Immunisations have been one of the successful ways of improving children's health, and offer the prospect of eliminating some very unpleasant diseases, such as polio. For every disease for which immunisation is offered as a routine to children, the benefits of preventing the disease outweigh the risks associated with the vaccine.  

Immunisation is offered for all children against the following diseases:

The immunisation clinics are run either by the general practice where you and your child are registered or at a child health clinic. When your baby is born, the child health computer system calculates when your baby will reach the ages when immunisations are due, and sends an appointment for the clinic at the appropriate age. Some general practices arrange the appointments separately from the child health computer system. You can ask the health visitor, practice nurse or doctor for more information and advice at the baby clinics before the immunisations are due. If you miss the appointment for some reason, try to fix another date as soon as possible.

The decision on immunisations is for the parents (or legal guardians), and there is no legal requirement in the UK to be immunised. In some countries, immunisation is required before a child is admitted to school, and this is something that you should consider if you may be going to live abroad. 

If you decide not to have your child immunised, but change your mind later, immunisation can be arranged with your doctor. This delay carries a risk that your child could catch the infection first. There is no convincing research that shows greater benefit or safety from delaying immunisation beyond the recommended age.  

Some parents have chosen unlicensed single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines or homeopathic alternatives to licensed vaccines. If you choose these alternatives, you need to consider the financial cost, the fact that some products have not been tested as thoroughly as licensed vaccines, whether there will be more injections, reactions and side-effects, and the probability that your child will not be as quickly and effectively protected. The government's compensation scheme (see below in What happens when things go wrong?) does not apply to homeopathic alternatives.

The side effects of immunisation are described for each vaccine, on the various information sections. There is also information on the safety of vaccines in the Question and Answer section.

In the UK, the government offers a payment which is designed to ease the present and future costs of the vaccine-damaged person who has a disability as a result of being immunised. The disability has to be moderately severe (60% or more) and the vaccine has to be one of those offered in the national immunisation programme. The scheme is run by the Department of Works and Pensions. Discuss the matter with your doctor first, to get advice on how likely is that the disability or injury was caused by the immunisation.  

To make a claim, obtain a form from the Vaccine Damage Payments Unit, Palatine House, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 1HB Phone: 01772 89 99 44 or 01772 89 97 56. The form can be downloaded from the website www.direct.gov.uk/disability-vdp.The claim should be made after the child is aged 2, and within six years of the vaccination. The amount payable is £120,000 for claims made after 12 July 2007. The payment is not compensation (so does not depend on proving cause and effect). It is intended to help with the care of a disabled child, and does not affect the rights of the child to medical and social care due to every disabled child.  

Last reviewed June 2011.

Last updated June 2011.