First year vaccinations
As the natural immunity they had from their mother fades after birth, it is important that new-born babies are vaccinated to give them protection from diseases which, in the past, killed thousands of children every year.
First year Vaccinations
Your baby will be vaccinated at 8, 16 and 24 weeks as the natural immunity they had from you fades after birth. There are four separate vaccines, administered across three appointments. The doses given at each stage are carefully matched to your baby’s age, which is why they need a series of them to be fully effective.
For each of the vaccines given, we have given a link to the NHS pages for the vaccine and to the Oxford University Vaccine Project pages with information about the disease that the vaccination protects your baby from. There is then a link to the NHS pages which set out the side effects your baby might suffer from having these vaccinations.
The 8-Week Appointment
At eight weeks your child will be given the first dose of the 6-in-1 vaccination, the first dose of their Rotavirus vaccine and the first dose of their Meningococcal B vaccine. Click on the boxes below for links to more information about how the vaccines are administered and the diseases they help prevent.
This vaccine prevents six serious illnesses which used to kill almost 5,000 babies every year. Across those six diseases, almost no child now dies with just three deaths a year on average now from these diseases.
It is given in one injection into your baby’s thigh and gives protection from Diphtheria, Hepatitis B, Hib ( Haemophilus influenzae type b), Polio, Tetanus and Pertussis, (whooping cough).
The NHS page on this vaccine is here – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/6-in-1-infant-vaccine/
The Oxford University Vaccine Project information page on this vaccine is here – http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/6-in-1-vaccine
The links below will give you information on each of the diseases against which this vaccine protects your child.
Diptheria
Link to NHS page on diphtheria https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diphtheria/
Link to Oxford Vaccine Project page http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/diphtheria
Hepatitis B
Link to NHS page – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hepatitis-b/
Link to Oxford Vaccine Project page – http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/hepatitis-b
Hib ( Haemophilus influenzae type b)
Link to NHS page – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hib/
Link to Oxford University Vaccine project page – http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/hib-disease
Polio
Link to NHS page – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polio/
Link to Oxford University Vaccine project page – http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/polio
Tetanus
Link to NHS page – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tetanus/
Link to Oxford University Vaccine project page – http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/tetanus
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
Link to NHS page – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/whooping-cough/
Link to Oxford University Vaccine project page – http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/pertussis-whooping-cough
This link will tell you about the possible side-effects from having the 6-in-1 vaccination. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/6-in-1-vaccine-side-effects/
This is given as liquid directly into your baby’s mouth for them to swallow and gives protection against this highly infectious stomach bug which causes diarrhea, vomiting, tummy ache and a fever.
Link to NHS page – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/rotavirus-vaccine/
Link to Oxford University Vaccine project page – http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/rotavirus
This link will tell you about the possible side-effects from having the Rotavirus vaccination. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/rotavirus-vaccine-side-effects/
This is given as one injection into your baby’s other thigh. It gives them protection from the infection which causes 90% of meningococcal infections, which cause Meningitis and Sepsis. In babies these infections lead to severe brain damage, loss of limbs and even death.
Since the introduction of the Men B vaccine, the number of cases has fallen by 64% to fewer than 300 a year.
Link to the NHS page https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/meningitis-b-vaccine/
Link to Oxford University Vaccine project page – http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/meningococcal-disease
This link will tell you about the side-effects from having the Men B vaccination. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/men-b-vaccine-side-effects/
The 12-Week Appointment
At 12 weeks, your baby will be given their first dose of the Pneumococcal vaccine and their second dose of the 6-in-one vaccine and the Rotavirus vaccine.
The pneumococcal vaccine protects against serious and potentially fatal pneumococcal infections. It’s also known as the pneumonia vaccine. It is given by injection into the arm or thigh muscle.
Pneumococcal infections can lead to pneumonia, septicaemia (a kind of blood poisoning) and meningitis. At their worst, they can cause permanent brain damage, or even kill.
Before the vaccine was introduced, one in every 200 children were admitted to hospital with a pneumococcal disease and around 200 children a year died.
It is estimated that in the first 11 years of the pneumococcal vaccine programme (2006-07 to 2016-17), the vaccine prevented nearly 40,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease, and about 2,000 deaths.
Link to the NHS page
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pneumococcal-vaccination/
Link to Oxford University Vaccine project page
https://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/pneumococcal-disease
This link will tell you about the side-effects from having the Pneumococcal vaccination. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pneumococcal-vaccine-side-effects/
The 24-Week Appointment
At 24 weeks, your baby will have the last of their three appointments and be given third and final dose of 6-in-1 vaccine and their second dose of the Men B vaccine.
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