Routine childhood immunisation programme
Each vaccination is given as a single injection into the muscle of the thigh or upper arm.
The routine immunisation schedule from Spring 2018
| Age Due |
Diseases Protected Against |
Vaccine Given and Trade Name |
Usual Site |
| Eight weeks old |
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B |
DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB |
Infanrix hexa |
Thigh |
| Pneumococcal (13 serotypes) |
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) |
Prevenar 13 |
Thigh |
| Meningococcal group B (MenB) |
MenB |
Bexsero |
Left thigh |
| Rotavirus gastroenteritis |
Rotavirus |
Rotarix |
By mouth |
Twelve weeks
|
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hib and hepatitis B |
DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB |
Infanrix hexa |
Thigh |
| Rotavirus |
Rotavirus |
Rotarix |
By mouth |
| Sixteen weeks old |
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hib and hepatitis B |
DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB |
Infanrix hexa |
Thigh |
| MenB |
MenB |
Bexsero |
Left thigh |
| Pneumococcal (13 serotypes) |
PCV |
Prevenar 13 |
Thigh |
One year old (on or after the child’s first birthday)
|
Hib and MenC |
Hib/MenC |
Menitorix |
Upper arm/thigh |
| Pneumococcal |
PCV |
Prevenar 13 |
Upper arm/thigh |
| Measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) |
MMR |
MMR VaxPRO‡ or Priorix |
Upper arm/thigh |
| MenB |
MenB booster |
Bexsero |
Left thigh |
| Two to eight1 years old (including children in reception class and school years 1 to 4) |
Influenza (each year from September) |
Live attenuated influenza vaccine LAIV3 |
Fluenz Tetra2 |
Both nostrils |
Three years four months old or soon after
|
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio |
DTaP/IPV |
Infanrix IPV or Repevax |
Upper arm |
| Measles, mumps and rubella |
MMR (check first dose given) |
MMR VaxPRO2 or Priorix |
Upper arm |
| Girls aged 12 to 13 years |
Cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 (and genital warts caused by types 6 and 11) |
HPV (two doses 6-24 months apart) |
Gardasil |
Upper arm |
| Fourteen years old (school year 9) |
Tetanus, diphtheria and polio |
Td/IPV (check MMR status) |
Revaxis |
Upper arm |
| Meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y disease |
MenACWY |
Nimenrix or Menveo |
Upper arm |
| 65 years old |
Pneumococcal (23 serotypes) |
Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) |
Pneumococcal
Polysaccharide
Vaccine |
Upper arm |
| 65 years of age and older |
Influenza (each year from September) |
Inactivated influenza vaccine |
Multiple |
Upper arm |
| 70 years old |
Shingles |
Shingles |
Zostavax‡ |
Upper arm |
- Age on 31 August 2017
- Contains porcine gelatine
- If LAIV (live attenuated influenza vaccine) is contraindicated and child is in a clinical risk group, use inactivated flu vaccine
Click here to download the routine immunisation schedule.
Immunisations given in surgery will protect your child against the following:
Diphtheria, which is an infectious disease usually first affecting the throat, the heart, kidneys and nerves can become damaged.
Tetanus (lock jaw), usually caused by the tetanus bacteria entering a deep wound. It can cause spasms of the muscles with inability to breathe.
Pertussis (whooping cough) which mostly affects young children. Outbursts of coughing may continue for several weeks, there may be a whooping noise with the coughing.
Polio, which is caused by viruses which affect the nerves. There is loss of movement which may be permanent.
Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) type b infections are all very serious and can cause meningitis, blood infections, joint inflammation and throat inflammation causing difficulty in swallowing and breathing.
Pneumococcal infection, which can cause meningitis, ear infections, pneumonia and some other serious illnesses.
Meningitis C and B, which causes inflammation of the outer covering of the brain and can cause septicaemia (blood poisoning).
Rotavirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea in thousands of babies each year, they can be cared for at home but some babies get very dehydrated (losing bodily fluid), and possibly needing hospital treatment.
Measles, caused by a very infectious virus which results in a rash and high fever. The complications can include chest infections, fits and very occasionally, brain damage.
Mumps, which can lead to fever and painful swollen glands in the face neck and jaw. It can result in permanent hearing loss and viral meningitis. Occasionally, it can cause painful swelling of the testicles in males (which in rare cases may affect fertility) and inflammation of the ovaries in females.
Rubella, which is usually a mild disease in children but is very serious for unborn babies. Rubella infection in the first three months of pregnancy causes damage to the unborn baby in 9 out of 10 cases. It can damage their heart, hearing, sight and brain.