UPTAKE of childhood vaccines protecting against measles, whooping cough, and meningitis in Northumberland has increased following the Covid pandemic, new figures show – bucking the national trend.

The growth of 'vaccine hesitancy' has led the UK Health Security Agency to launch campaigns aiming to boost uptake as cases of measles and whooping cough are surging across the UK.

Figures from the UKHSA show 92.6 per cent of five-year-olds in Northumberland last year had both doses of the MMR vaccine – which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.

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The uptake was up slightly from 92.5 per cent in 2019-20, before the pandemic hit.

Steve Russell, NHS England’s director of vaccinations and screening, said: "Measles is one of the most infectious diseases in the world and can cause serious harm to adults and children of all ages.

"But the NHS MMR vaccine gives life-long protection against becoming seriously unwell, so with cases of measles on the rise, it is not worth the risk of going without this vital protection."

In Northumberland, uptake of the six-in-one vaccine – which protects against whooping cough and polio – also increased from 95.9 per cent of two-year-olds in 2019-20, to 96.9 per cent last year.