Childhood vaccination rates in South Tyneside among the best in the country, new figures show

Figures for the borough have shown it consistently beats the England average when it comes to the take up of vaccines to conditions such as Meningitis B, Measles and Polio.

However, there is also evidence to suggest some parents may not be taking all opportunities to guard against illnesses once their children pass their first year.

“On immunisations, South Tyneside tends to perform very well,” said Tom Hall, South Tyneside Council’s (STC) director of public health.

“Some bits of the UK are struggling with uptake, which is leading to things like measles outbreaks, but that’s not just a UK issue, that’s an international issue.

“We don’t have that in South Tyneside, we have an uptake rate very close to the 95 per cent level, which puts us among the best in the country, although we continue to try and promote that through our community teams.”

Mr Hall was speaking at a meeting of STC’s Health and Wellbeing Board, where he updated members on the borough’s immunisations programme, including preparations for the winter flu season.

A report for the panel said South Tyneside performed well ‘despite anti vaccination campaigners increasing and cascading messages via social media’. Health bosses have said they will monitor a slight fall in ‘routine vaccination coverage’ for youngsters between their first and second birthdays.