The latest annual COVER data on childhood vaccines, published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), indicates that uptake of key NHS childhood vaccines by age five is stabilising in England. This follows a decade of slow decline across all vaccines.
Despite these signs, UKHSA warns that current uptake rates are still well below the World Health Organization (WHO) 95% target. Furthermore, uptake for children measured at age one and age two has decreased again for all vaccines.
For children starting primary school, uptake rates for vaccines such as MMR and the 6-in-1 have remained stable for the past three years. Two doses of the MMR vaccine measured at five years of age were 83.8% in the past year (2025-26), 83.7% in 2024-25, and 83.9% in 2023-24. The 6-in-1 vaccine measured at five years was 92.9% last year, 92.8% in 2024-25, and 92.6% in 2023-24.
The lowest uptake rate remains the 4-in-1 pre-school booster, offered from three years and four months. However, there has been a 0.6% increase on the previous year, from 81.3% to 81.9% for 2025 to 2026, though it is considered too early to confirm an upward trend.
Dr Mary Ramsay, Director of Immunisation at UKHSA, stated that it is encouraging to see some signs of stabilisation, but emphasised that there is still a long way to go before all children are fully protected. A government childhood vaccinations campaign, launched in February 2026, aims to reverse the decline in uptake.