Vaccination
Vaccination protects people against harmful infections. Infections can be caused by bacteria or viruses and have serious health complications and in some instances can be fatal.
Immunisation uses the body’s natural defense mechanism to build resistance to specific infections. When an immunised person comes in contact with that disease in the future, their immune system will respond to prevent them developing the disease.
The Department of Health considers it is important to have vaccinations to protect you and your family against dangerous or life-threatening diseases.
What is the difference between ‘vaccination’ and ‘immunisation’?
‘Vaccination’ is the term used for giving a vaccine (by injection or the swallowing of drops). The term ‘Immunisation’ is the process of both having the vaccine and becoming immune to the disease as a result of the vaccine.
To find out how vaccination works, when you should have the vaccine and other details about vaccination, click on the links.
Childhood vaccinations
The Department of Health recommends that all children of a certain age are immunised against childhood vaccine-preventable infections.
Our interactive wheel provides you with the latest Department of Health recommendations for when a child should be vaccinated. Both routine and non-routine schedules are detailed. Click here to view the immunisation schedule.
Impact of Life Course: Vaccination on an Ageing Population
The International Longevity Centre has published a report calling for a new life course approach to adult immunisation, starting with extending NHS availability of the ‘flu jab to all over 50s. To download a copy of the report, click here.
The report and related work was made possible through an unrestricted grant from Pfizer UK Ltd. The views expressed in the report are those of ILC-UK alone; Pfizer UK Ltd has not been involved in writing or shaping the content of the report.