The latest statistics published by the NHS reveal that routine immunisation programmes in the Borders are some of the best in the country.
Around 97% of Borders children aged between four and six have received their MMR and 4 in 1 vaccinations protecting them against infections such as measles, mumps and tetanus.
Read more: Coronavirus Scotland: Scottish Borders sees 'rapid' rise in new Covid strain cases
Tim Patterson, Director of Public Health at NHS Borders, said: “Our immunisation programmes for children and young people in the Borders have been very successful thanks to our dedicated Immunisation Team who work well with colleagues in education to encourage these high vaccination uptake rates.
“High uptake rates like these help to provide valuable protection for children and young people against many infections. Some of these infections can cause medical complications and lead to life-changing permanent conditions such as paralysis or even be fatal.
“Vaccinations also offer protection against serious conditions in later life such as throat and cervical cancers. We would encourage parents and guardians to ensure that their child or young person has all their vaccinations up-to-date,” he added.
For Borders young people in S3 to S4 of secondary school there was almost a nine percentage point increase of vaccine uptake, which is nearly double that of the national average.
Similarly, the Borders uptake rates for the HPV (human papillomavirus) immunisation amongst all S1 pupils is one of the best in the country.
By the time students reach S4, over 90% of female pupils in the Borders have received both doses of their HPV immunisation, which is more than three percentage points higher than the average in Scotland.
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