Make sure children get jabs or NHS will suffer, parents told

PARENTS have been urged to ensure their children get lifesaving vaccinations to avoid piling more unnecessary pressure on the NHS.

The Local Government Association has said a ‘national effort’ to vaccinate children and young people will help to relieve long-term pressures on the health service.

Meanwhile, health officials are concerned people are not taking children for routine jabs, for fear of exposing them to coronavirus. The NHS has told parents it is ‘crucial that your children get their jabs as normal’.

The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, yesterday called on the Government to set out a plan to ensure children get their jabs

without overwhelming GP surgeries, clinics and schools.

It added that local authorities should be given the ‘necessary funding’ to allow their workforces to cope with demand.

Judith Blake, chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: ‘High vaccine uptake can prevent a resurgence of these infections, which can cause harm and put unnecessary added pressure on the NHS.’

A survey at the end of June showed only one in four feel comfortable taking their child to a GP surgery for vaccinations – down from 91 per cent before the pandemic.

It followed an NHS report revealing uptake has fallen for all ten childhood jabs, including measles, polio, meningitis and whooping cough, with ‘anti-vaxx’ propaganda and complacency blamed for falling rates.

‘Only one in four feel comfortable’