Child immunisations

Immunisations are an essential part of protecting children’s health and that of the community. Vaccination coverage is the best indicator of the level of protection a population will have against vaccine-preventable communicable diseases. Coverage is closely correlated with levels of disease. Monitoring coverage identifies possible drops in immunity before levels of disease rise.

The European Region of the World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends that on a national basis at least 95% of children are immunised against diseases preventable by immunisation and targeted for elimination or control (specifically, diphtheria, neonatal tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Hepatitis B, measles, mumps and congenital rubella1 (MMR) [1]). The routine childhood immunisation programme for the UK includes these immunisations recommended by WHO as well as a number of others as defined by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) [2]. There is an expectation that UK coverage for all routine childhood immunisations evaluated up to five years of age achieves 95%.

The combined diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (DTaP/IPV/Hib) is the first in a course of vaccines offered to babies to protect them against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae type b (an important cause of childhood meningitis and pneumonia) and polio (IPV is inactivated polio vaccine).

Key findings

These key findings are based on 2023/24 data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.  

• In the Lancashire-12 area, 90.6% of eligible children received their primary DTaP/IPV/Hib course (three doses) by their first birthday, this is  significantly lower than the England rate (91.2%) and below the WHO target of 'at least 95%'. Improvement in increasing childhood immunisation is necessary to ensure consistent immunisation coverage of 95% and above.
• In Blackburn with Darwen (86.4%) the percentage of eligible children receiving their primary DTaP/IPV/Hib course at any time by their first birthday is significantly lower than the England rate and in Blackpool (91.9%) it is similar to the England rate.
• In the Lancashire-12 area, 91.4% of children had received a course of the DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccine by their second birthday, this is significantly lower than the England rate (92.4%). In Blackburn with Darwen (88.8%) the coverage is significantly lower than the England rate and in Blackpool (93.1%) the coverage is similar to the England rate.
• The recent trend (2019/20 to 2023/24) for the Lancashire-12 area shows no significant change in the percentage of eligible children receiving their primary DTaP/IPV/Hib course at any time by their first birthday; the national and regional trend shows a decline. The recent trend shows that in the Lancashire-12 area the coverage of this vaccine is declining for children reaching their second birthday; it has declined for the North West region and England also.
• 89.9% of eligible children in the Lancashire-12 area received one dose of MMR on or after their first birthday and any time up to their second birthday; this is higher than the England rate (88.9%) but below 95%. The coverage of this vaccine was 86.5% in Blackburn with Darwen and 90.4% in Blackpool; coverage in Blackburn with Darwen is significantly below the England rate and in Blackpool similar to the England rate.
• In the Lancashire-12 area (87.1%), Blackburn with Darwen (85.7%) and Blackpool (86.2%) the percentage of eligible children receiving two doses of MMR vaccine on or after their first birthday and at any time up to their fifth birthday remains below 90% but significantly above the England rate (83.9%). The recent trend (2019/20 to 2023/24) shows an improvement in the coverage of this vaccine in the Lancashire-12 area, a decline in England, the North West region and Blackburn with Darwen and no significant change in Blackpool.

[1] http://www.euro.who.int/data/assets/pdf_file/0010/98398/wa540ga199heeng.pdf

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation-against-infectious-disease-the-green-book

For further county, district and unitary data please see below.

Page updated November 2024