The Scottish Government has been told it must act urgently to protect the country’s children from disease as childhood vaccination levels are falling
New figures from Public Health Scotland show the children in Scotland’s poorest areas are the least likely to receive vaccinations and even when they do, they receive them more slowly.
Vaccination for children has been declining overall with cases of TB in the under fives increasing, outbreaks of diphtheria among asylum seekers and childhood illnesses like measles also showing an increase in numbers.
Vaccination levels for teenagers have improved but are yet to reach pre-pandemic rates.
Scottish Labour’s spokeswoman for Public Health, Carol Mochan, said: “For generations, vaccinations have reduced tuberculosis and other life-changing infections to distant memory but we can’t take this progress for granted.
“The stark reality is that on the SNP’s watch, children in deprived areas are more likely to fall ill with diseases that should be consigned to the history books.
“This SNP government must act urgently to engage with communities and ensure children receive the protection they need.”
Scotland has a very successful vaccination and immunisation programme with high uptake. However, Public Health Scotland said action is required across several areas including a “pressing need to halt the current declines in childhood immunisation uptake rates across Scotland”.
PHS also said there was a need for improvements in uptake in the at-risk groups, particularly for seasonal flu, pneumococcal and hepatitis B vaccinations.
And the body reported seasonal flu and COVID-19 immunisation uptake among front-line health and social care workers was low.
PHS said: “The trend across Scottish childhood immunisations is one of long-term modest declines.”
Earlier this year we told how anti-vax conspiracy theories were being linked to a the drop in vaccine uptake.
A Public Health Scotland report said: “Anti-vax sentiment was mentioned by most immunisation co-ordinators as directly affecting vaccine uptake.”