Childhood Immunisations
New Street medical centre offer the full range of childhood vaccines.
About Vaccines
Vaccinating your baby will protect them from some serious or even fatal diseases. This is sometimes called immunising or immunisation.
How vaccines work
Vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect your baby against certain infectious diseases. These diseases can cause serious illness or even death.
When your child gets a vaccine, their body responds by making antibodies. It’s as if they had caught the disease, but without getting sick.
The antibodies then stay in your child’s body and protect them against the actual disease.
Vaccine safety
As a parent, you might not like the fact that your baby has to get an injection.
But remember, vaccinations:
- are quick, safe and effective
- protect your baby from disease
If you don’t vaccinate your child, there is a chance they could become very ill, or even die. This can happen if they catch one of the diseases that the vaccines protect them from.
Be ready with a feed or a hug for your baby and the vaccination will be forgotten soon afterwards.
Vaccine side effects
Fever is a common side effect after MenB vaccination at 2 and 4 months. Liquid infant paracetamol should be given straight after the vaccine.
Side effects from the vaccines are usually mild and do not last very long.
How long vaccines take to work
It usually takes a few weeks for vaccines to work. Your child will not be protected immediately.
Also, most vaccines need to be given several times to build up long-lasting protection. For example, a child who gets only 1 or 2 doses of the whooping cough vaccine is only partly protected. They may still catch whooping cough if the course is not completed.