§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of one year were vaccinated in 1988; and what percentage this was of the age group.
§ Mr. MellorThe available information is not precisely in the form requested. The one year uptake rate of each vaccination is calculated as the number of children who were vaccinated by the end of the year following birth. The latest figures are shown in the table and relate to children born in 1986. Because of the change to collecting data on a financial year basis, the one year uptake rate for this particular cohort of children is calculated as the number of children born in 1986 and vaccinated in either 1986, 1987 or the first quarter of 1988, expressed as a percentage of live births in 1986.
Vaccination and immunisation: completed primary courses Live births 1986 Vaccinated in 1986 or 1987–88 (numbers) Percentage vaccinated by 31 March 1988 623,609 — — Diphtheria — 487,372 78 Tetanus — 487,493 78 Polio — 484,771 78 Whooping Cough — 419,523 67 Measles — 401,414 64