BRITISH kids are some of the least healthy in Europe, warn MPs who branded it a “source of shame”.
A report by the Commons Health Committee said that compared to the continent UK tots have high and rising levels of obesity, rotting teeth, poor mental health and asthma.
It added that vaccine uptake is too low and must be improved to keep deadly diseases like polio and measles at bay.
The “First 1,000 Days” report about pre-school children and babies said ministers must improve NHS services for young families.
It calls for a better health visitor system and family hubs as well as more efforts to boost vaccinations.
Paulette Hamilton, Birmingham MP and committee member, said: “This should be a source of shame.
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‘Hollowed out’ health service
“Children growing up in our country today stand too great a chance of becoming overweight, developing asthma or tooth decay, or catching life-threatening yet preventable diseases due to missed vaccines.
“Over the last two decades we have seen a hollowing out of health services for infants.
“The Family Hubs programme still barely touches the sides of what was once provided by Sure Start centres before they were forced to close, and our provision of health visitor appointments is woefully inadequate in some parts of the country.”
The 71-page report said the number of NHS health visitors has nearly halved in a decade with the loss of 5,000, and called for 1,000 more to be hired urgently.
They are trained nurses and midwives who help parents in the first five years of a child’s life and check up on tots’ health and development.
The report also said the Government should commit to hitting 95 per cent vaccine coverage by 2029.
Current rates are below that target for all major jabs including MMR and the 6-in-1.
Dr Helen Stewart, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “Waiting times for children’s health services are eye-wateringly high, childhood vaccination rates are plummeting, parents are often struggling to find the right support and advice, and children are being failed.
“It is imperative that we reverse the decline in children’s health to safeguard our future.”
The life-saving vaccines you need at every age
The age at which you receive a vaccine depends on two things – the vaccine itself and the diseases it protects against.
Eight Weeks
- 6-in-1 vaccine
- Rotavirus vaccine
- MenB vaccine
12 Weeks
- 6-in-1 vaccine (2nd dose)
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- Rotavirus vaccine (2nd dose)
16 Weeks
- 6-in-1 vaccine (3rd dose)
- MenB vaccine (2nd dose)
One Year
- Hib/MenC vaccine (1st dose)
- MMR vaccine (1st dose)
- Pneumococcal vaccine (2nd dose)
- MenB vaccine (3rd dose)
Two to 15 Years
- Children’s flu vaccine (every year until children finish Year 11 of secondary school)
Three Years and Four Months
- MMR vaccine (2nd dose)
- 4-in-1 pre-school booster vaccine
12 to 13 Years
14 Years
- 3-in-1 teenage booster vaccine
- MenACWY vaccine
65 Years
- Flu vaccine (given every year after turning 65)
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- Shingles vaccine (if you turned 65 on or after 1 September 2023)
70 to 79 Years
Source: The NHS
