Vaccination and immunisation

"The two public health interventions that have had the greatest impact on the world's health are clean water and vaccines." World Health Organisation.

Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and children against ill health. They prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year.

Some vaccines protect us from infectious diseases passed from person to person, for example measles and some protect us from disease caught from bacteria in the environment, for example tetanus.

Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or seen very rarely. Other diseases like measles and diphtheria have been reduced by up to 99.9% since their vaccines were introduced.

However, if people stop having vaccines, it's possible for infectious diseases to quickly spread again.

Infectious diseases are easily passed from person to person and entire communities can rapidly become infected. Having a vaccine also benefits your whole community through "herd immunity". If enough people are vaccinated, it's harder for the disease to spread to those people who cannot have vaccines. For example, people who are ill due to a health condition or have a weakened immune system because of cancer treatment.

Vaccines work by making us produce antibodies to fight disease without infecting us with the disease.

If the vaccinated person then comes into contact with the disease itself, their immune system will recognise it and immediately produce the antibodies they need to fight it.

Vaccination is the safest and most common way to gain immunity against a bacteria or virus that your body has yet to encounter.

Vaccines undergo rigorous safety testing before being introduced to make sure they will not harm us.

Once a vaccine is being used in the UK, it is constantly monitored for side effects by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Further information on why vaccinations are safe and important can be found on the NHS website.

Vaccinations for babies and young children before they start primary school are provided in your local GP surgery. If your child has missed any vaccinations, please contact your local GP surgery to arrange an appointment.

Vaccinations for children and young people of school-age are planned and delivered by local Immunisation Teams who will visit schools, education settings or provide local catch-up vaccination clinics.

If your child is home educated, your child can receive the vaccinations that would be routinely delivered in school by contacting the relevant immunisation team in the area that you live.

If any school aged vaccinations are missed, contact your local immunisation team for information on how you can catch up.

Vaccinations for adults, including pregnant women and individuals with underlying medical conditions are routinely provided by your local GP surgery.

The offer of polio, MMR and many other vaccinations are there for everyone so anyone who is not up to date with their vaccinations should contact their GP surgery to catch-up.

At 8 weeks, your baby will be immunised against:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Polio
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Hepatitis B
• Rotavirus
• Meningococcal group B disease (MenB)

These will be given as 2 injections and drops into the mouth.

At 12 weeks, your baby will be immunised against:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Polio
• Hib
• Hepatitis B
• Pneumococcal disease
• Rotavirus

These will be given as 2 injections and drops into the mouth.

At 16 weeks, your baby will be immunised against:

• diphtheria
• tetanus
• pertussis (whooping cough)
• polio
• Hib
• hepatitis B
• MenB

These will be given as 2 injections.

Further information is available about immunisations for babies up to 13 months of age.

At 1 years of age, your baby will be immunised against:

• Hib/Meningococcal group C (MenC)
• MenB
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
• Pneumococcal disease

Further information is available about immunisations at one year of age.

Between 2 and 5 years old, routine infections that children are immunised against before they start school include:

• Flu
• Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (Whooping cough) and Polio (dTaP/IPV or DTaP/IPV)
• Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)

Further information is available on the GOV.UK website about pre-school vaccinations from 2 to 5 years.

Young people between school age 12-14 years are immunised against:

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio (Td/IPV)
• Meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y (MenACWY)

Primary and secondary school age children between 4 – 16 years old (Reception to Year 11) are immunised against:

• Flu (annual, in the autumn term)
  • This is a new offer for secondary school age groups, introduced 2023

The HPV vaccine helps protect boys and girls against cancers caused by HPV.

Boys and girls in year 8 are offered the HPV vaccine as part of the national programme for vaccination of children and young people.

This vaccine will be offered primarily at schools, by the local immunisation team Please make sure you have completed your child's consent form.

If you are eligible and miss the HPV vaccine offered in year 8 at school, it's available for free on the NHS up until your 25th birthday .

Contact your local immunisation team or GP surgery and make an appointment to have the missed HPV vaccination course or second dose as soon as possible

Further information is available on the GOV.UK website about immunisations for young people.

Vaccinations routinely recommended in pregnancy are:

• Flu (At any stage of pregnancy during flu season)
• Whooping cough (dTaP/IPV) (From 16 weeks gestation)

Further information is available on the NHS website about vaccinations in pregnancy.

Vaccinations routinely given to adults are:

• Flu - for people who:
  • are 65 years of age and older
  • are pregnant
  • have certain health conditions
  • are in long stay residential care homes
  • receive a carer's allowance or are the main carer for an older or disabled person
  • live with someone more likely to get infections
  • are frontline health and social workers
• Pneumococcal (PPV) – for people who:
  • are 65 years of age and older
  • have certain health conditions
  • in certain occupations
• Shingles - for people who:
  • are 65 years of age and older
  • are 50 years of age and older, and have certain health conditions

Further information is available on the NHS vaccinations webpage.

Individuals with underlying medical conditions may need additional vaccines depending on their medical condition.

Further information is available on the NHS vaccinations webpage.

Getting the flu vaccination is a great way of protecting yourself from flu, especially for those who are at a greater risk of developing potentially serious complications from flu.

Further information about the flu vaccine and who can get a flu vaccine is available on the NHS flu vaccination webpage.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are safe and effective. They give you the best protection against COVID-19.

Further information on COVID-19 vaccine and who can get a COVID-19 vaccine is available on the NHS coronavirus vaccination webpage.

In the UK, like many other countries, BCG is offered to babies and young children who are at higher risk of getting tuberculosis (TB). This includes babies and young children who live in an area with high rates of TB or with parents or grandparents from a country with high rates of TB.

Your midwife, health visitor, or hospital will usually let you know if the BCG vaccine is recommended for your baby.

For other children and adults, speak to your GP surgery if you think you or your child may need the BCG vaccine.

Further information is available in the GOV.UK TB, BCG and your baby leaflet and NHS BCG vaccine for tuberculosis webpage.

Each year in the UK, around 3,000 babies are born to women who have hepatitis B infection. This infection is caused by a virus that is spread through blood and attacks the liver.

During childbirth, your baby is in contact with your blood so there is a chance that the virus is passed on to your baby.

Hepatitis B infection can be prevented by vaccination. Babies born to hepatitis B infected mothers are given hepatitis vaccinations at birth, four weeks and 12 months old.

Further information is available in the GOV.UK Hepatitis B: screening and care in pregnancy and protecting your baby by vaccination leaflet.

If you're planning to travel outside the UK, you may need to be vaccinated against some of the serious diseases found in other parts of the world. If possible, see the GP or a private travel clinic at least 6 to 8 weeks before you're due to travel.

You may be more at risk of some diseases, for example if you're:

• travelling in rural areas
• backpacking
• staying in hostels or camping
• on a long trip rather than a package holiday
• going on a pilgrimage

If you have a pre-existing health problem, this may make you more at risk of infection or complications from a travel-related illness.

Some countries require proof of vaccination. You can find out which vaccinations are necessary or recommended for the areas you'll be visiting on Travel Health Pro.

Some travel vaccinations are free on the NHS, and some you may have to pay for. Find out where to get your travel vaccines on the NHS travel vaccination advice webpage.