a disease to spread through a group of people

However, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), none of the main childhood vaccines in England hit this target in 2024/25.

Vaccine coverage also varies widely across the nation. Manchester is among the cities with the lowest vaccination rates in the country, with just 74.5 per cent of children having received both doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella jab by their fifth birthday. Only 87.1 per cent had received

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