The UK offers one of the strongest free childhood and teenage vaccination programmes in the world, protecting young people from illnesses such as measles, meningitis, polio, whooping cough and cancers caused by HPV.

They have saved many lives and prevented long term health problems, yet vaccination rates have dropped in recent years. As a result, communities, including those in the West Midlands, have seen illnesses such as measles and whooping cough start to reappear.

Recent UK Health Security Agency data shows that almost 1 in 5 children starting primary school are not fully protected against illnesses like measles and polio. Many teenagers are also leaving secondary school without full protection against HPV, which can cause cancers that affect both boys and girls.

Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Community, said: "Older residents may remember the impact of diseases like polio, which paralysed thousands of children in the 1950s before the vaccine was introduced.

“Thanks to vaccination, these outbreaks are now rare – but the risk returns if fewer people get vaccinated, and they still pose a threat when vaccination levels fall.

"Keeping children fully vaccinated helps prevent illness, reduces time away from nursery and school, and protects the wider community.

“Making sure children are up to date with their vaccinations is one of the most important steps families can take to support their health in 2026, and so we're asking parents to take a moment to check their child’s vaccination record and to contact their GP or school immunisation team if any vaccines still need to be arranged."

All childhood vaccinations are free on the NHS. They begin when babies are 8 weeks old and continue throughout childhood and adolescence. Families can arrange catch up appointments through their GP practice or school immunisation team if any vaccines have been missed. Pregnant women are also offered the whooping cough vaccine, which helps protect their baby from birth.

A new addition to the programme has also been introduced this month, with children now offered the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine as part of their routine NHS vaccinations. It is given as the combined MMRV vaccine, offering protection against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox in just 2 doses, meaning children can now receive long term protection against 4 illnesses at once.