Health ministry reports increase in vaccination coverage

Coverage of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) 2 vaccination has increased, reaching the 95 per cent target in 2017.

The information is contained in the Ministry of Health's quarterly report 'Vitals', which was tabled by portfolio minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, in Parliament recently.

The report said it was the first time since MMR was introduced to the immunisation schedule in 2003 that administration of the second dose of the vaccine reached the targeted coverage.

MMR is given to children 12 to 23 months. Ninety-five per cent of children received the first dose of the vaccine in 2017.

Dr Tufton, in the editorial of the report, commended the public-health team for the development.

He encouraged the team to "continue to find innovative ways to work with parents, teachers, and the community to address the decrease in coverage for other vaccines that were observed during the 2017 period."

Coverage for Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), Polio3, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DPT3), hepatitis (HEpB3), and haemophilus influenza (Hib3), administered to children 0-11 months, remained high at 93 per cent in 2017, though below the 95 per cent target for the year.