Childhood vaccinations

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Vaccines are the best way to prevent many illnesses to protect us and our children. Vaccines teach your body how to fight off illnesses. It is much safer for your body to learn this from a vaccine than by catching the illness.

Vaccines prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year. Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, illnesses like smallpox, polio, measles, flu and tetanus are either gone or significantly lowered. These illnesses used to affect hundreds of thousands of people, making them seriously ill, disabled or even leading to death.

Having a vaccine also helps your whole community. If enough people are vaccinated, it is harder for the illness to spread to people who cannot have vaccines including people who are ill or have a weakened immune system. Vaccines are tested for safety through research studies before they are offered to people. Even after people start using them, vaccines continue to be checked for safety.

Getting the basics for good health right during pregnancy and early childhood is very important. It helps every child have the best start in life. Here we will look at vaccines offered to pregnant people, young children and teenagers in the UK. It uses the NHS vaccine schedule, which has recently been updated.

What we know

Pregnancy

When a woman is pregnant, her body's immune system is not as strong. This means she and her baby can get ill more easily. To help keep them safe, pregnant women are offered vaccines. The protection that they get from vaccines passes to their baby, protecting them in their first few months of life. Protecting mother and baby from illnesses lowers the chance of early birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth. Getting vaccinated in pregnancy gives your baby the best start in life.

The whooping cough vaccine protects mother and baby from whooping cough and is offered at around 20 weeks of pregnancy. In 2024 nearly 900 babies under 1 year old had whooping cough, with many needing to go to hospital.

The RSV vaccine has been offered since 2024. It is offered from 28 weeks of pregnancy and it helps protect mother and baby from a virus called RSV. Babies who are not protected can get RSV more easily. RSV can cause serious lung infections and some babies may need to go to hospital. The UKHSA have said that the RSV vaccine has been shown to lower the number of hospitalisations for serious lung infections in babies.

Pregnant women are also offered the flu vaccine in autumn and winter. They can have it at any time in pregnancy. It is best to get it early in the flu vaccination season, before flu rates are high. Pregnant women who get flu infections are four times more likely to have their baby early and with a low birth weight. Their babies also have a higher chance of being stillborn.

Babies

Vaccines teach a baby's body how to fight illness. They help keep babies safe as they grow. Babies have three vaccine appointments with their GP before their first birthday. During these appointments they will be offered more than one vaccine at a time. All these vaccines either protect against a new illness or boosts their protection. Most of these vaccines are given by an injection (a small needle), some of these vaccines are given as drops in the mouth. All these vaccines have been carefully tested for safety.

These vaccines protect against illnesses that can damage the heart, brain, nerves, spine, lungs, stomach and sometimes cause death.

Pre-school

The nasal flu vaccine is offered every year from age 2 to 16. This vaccine is sprayed into the nose. The nasal flu vaccine has pork gelatine in it, so it may not be right for some families. There is another flu vaccine without pork gelatine. It is given as an injection (a small needle). These flu vaccines are usually given at the GP for 2 and 3 year olds.

The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Across England a proportion of children do not get both does of the MMR vaccine and are not fully protected. Because of this, the World Health Organisation has taken away England's measles-free status. The MMRV vaccine is now offered to children instead of the MMR vaccine. It now protects against chickenpox (varicella) as well as measles, mumps, and rubella. Two doses are needed for the best protection.

Children are also offered the pneumococcal vaccine and the 4-in-1 vaccine. These vaccines protect against illnesses that can harm the heart, brain, nerves, spine, lungs and can sometimes cause death.

Childhood vaccines stop around 5,000 deaths and 228,000 hospital visits every year in England. To keep children safe, it is important that they get their vaccines.

Children and young people

Teenagers are offered vaccines at school by the School Aged Immunisation Service (SAIS). Children who do not go to school can still get their vaccines at local community clinics.

The MenACWY vaccine helps protect against meningitis. Meningitis can cause loss of limbs, hearing loss, problems with eyesight, and can sometimes lead to death.

The 3-in-1 teenage booster (Td/IPV) helps protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and polio. These illnesses can harm the heart, brain, nerves, spine and can sometimes lead to death.

The HPV helps protect against a virus that can cause genital warts and cancers of the mouth, throat, anus and genitals. The HPV vaccine has been offered to girls since 2008 and boys since 2019. Research by Cancer Research UK found that the HPV vaccine has lowered cases of cervical cancer by around 90% in those who got vaccinated at age 12-13.

All children and young people of school age are also offered a nasal flu vaccine every year. As already outlined, this vaccine is sprayed into the nose and may not be right for some families because it contains pork gelatine but an alternative is available.

If a young person misses a vaccine, they or their parent or carer should contact SAIS or their GP to catch up.

Other factors that have an impact

COVID-19 pandemic

It is thought that COVID-19 vaccines saved over 1.6 million lives between December 2020 and March 2023. Research in the UK found that there were a range of attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines. Some people accepted vaccines because they were concerned about the risk of catching COVID-19. Others were less likely to take up the offer of a COVID-19 vaccine because of mistrust of vaccines and institutions and worries around long term effects.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, less people in Stockton-on-Tees got their vaccines. Since then, the uptake of some vaccines is back to normal, but not all. Overall, fewer people are getting vaccines.

