THE borough is one of the top performers in the North West for childhood vaccinations, new figures have revealed.

Public Health England statistics show Wigan Council is consistently above the national and regional average figures for childhood immunisation.

This means more children are protected from preventable diseases such as mumps and measles.

For each disease, the national average vaccination uptake figure is around 90 per cent.

The borough has surpassed this and even reaches highs of 96 per cent for routine Hib/Men C vaccinations in five-year olds.

The latest quarterly report covers vaccination uptake between January and March and relates to preventable diseases including mumps, measles, pertussis and meningococcal disease.

Figures show the borough has performed higher than the North West average for vaccination uptake for up to eight years in a row, depending on the disease.

Leigh Journal:

Cllr Keith Cunliffe

Deputy leader of Wigan Council and cabinet member for adult social care, Cllr Keith Cunliffe, said: “Once again, Wigan borough has reached the national target levels for the number of children having the course of vaccinations.

“These extremely positive figures are down to the hard work of our Start Well teams and GP’s who engage directly with families and also to the receptiveness of parents who understand the risks of not having their child immunised from these serious and potentially fatal conditions.

“We would like to thank those who have made sure their child is protected against many of these illnesses, which are now thankfully rare due to the success of the vaccination campaign.”

And now the summer holidays are underway, the local authority and the borough’s NHS say there is no room for complacency.

Cllr Cunliffe added: “We’re elated with our figures and would like to reiterate that we have achieved ‘herd immunity’ which means 95 per cent of the population are immune.

"But there is always room for improvement so we will continue to encourage more parents to ensure their child is safeguarded and their vaccinations are up-to-date, especially now that schools have closed for the summer.”

Leigh Journal:

Dr Tim Dalton

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Dr Tim Dalton, Local GP and Chair of NHS Wigan Borough CCG, said: “Vaccinations are so important for keeping children free of many nasty illnesses and diseases, including mumps and measles.

"It is fantastic that local parents take their children’s health seriously and get them vaccinated.

"I would like to add my thanks to parents, and also to GPs, their practice nurses and school nurses who do a great job of doing the vaccinating!

“Finally, it might seem early, but come September, children under 5 will be invited for their flu vaccination.

“Please get your children vaccinated as soon as you get the invite and keep them flu free this winter.”

For more information on what vaccinations your child may need, or to check if they are up-to-date, contact your child’s GP.