Vaccines provide the best protection against many common but potentially serious illnesses, the NHS says.
However, over the past decade, fewer children are getting routine vaccines, putting them at risk of serious disease. If your child is up to date with their NHS vaccination schedule, they will already be protected against diseases like whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella throughout their school career, as most provide lifelong immunity, the health experts add.
They further warn: “Unvaccinated children are at higher risk of contracting these illnesses and having more severe symptoms than vaccinated classmates. They can also spread diseases to others.”
The UK has recently seen an outbreak of measles, with a rise in cases in the West Midlands and illnesses also confirmed in other parts of the country. Dr Ronny Cheung, officer for health services at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said there had been pockets of outbreaks over the country in the last year or so.
He warned that measles “at best will cause children great discomfort and at worst deaths” and the virus is “almost entirely preventable” with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. He said the rise in cases was essentially “due to the fact that vaccination rates for the measles mumps and rubella vaccine have come down and it is the lowest it has been for more than 10 years”.
Health experts say there is no upper age limit for vaccination so if you have missed out, you can still get that protection. Below is a list of NHS vaccinations and when to have them.
NHS vaccination schedule
Vaccines for babies under one year old
Eight weeks
- 6-in-1 vaccine – This protects babies against six serious illnesses: diphtheria, hepatitis B, Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b), polio, tetanus and whooping cough.
- Rotavirus vaccine – This helps protect against rotavirus, a common cause of diarrhoea and vomiting.
- MenB vaccine – This jab will protect your baby against infection by meningococcal group B bacteria.
12 weeks
- 6-in-1 vaccine (2nd dose).
- Pneumococcal vaccine – This helps protect against serious illnesses like pneumonia and meningitis.
- Rotavirus vaccine (2nd dose).
16 weeks
- 6-in-1 vaccine (3rd dose).
- MenB vaccine (2nd dose).
Vaccines for children aged one to 15
One year
- Hib/MenC vaccine (1st dose) – This is given to babies when they’re one year old to protect them against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and meningitis C.
- MMR vaccine (1st dose) – It protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
- Pneumococcal vaccine (2nd dose).
- MenB vaccine (3rd dose).
Two to 15 years
- Children’s flu vaccine (every year until children finish Year 11 of secondary school)Three years and four months
- MMR vaccine (2nd dose)
- 4-in-1 pre-school booster vaccine – It helps protect children against four serious illnesses: diphtheria, polio, tetanus and whooping cough. It boosts the protection provided by the 6-in-1 vaccine.
12 to 13 years
- HPV vaccine – This helps protect against human papillomavirus (HPV).
14 years
- 3-in-1 teenage booster vaccine – This is given to boost protection against three separate diseases: tetanus, diphtheria and polio.
- MenACWY vaccine – This protects against four strains of the meningococcal bacteria – A, C, W and Y – which cause meningitis and blood poisoning (septicaemia).
