Full immunisation schedule
Your doctor or health visitor will advise you when your child should be vaccinated and other injections happen at school.
It can be quite distressing watching your child be immunised - especially if you don't like needles but by showing confidence yourslfl you can make your child feel more at ease about it.
If you have any concerns about injections please discuss your fears with a health professional.
Remember that the illnesses that this innoculations prevent can be life threatening.
2, 3 and 4 months old
When your baby is 2 months old, you will be asked to bring them
for their first
DTaP/IPV/Hib injection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping
cough), polio and Hib.
At this time they will also be offered the Meningitis C vaccine.
You are then asked to come back for another 2 doses of both DTaP/IPV/Hib and Men C when they are 3 and 4 months old.
Around 13 months old
When your baby turns one, they will be offered their first dose of the triple MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella.
This is given as a single injection.
3 years and four months to 5 years old
Before your child starts school, they will be offered the dTaP/IPV or DTaP/IPV vaccines which protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio.
This is given as a single injection.
They will also be offered a booster dose of MMR against measles, mumps and rubella, which is also given as a single injection.
10 to 14 years old
10-14 year olds are offered BCG at school to protect them against tuberculosis (TB)
A skin test is done before the injection is given then, if needed, one injection is given in upper arm. This tester leaves a small pattern of about 8 skin pricks.
If the test shows no need for the jab you escape this! I didn't have the jab but had to have a tester two years running and then was sent off for an xray to check I'd not already got TB! If I remember rightly you have to keep the arm dry for a week - so no swimming
13 to 18 years old
13-18 year olds are offered Td/IPV at school. It is given as a single injection in the upper arm and protects against diphtheria, tetanus and polio.