Parents Warned About Dangers of Children Missing Vaccines
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is warning parents and guardians of the serious health risks from children missing routine immunisations.
Parents and guardians are being urged to ensure their children are up to date with all their routine childhood immunisations including polio and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. This comes as new data shows vaccination coverage for young children fell last year for virtually all programmes.
Continue reading about the Dangers of Children Missing Vaccines, or to find out more about childhood vaccinations, please visit the NHS website.
Why Vaccination is Safe and Important
Vaccines are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases.
The NHS website page Why Vaccination is Safe and Important explains how vaccines work, what they contain and the most common side effects.
MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine
The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective combined vaccine.
It protects against 3 serious illnesses:
These highly infectious conditions can easily spread between unvaccinated people.
Getting vaccinated is important, as these conditions can also lead to serious problems including meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.
2 doses of the MMR vaccine provide the best protection against measles, mumps and rubella.
If you would like more information about MMR please see MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine on the NHS website.
The NHS vaccination schedule
Checklist of the vaccines that are routinely offered to everyone in the UK on the NHS, including the ages at which they should ideally be given is available on the NHS website.
If you’re not sure whether you or your child have had all your routine vaccinations, ask your GP or practice nurse to find out for you. It may be possible to ‘catch up’ later in life.
Try to make sure you or your child have vaccinations delivered on time to ensure protection against serious communicable diseases.
If you’re going to be away from the GP surgery when a vaccination is due, talk to your doctor. It may be possible to arrange for vaccination at a different location.
Travel Immunisations and Advice
Our Practice Nurses are available for travel advice and immunisations. An appointment should be made at least 6 weeks prior to travel.