decorative image representing childhood vaccinations

Childhood immunisations

Some infectious diseases can kill children or cause lasting damage to their health. Your child's immune system needs help to fight those diseases. Immunisation gives protection against some infectious diseases. Vaccines stimulate the body to produce antibodies that fight infection. Immunisation is also known as 'vaccination', 'jab' or 'injection'.

What can happen when a child isn’t immunised

Due to the high number of children receiving vaccinations in Northern Ireland over the past couple of decades, many serious childhood infectious diseases have disappeared altogether, like diphtheria, polio or tetanus or been dramatically reduced, such as measles and whooping cough.

In some countries it is more difficult to receive vaccines and as a result more people die from infectious diseases every year.

Unless vaccine uptake remains high in Northern Ireland, many of these serious infectious diseases will return from parts of the world where they still occur.

If this happens, then children that are not vaccinated will be at risk of these infections, their complications and even death.

Diseases with vaccination available

There are vaccines to protect children against:

Getting your child immunised

Before your child starts school, they usually get their vaccinations at your doctor's surgery or local health clinic.

The Child Health system or the doctor’s surgery usually sends you the invitation to make a vaccination appointment.

Your child can get some vaccinations in school. The school will contact you before they give your child a vaccine.

If you have any questions, ask your health visitor, doctor, school nurse or a practice nurse in the doctor's surgery.

For more information and the recommended childhood vaccination schedule please visit the NI Direct Gov website where this information is taken from.