CUMBRIA is bucking the trend amid fears over a drop in the proportion of children receiving jabs to protect against deadly diseases.

The area had the highest percentage take-up in the country amid a national fall in children receiving their set of vaccine doses for illnesses including polio and measles.

But no area has hit the target needed to ensure diseases cannot spread among youngsters, according to NHS England figures for 2023/24.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says to achieve herd immunity - which stops illnesses transmitting across the population -  at least 95% of children should receive their set of vaccine doses for each illness.

The new data shows 91.9 per cent of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR (measles, mumps & rubella) vaccine, the lowest level since 2010/11, while just 83.9 per cent  had received both doses, the lowest since 2009/10.

Uptake of the first MMR dose at 24 months stood at 88.9% in 2023/24 – again, the lowest since 2009/10.

In Cumbria 94.8 per cent of five-year-olds had received both doses of their MMR vaccine in 2023/24, up from 93.5 per cent the previous year.

Coverage of all the main vaccines fell year-on-year, with the largest drop seen for the Hib/MenC vaccine, which protects against Haemophilus influenzae type B and meningitis C.

This stood at 89.4 per cent for children aged five in 2023/24, down from 90.4% in 2022/23 and the lowest level since 2011/12.

All other vaccines decreased by about 0.5 per cent.

The last time any vaccine surpassed the target of 95 per cent uptake was in 2020/21.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging parents to check their children’s vaccinations are up to date amid fears of a back-to-school surge of diseases like measles and whooping cough due to falling vaccine rates.

The NHS says vaccines prevent more than 5,000 deaths and 100,000 hospital admissions each year in England.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, said: “As a mum and doctor, I know the additional stress that comes with having a sick child.

“I encourage all parents to take up the offer of vaccinations for their children at the right time, to give them the best protection from preventable diseases.

“Childhood vaccines prevent babies and children from suffering needlessly and can even be life-saving.”