The following Q&A covers commonly asked questions relating to all childhood immunisations.
My child is unwell – can they still go for their vaccination?
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.
Are immunisations necessary when there are so few cases of these diseases?
In the UK, diseases such as measles are kept at bay by high immunisation rates. Around the world, millions of children under the age of 5 die from infectious diseases every year. 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 and adults who, for medical reasons, can’t be immunised.
- Data from UKHSA show that, while measles can be mild for some children, one in five will require a hospital visit. Infection can lead to complications, such as meningitis and sepsis, in one in fifteen children.
- While most young children recover from Meningitis B, around 1 in 20 die from the infection. Many of those who survive have a permanent disability, such as brain damage, epilepsy, hearing loss, or the loss of limbs (amputation).
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) states 1 in 200 polio infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Among those paralysed, 5–10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.
- We are seeing increasing rates of whooping cough in the first half of 2024 and we expect these increasing rates to last several months. Sadly, there have been over 10,000 cases of whooping cough and 9 reported deaths in infants who developed whooping cough between January and June 2024.
Are there any reasons that my child should not have the vaccine?
Whilst there are very few reasons why babies/children cannot be immunised. Vaccines should not be given to a child who has had a confirmed anaphylactic reaction to either a previous dose of the vaccine, or to any contents of that vaccine.
I’m worried that my child may have allergies. Can they be vaccinated?
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. Anaphylactic reactions to vaccines are extremely rare, with 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 most children recover completely with treatment.
What if my child has an underlying health condition?
Immunosuppressed children
In general, children who are ‘immunosuppressed’ should not receive certain 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. These children can be best protected by ensuring those around them, for example their siblings, are fully vaccinated.
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.
What about the MMR and nasal spray flu vaccine? Are there any other reasons why my child should not receive these?
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. If this applies to your child, you must tell your doctor, practice nurse or health visitor before the immunisation. They will get specialist advice.
How will I know when my baby’s immunisations are due?
Your doctor’s practice or clinic will send you an appointment for you to bring your baby for their immunisations – this could be by phone, text or email. Most surgeries and health centres run special immunisation or baby clinics. If you can’t get to the clinic, contact the practice to make another appointment.
What if my child has missed a vaccination?
It’s important that vaccines are given on time for the best protection, but if you miss the appointment, it is best to speak to your GP practice and make a new appointment. You can pick up the immunisation schedule where it stopped without having to start again. While it is best for your children to have their vaccinations according to the NHS vaccination schedule, it is never too late to check if they can still have them.
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.
To have full protection, children sometimes need to have booster vaccines. Check their red book or speak to your GP surgery to see if they are missing any.
Can I check my child is up to date with their vaccinations?
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.