Childhood Immunisations

Updated On August 30, 2024

NHS vaccination schedule

1 year
Hib/MenC vaccine (1st dose)
MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella, 1st dose)
Pneumococcal vaccine (2nd dose)
MenB vaccine (3rd dose)

2 to 10 or 11 years
Children’s flu vaccine (every year until children finish primary school)

3 years and 4 months
MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella, 2nd dose)
4-in-1 pre-school booster vaccine
– diphtheria
– polio
– tetanus
– whooping cough

  • Information on how vaccines work

Vaccines contain a harmless form of the bacteria or virus that causes the disease you are being immunized against. Your immune system will still recognize the harmless form of the bacteria or virus in the vaccine without making you sick and will produce a specific immune response to fight it off. The immune system then maintains a memory of the bacteria or virus, so if a vaccinated person encounters the bacteria or virus later, their immune system is already prepared to fight it off quickly and prevent an infection from developing.

  • Why to be vaccinated – if the diseases are so rare

All the diseases we vaccinate against exist in the world today. Therefore, if your child has not been vaccinated, there is still a risk that they could get the disease and become very sick. We know that decreases in vaccination uptake can result in outbreaks of diseases such as measles.

Regular vaccination is needed to keep our children healthy, prevent outbreaks from occurring and to eventually eradicate these diseases altogether.

  • How do I know vaccinations are safe

Before any vaccine can be given to the population it must go through rigorous testing. Like all medicines, vaccines undergo extensive clinical trials, where they are administered and monitored in groups of volunteers. In the UK, the results of the trials are then assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Even once a vaccine becomes part of the vaccination schedule, it is continually monitored for safety and effectiveness by the MHRA. Any suspected side effects are reported by medical providers or patients to the MHRA using the yellow card scheme.

  • Are there animal products in vaccines

Some live vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine, contain gelatine, which is derived from pigs. This is used to stabilize the vaccines so that they can be stored safely at different temperatures. The gelatine used is highly purified and broken down into very small molecules so that no pig DNA remains. Members of some faiths may however be concerned about vaccines containing pig-derived gelatine. According to Jewish laws, porcine ingredients in non-oral products, including vaccines, cause no concern. Similarly, many Muslim leaders have ruled that the presence of gelatine in vaccines does not break religious dietary laws due to its high purification and non-oral administration.

 

For further information and advice on immunisations: