About one in six English five-year-olds lacks a second MMR dose
The UK Health Security Agency's annual childhood vaccination report puts two-dose MMR coverage at 83.8% for five-year-olds in England in 2025-26, below its 87.6% peak. Laboratory-confirmed measles cases rose to 390 in January to March.
Noodle News data desk · reading time ~3 min
83.8%
Five-year-olds in England with two MMR doses, 2025-26
92.9%
Five-year-olds with the full 6-in-1 course, 2.1 points short of 95%
390
Laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England, January to March 2026
What the data shows
No childhood vaccine measure reaches 95%
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published its annual childhood vaccination report for England on 27 August and updated the data on 13 October.1 It runs now because measles has returned: the latest quarterly measles report counts 390 confirmed cases, more than double the previous quarter.3
For children turning five, 83.8% had two MMR doses and 81.9% had the pre-school booster.1 The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends two MMR doses to ensure immunity and prevent outbreaks.2
Exhibit 01
Coverage by vaccine and age, England, 2025-26
Source: UKHSA COVER programme, April 2025 to March 2026. Children reaching the stated age in the year. The report cites the WHO 95% target for the 6-in-1 course at age 5; the line is drawn for comparison on the other measures, for which the report states no target.1
Against the past
Every measure sits below its ten-year peak
The second MMR dose at five is 3.8 points below its 2016-17 peak of 87.6%. The first dose at age two is 87.9%, down from 88.9% a year earlier and 3.7 points below its peak.1 Year-on-year changes are small: most measures moved by less than a point, and the five-year-old measures edged up.
Exhibit 02
Percentage points below each measure's ten-year peak
Source: UKHSA COVER programme. Each peak is the measure's highest value in the ten years to 2025-26; peak years differ by measure (2016-17 to 2021-22).1
Key finding. Gaps to peak are about 3 to 4 points on the MMR and booster measures, and smaller for infant vaccines. Scotland and Wales exceeded 95% for the 6-in-1 course at age 5; England did not.
Measles
Cases have risen sharply since the end of 2025
UKHSA counted 390 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England in January to March 2026, up from 170 in the previous quarter. It says the rise was driven mainly by outbreaks in North London and the West Midlands. Of the 390, 268 were aged 10 or under; 16 had one MMR dose and 9 had two or more.3
Exhibit 03
Laboratory-confirmed measles cases, England, by quarter
Source: UKHSA, laboratory confirmed cases of measles, mumps and rubella, England, January to March 2026.3
What we don't know
UKHSA's quarterly report does not say how many of the 390 cases were unvaccinated, so this piece does not give a share. Coverage is measured on children reaching an age within the year, so it does not show how many older children or adults are unprotected. No source here links this year's coverage to the outbreaks; the two are shown side by side.
Caveat
Caveat. The strongest objection is that coverage is a snapshot at a birthday. A child counted as lacking a second dose at five may have had it later, so the figure is not a count of children who will go unprotected. UKHSA also says coverage may be underestimated in highly urbanised areas such as London because of population movement, and London has the lowest coverage, so the national figure may be somewhat low. The 2024-25 values are derived by subtracting the stated change from the 2025-26 figure.
Method. Coverage figures are UKHSA's published COVER percentages for England, April 2025 to March 2026, for children reaching their first, second or fifth birthday in the year. Prior-year values are derived by subtracting UKHSA's stated change from the 2025-26 figure, and "points below peak" is the measure's ten-year peak minus its 2025-26 value, computed in code. The 95% line is the benchmark UKHSA cites from the WHO for the 6-in-1 course at age 5. The measles counts are UKHSA's laboratory-confirmed cases and are not adjusted for under-ascertainment. The WHO source is independent of UKHSA and is cited only for the two-dose recommendation.
Production. Researched, written and checked by an AI system working to the Noodle News standards; edited and published by the Noodle News editor.
Corrections. v1.1 (20 Oct 2026): on phone screens the dashed reference line in Exhibit 1 ran through the chart’s value labels; the labels now sit on top of it. No figures changed.
Figures to 14 Oct 2026.Noodle News · v1.1 · england-mmr-second-dose-coverage.