Lincolnshire County Council is looking for parents and guardians to give feedback through a survey on their experiences of childhood vaccinations to improve support in this area.
Cllr Mrs Patricia Bradwell OBE, executive councillor for children’s services, explained: “Vaccination prevents millions of deaths worldwide every year and is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves, our children and the wider population against ill health. Vaccination uptake by children in Lincolnshire is falling, which is worrying as they play a vital part in keeping children and young people safe from serious illness. The recent measles outbreak in the West Midlands and growing cases in London have shown that if people stop taking vaccines, it’s possible for infectious diseases to quickly spread again.
“That’s why in this survey, we are asking about your experiences of childhood vaccination appointments. The aim is to have a better understanding of your experiences and expectations. We want to identify examples of good and bad practice and possible differences between the districts so we can better understand the best way to communicate and target information about vaccinations for children.”
Children are offered different vaccines by the NHS at different stages of their childhood to protect against the most serious diseases. These include diptheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough. In Lincolnshire, mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) coverage remains below the 95% target that the World Health Organisation says is necessary to prevent infections coming back.
The survey can be found on Let’s Talk Lincolnshire and closes on 17 May.
Further information about childhood vaccinations can also be found on Let's Talk Lincolnshire in the important links section.