The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is launching a multi-media marketing campaign across England to raise awareness of the importance of childhood vaccinations.

Rolling out from March 4, it includes a powerful video advert told from the perspective of children in their voices.

“Our generation’s risk of illness like measles and whooping cough is rising. If we’re not vaccinated, we’re not protected,” the children say.

In addition to the TV advert, the campaign will feature across radio, online, social media and digital displays, with further adverts set to appear in the West Midlands, North West and London in locations where there are lower rates of vaccinations.

Theme and materials for the campaign were based on insights and feedback from parents in the North West, and developed with DHSC Marketing, Liverpool City Council, NHS North West, and NHS Greater Manchester.

Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free

Sign up here to get the latest agency-related news sent straight to your inbox each morning

It comes as the latest update on measles cases shows that in the past week (commencing 26 February) there have been 69 cases, bringing the total number of measles cases to 650 since 1 October 2023.

However, uptake of childhood vaccines have been falling across all vaccines spanning MMR, polio, meningitis, and diptheria.

“We need an urgent reversal of the decline in the uptake of childhood vaccinations to protect our communities,” said UKHSA chief executive Dame Jenny Harries.

“Through this campaign we are particularly appealing to parents to check their children’s vaccination status and book appointments if their children have missed any immunisations.”

She added: “The ongoing measles outbreak we are seeing is a reminder of the very present threat.”

“While the majority of the country is protected, there are still high numbers of children in some areas that continue to be unprotected from preventable diseases.”

“Unless uptake improves we will start to see the diseases that these vaccines protect against re-emerging and causing more serious illness.”