The UK risks losing its position as a “global leader” on vaccination as uptake rates for life-saving jabs has declined, MPs have warned.
The Health and Social Care Select Committee specifically sounded the alarm over the falling number of children receiving their routine jabs, which protect from illnesses including meningitis, measles and hepatitis B.
MPs said that it is “unacceptable” that people find it difficult to get to vaccination appointments due to “practical challenges” like the time and location of jab appointments and urged health leaders to improve access.
The latest data show that vaccine coverage fell in 13 out of the 14 routine programmes for children up to five years old in 2021/22.
And earlier this month, health officials launched a campaign calling on people in London to check their vaccination status after a spike in measles cases.
Meanwhile, the group of MPs also said that health officials need to ready themselves to deliver exciting new medicines, warning that it would be “incredibly disappointing” if the NHS was not prepared to deliver new treatments as and when they become available.
Unless the Government addresses challenges around declining rates among childhood immunisations and implements reform on clinical trials, the UK’s position as a global leader on vaccination risks being lost— Steve Brine
They said that innovations such as personalised cancer vaccines “are on the horizon” and more must be done to ensure patients in England are not forced to wait once they are ready.
Their new report also sounds the alarm over a decline in clinical trial activity.
Commenting on the report, Steve Brine, chair of the Health and Social Committee, said: “Vaccination is the one of the greatest success stories when it comes to preventing infection.
“However, unless the Government addresses challenges around declining rates among childhood immunisations and implements reform on clinical trials, the UK’s position as a global leader on vaccination risks being lost.
“The UK Health Security Agency issued a warning earlier this month that London risks a measles outbreak of tens of thousands of cases if MMR rates remain low, and we’ve seen a spike in the capital and in the West Midlands already, so that should be a massive wake-up call.
“When it comes to developing the medicines of the future, it’s alarming to hear that industrial clinical trial activity in the UK is at the lowest point to date.
“One of the challenges is the slowness of bureaucratic processes to set up trials. This and other challenges must be fixed if we are to make the most of our world-leading academic and research expertise.”
