Immunisation and vaccine-preventable diseases quarterly report
October to December 2021 (Q4)

About this release

Public Health Scotland provides quarterly information on the following immunisations and vaccine-preventable diseases under surveillance in Scotland:

• Haemophilus influenzae
• measles
• meningococcal disease
• mumps
• pertussis
• invasive pneumococcal disease
• rotavirus
• rubella
• shingles

Main points

• The number of reported cases of vaccine-preventable diseases in Scotland remains low and stable. All vaccine-preventable diseases under surveillance have shown a notable reduction since early 2020. This is likely to be a result of the social distancing measures and restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The number of reported cases of invasive bacterial diseases (Haemophilus influenzae, meningococcal disease, invasive pneumococcal disease) throughout 2021 was lower than the annual number of cases reported in the previous four years.
• No cases of measles have been reported since 2019. The numbers across Europe have declined during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, measles activity in Europe and globally continues to pose a threat to international travellers and in Scotland as global travel restrictions are relaxed.
• There has been a single case of mumps reported in 2021.
• Four laboratory confirmed cases of Bordetella pertussis were reported in 2021, a considerable decline from the 198 cases reported in 2020. The reduction in case numbers is likely attributable to social distancing measures and restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Find out more

The next release of this publication will be 7 June 2022.