Childhood immunisations

You can find the full schedule of vaccinations on the NHS website here.

If your child has a minor illness without a fever, such as a cold, they should have their immunisations as normal. 

If your child is ill with a fever, put off the immunisation until the child has recovered. This is to avoid the fever being associated with the vaccine, or the vaccine increasing the fever your child already has.

There is no other proven, effective way to immunise your child against infectious disease without experiencing the serious risk of that infection.  

In the UK, these diseases, such as measles, are kept at bay by high immunisation rates. Around the world, millions of people a year die from infectious diseases with more than 5 million of these being children under the age of 5. Many of these deaths could be prevented by immunisation.

As more people travel abroad and more people come to visit this country, there is a risk that they will bring these diseases into the UK. The diseases may spread to people who haven’t been immunised, or who are still too young to be immunised. 

Immunisation doesn’t just protect your child; it also helps to protect your family and the whole community, especially those children who, for medical reasons, can’t be immunised.

Before a vaccine is allowed to be used, its safety and effectiveness have to be thoroughly tested. After they have been licensed, the safety of vaccines continues to be monitored. All routine vaccines in the NHS programme have been used in millions of children worldwide and have an excellent safety record. 

All health authorities worldwide agree that immunisation is the safest way to protect our children’s health.

Any side effects that occur are usually mild and short lived. Your child may get a little redness, swelling or tenderness where the injection was given that will disappear on its own. Fever can be expected after any vaccination. There is advice for parents on what to expect after vaccination here:  What to expect after vaccinations - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Fever is more common after the first two doses of the Meningococcal B (Men B) vaccination, which are given at 8 weeks and 16 weeks old. There is specific advice for parents on how to prevent and treat fever after MenB vaccine at 8 and 16 weeks here: MenB vaccine and paracetamol - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Very rarely, children can have an allergic reaction soon after immunisation. This reaction may be a rash or itching affecting part or all of the body. The doctor or nurse giving the vaccine will know how to treat this. It does not mean that your child should stop having immunisations.

Anaphylactic reaction

Even more rarely, children can have a severe reaction, within a few minutes of the immunisation, which causes breathing difficulties and can cause the child to collapse. This is called an anaphylactic reaction. A study has shown that there is only 1 anaphylactic reaction in about a million immunisations.

An anaphylactic reaction is a severe and immediate allergic reaction that needs urgent medical attention. The people who give immunisations are trained to deal with anaphylactic reactions and children recover completely with treatment.

There are very few reasons why babies cannot be immunised. Vaccines should not be given to babies who have had a confirmed anaphylactic reaction to either a previous dose of the vaccine, or to neomycin, streptomycin or polymyxin B (antibiotics that may be added to vaccines in very tiny amounts).

Immunosuppressed children

In general, children who are ‘immunosuppressed’ should not receive live vaccines.

Children who are immunosuppressed include those whose immune system does not work properly because they are undergoing treatment for a serious condition such as a transplant or cancer, or who have any condition which affects the immune system, such as severe primary immunodeficiency. Primary immunodeficiencies are very rare diseases that mean you are more likely to catch infections. They are usually caused by a faulty gene and are diagnosed soon after birth

If this applies to your child, you must tell your doctor, practice nurse or health visitor before the immunisation.

They will need to get specialist advice on using live vaccines such as MMR, rotavirus vaccine and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG).

There are no other reasons why vaccines should definitely not be given.

The MMR and nasal flu vaccines are live attenuated vaccines (that is, they contain viruses that have been weakened). Children who are ‘immunosuppressed’ may not be able to receive live vaccines.

Children who are immunosuppressed include those:

• whose immune system is suppressed because they are undergoing treatment for a serious condition such as a transplant or cancer, or

• who have any condition which affects the immune system, such as severe primary immunodeficiency. Primary immunodeficiencies are very rare diseases that mean they are more likely to catch infections. They are usually caused by a faulty gene and are diagnosed soon after birth

If this applies to your child, you must tell your doctor, practice nurse or health visitor before the immunisation. They will get specialist advice.

If you are not sure if your child has had all their routine vaccinations, check their personal health record (Red Book) or contact the GP practice.  

If your child is going abroad, make sure their routine immunisations are up to date. Your child may also need extra immunisations and you may also need to take other precautions.

Your doctor’s surgery or clinic will send you an appointment for you to bring your baby for their immunisations. Most surgeries and health centres run special immunisation or baby clinics. If you can’t get to the clinic, contact the surgery to make another appointment. All childhood immunisations are free. You can also find details in your child’s Red Book.

If you miss the appointment or need to delay the immunisation, make a new appointment. You can pick up the immunisation schedule where it stopped without having to start again.

Rotavirus vaccine can only be started in babies up to 15 weeks of age and no dose of the vaccine can be given over 24 weeks of age.

Gelatine is a substance derived from the collagen of animals such as chickens, cattle, pigs and fish. Porcine gelatine is used in some vaccines as a stabiliser. This is to ensure that the vaccine remains safe and effective during storage. 

In the UK routine immunisation programme, there are 2 vaccines that contain porcine gelatine:

• Fluenz®, the nasal spray vaccine that protects children against flu
• MMR VaxPro®, a vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella

• Alternatives to these vaccines
•  
• MMR: in the UK we have 2 types of MMR vaccine – MMR VaxPro® and Priorix®. Priorix® does not contain gelatine and is as safe and effective as MMR VaxPro®
• Fluenz®: is the preferred vaccine for children, and it is quick, easy, and painless to administer. It may also be better at reducing spread of flu in the community. If you do not accept medicines or vaccines that contain porcine gelatine, a flu vaccine injection that does not contain gelatine is available
•  
• If you would like further information before making your decisions about vaccinations, you may wish to talk to your doctor or practice nurse. This is particularly important if you are at high risk of the diseases that these vaccines effectively prevent.

What is the MMR vaccine?

The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. These three serious illnesses that are highly infectious and can spread easily between unvaccinated people. Getting vaccinated is important to protect against these conditions and the potential complications they can cause. Vaccination is free on the NHS as part of the National Vaccination Programme.

Is MMR linked to autism?

No – there is absolutely no evidence of this. Some years ago, there were stories suggesting a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, which were false and have since been widely discredited. All medical authorities worldwide agree that no such link exists.

How many doses of MMR vaccine does my child need?

Timely vaccination of your child with two doses of the MMR vaccine will give them the best protection. Some children who have only one dose of the vaccine might not be fully protected against one or more of the diseases. The first dose is given from one year and the second dose from 3 years 4 months.

Thanks to immunisation, the number of cases of measles, mumps and rubella have been reduced. However these diseases have not gone away and there have been outbreaks of measles in recent years. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are routinely given across the whole of Europe as well as in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Can my child have MMR as single vaccines?

Using single vaccines for the diseases would be experimental, and no country uses this approach. It’s unclear how long a gap to leave between each vaccine, as there’s limited evidence on giving all of these vaccines separately.

Single vaccines are less safe than MMR because they leave children vulnerable to dangerous diseases for longer, and potentially increases the risk of allergic reactions. Giving 6 separate doses at spaced out intervals would mean that, after the first injection, the child still has no immunity to the other 2 diseases.

No country recommends vaccination with the 3 separate vaccines. Some single vaccines are available in other European countries, where they may be used in special circumstances. For example, in France measles vaccine is used for nursery school children aged 9 to 12 months. These children usually have the MMR vaccine 6 months later.