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More children’s lives would be saved if they were vaccinated against deadly diseases, is the government’s message in a new childhood immunisation campaign launching today (17 February).

The ‘Stay Strong, Get Vaccinated’ campaign encourages parents to ensure their children receive their routine childhood immunisations. Separately parents are also being encouraged to help raise awareness among family, friends and their wider communities about the importance of routine immunisation.

The UK Health Security Agency estimates that childhood vaccinations prevent around 5,000 deaths and more than 228,000 hospital admissions in England every year.

Illnesses like measles can spread easily between children who are not vaccinated, as is currently being seen in North London, the Department of Health warns.

The UK recently lost its World Health Organization measles elimination status after over 2,900 cases of measles were confirmed in England in 2024, the highest level recorded in decades. At the same time childhood vaccination rates were, and still are, well below the 95 per cent WHO uptake target needed to prevent measles outbreaks.

Aimed at the parents of children aged 0 to five-years-old, the campaign will include:

• A new 30-second TV and video on demand advert
• Online video, social media content and digital display advertising
• Gaming and parenting forum partnerships including with Netmums and Mumsnet.

Routine childhood immunisations protect against diseases including diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox (varicella), pneumococcal disease and meningococcal disease.