People urged to get vaccinated to stay healthy and help our hospitals

Shropshire Council is urging county residents to get vaccinated to help them stay healthy and help the county’s hospitals.

It’s part of a drive to reverse a decline in vaccination rates and improve the health of people in the county.

A report to the council’s Health and Wellbeing Board this week (19 June 2025) highlighted the local and national push to increase rates of vaccinations.

It shows that vaccination rates in Shropshire’s residents have dropped to levels which significantly increase people’s risk of infections, including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), whooping cough, diptheria and polio, meningitis and respiratory infections such as flu, Covid-19, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and pneumococcus.

In addition, nationally there has been an increase in the cases of measles, including outbreaks.Measles infection can cause serious illness in some individuals.

HPV vaccinations given from year 8 to prevent some cancers (such as those affecting the mouth, gullet, anus and cervix) have also dropped.

Bernie Bentick, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health, said:

“Shropshire’s vaccination rates are similar to national figures and show less and less uptake, putting many of us, our children, parents, colleagues and friends at risk. It also increases the numbers admitted to Shropshire’s already struggling emergency and urgent care services.

“We need to encourage our loved ones and those we have contact with to receive all the protection that vaccinations offer. As portfolio holder, working with our public health team and wider partners, including through the Health and Wellbeing Board, I want us to play an important education role in improving the numbers of people, young and old, being vaccinated.”

In this article on the UK Health Security Agency website, Catherine Hughes bravely tells the devastating story of the death of her infant Riley from whooping cough, a vaccination that is now available during pregnancy. Whooping cough: One mother’s story of love, loss and action – UK Health Security Agency.

Shropshire Council health and public protection team works with NHS partners to encourage those eligible to have their vaccinations. This is part of a wider programme to continue to build strong partnerships to improve health outcomes for our residents.

Further information

1. Appointments can be made through , local GPs, Shropshire Community Health Trust for school age immunisations.

2. The NHS England target for MMR vaccination by age 5 years is 95%. This level is needed to eliminate outbreaks and prevent the moderate risks of pneumonia (I in 20) and rare but serious complications, including brain swelling (encephalitis), intellectual impairment, blindness, epilepsy (seizures) and death. However, vaccination rates have dropped since the Covid 19 Pandemic and the most recent figures from The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) show MMR vaccination rate by age 5 years in England of only 83.9%.

3. In 2024/25, Flu vaccination was offered to all 2 and 3 year olds, but only 4 in 10 of these children were vaccinated nationally.. It was also offered to all pregnant women but only 35% were vaccinated nationally. This puts many at risk.

4. HPV vaccine is offered to all girls and boys from year 8 and protects against several cancers in both sexes and cervical cancer in women. However national vaccination rates have dropped over 5 years from 90% to 73% in girls and from 82% to 68% in boys.

5. At the other end of the age spectrum, vaccinations against respiratory infections in senior citizens significantly reduce the risk of serious infection, reduce hospital admission by almost half and reduce risk of death. Since 2021 vaccination rates in senior citizens (over 65s) in England have dropped. In 2024/5 the rate was 72.3, nationally (Shropshire 77.9%), whereas for the Spring 2025 Covid 19 over 75s campaign they were under 50%. Last winter was the first time that RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) vaccination was offered to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women from 28 weeks gestation, babies at high risk and people aged 75 to 79 years. Those who have had these vaccines are estimated to have reduced hospital admissions by up to 120,000 in England (equivalent to 8,400 admissions for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin’s hospitals).

6. For further information on vaccinations individuals should contact their health care providers, or visit https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/

Flu vaccinations

During the 2024 to 2025 season, for the first time adult groups (excluding pregnant women) were eligible from 3 October, rather than 1 September as in previous seasons. Therefore, data for those aged 65 years and over, and those aged under 65 years in clinical risk groups, is not comparable with previous seasons. As in previous seasons, children and pregnant women were eligible from 1 September.

From 1 September 2024 to 28 February 2025 in England, cumulative flu vaccine uptake in GP-registered patients:

• aged 65 years and over was 74.9% (for reference this was 77.8% in 2023 to 2024)
• aged 6 months to under 65 years in one or more clinical risk groups was 40.0% (for reference this was 41.4% in 2023 to 2024)
• aged 2 and 3 years combined was 42.6% compared with 44.4% in 2023 to 2024
• aged 2 years was 41.7 % compared with 44.1% in 2023 to 2024
• aged 3 years was 43.5% compared with 44.6% in 2023 to 2024
• and in pregnant women was 35.0%, compared with 32.1% in 2023 to 2024