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As part of its general election campaign the Conservative Party has pledged to introduce a new national vaccination reminder system if they get a majority government.
Prof Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology, University of Nottingham, said:
“It certainly wouldn’t hurt to establish a reminder system, but I doubt that alone would be sufficient to make a big impact.
“The evidence would suggest that the drivers leading to poor vaccine uptake in some parts of the UK are far more complex and will require a range of measures, such as more flexible delivery systems and improved education and stakeholder engagement.”
Hugo Fry, Vice-President of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said:
“Both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party have made strong Manifesto commitments to improve the uptake of vaccines in the UK. Only access to clean water rivals vaccines at reducing infectious diseases and deaths. It is critical that we continue to prioritise and invest in our world-leading vaccination programme to help protect the health of people across the UK.”
Prof Helen Bedford, Professor of Child Public Health, Institute of Child Health, UCL, said:
“The UK vaccine programme is highly successful, but uptake rates need boosting after a small decline over the past few years. It is encouraging that the Conservative party recognise the importance of reminding parents about vaccines due. Research shows that sending vaccine reminders works. Bringing in such a policy will require proper funding and would have an impact on ensuring more children are immunised on time and are protected from potentially serious diseases.”
Declared interests
Prof Helen Bedford: “No conflicts of interest.”
None others received.