In workshops in Stockton-on-Tees in 2023, some people said they did not fully trust the COVID-19 vaccine. For some, this led to less trust in other vaccines. They worried about safety and side effects, which may make them less likely to get vaccines.

Information and misinformation

Misinformation is the spread of false information. In 2024 the World Health Organisation noted misinformation as a risk to people's health worldwide.

In workshops in Stockton-on-Tees in 2023, many people were able to spot false information about vaccines, but some still believed it was true. For example, some people believed that vaccines could give you the illnesses they protect against.

To tackle misinformation, it is important that parents and young people can access information that makes sense to them. People in the workshops said they did not always get clear or helpful information.

Accessing vaccines

Pregnant women and parents can find it hard to get to vaccine services. This can be because appointment times are not flexible and booking systems can be confusing. When vaccines are given at hospital or GP practice, patients may need to pay for travel, which can make them less likely to go to their appointment.

Who is most affected and why?

Anyone can find it hard to get vaccines, but some people may face more challenges. These include:

People living in deprivation
Those living in more deprived areas are less likely to get vaccinated. Of the 27 wards in Stockton-on-Tees, ten are among the most deprived wards in the country. Stockton also has the most deprived neighbourhood in the Tees Valley. People in these areas may have greater challenges with getting vaccines, for example, because they need to take time off work or pay for travel.
Migrants
Migrants are less likely to be fully vaccinated than other groups. This can be for many reasons. For example, they may not have their health records, so it is hard to know which vaccines they need. They will be offered vaccine by the NHS to cover these gaps.
They may also not have enough information and may find it hard to ask questions if English is not their first language. Translators are sometimes available, but not always.
They may also find the UK health system confusing and not know where to go to get vaccines.
Ethnic minorities
Those from ethnic minorities are less likely to take up pregnancy and childhood vaccines. Research in England found that pregnant women from ethnic minority groups were less likely to get the whooping cough vaccine than White British women. Research in England found that children whose mothers are from some ethnic minority groups, or whose ethnicity is not known, are less likely to be fully vaccinated than White British children.
Religion or cultural beliefs
There may be cultural or religious beliefs which prevent some people from accessing vaccination. Research has shown that around 1 in 10 adults who identify their religion as Muslim (11%) or Other (11%) are worried about getting vaccines.
Care experienced children and young people
Care experienced children and young people are less likely to have a complete vaccine record than other children living in the same area. This can be due to moving homes more often which may mean GP and school changes and missing vaccines. In Stockton-on-Tees 4 out of 5 children in care are up to date with their vaccinations.
Those not attending school
Research in the UK has shown home educated children may be more likely to miss out on vaccines as they are usually provided within schools. They are invited to community clinics instead.
Some children who do not go to school, for example because of emotional issues, may miss vaccines. They are invited to get their vaccines at school or at local community clinics if they miss them.
People with SEND
Research in England has shown, those with special educational needs and disabilities have lower vaccination uptake. This may be because of not enough clear vaccine information, changes to their daily routine, or not having a parent or carer with them during school vaccinations.

What do the people of Stockton-on-Tees need?

It is important that pregnant women, children and young people in Stockton-on-Tees get vaccinated to help protect everyone and prevent dangerous illnesses spreading.

Young people and their parents and carers in Stockton-on-Tees have told us through workshops and surveys in 2023 and 2025 that they need clear and easy-to-understand information about vaccines and why they are important. This information should meet people's needs, including different languages, reading levels, and other access needs. People should be able to get information in different ways, such as written leaflets, videos, and by speaking to trusted people in person.

People also need to be able to get vaccines close to where they live, in places that are easy and convenient to visit. There should also be extra support for communities that have lower vaccine rates, to help build trust and confidence.

Vaccine services should be better joined together and focused on keeping people well. Families should be able to get vaccines together and be offered other helpful services at the same time.

Parents should be able to book vaccine appointments easily and give permission (consent) for their or their child's vaccines. Community engagement work in 2023 has shown that parents sometimes struggle to do this. Online systems should be improved so they are simple to use and meet people's needs.

What this means and what we are doing

What this means

The data shows that vaccine targets are not being met for pregnant women and teenagers. While targets are still being met for babies and young children, rates are going down.

This means that some people are not protected, and people in Stockton-on-Tees could be at risk of outbreaks of illnesses that vaccines can prevent.

What we are doing

Identifying gaps in vaccine uptake and working to lower these, for example by working with schools with low vaccine rates
Developing evidence-based interventions such as education for secondary school students about the vaccines they can get
Promoting vaccines by sharing clear and easy-to-understand information in different formats such as leaflets in different languages and videos and through trusted people like community leaders, champions, and school nurses in the mid-teen review
Listening to communities about the challenges they face and, where possible, developing interventions to solve these
Working together with partners, including the NHS and Children's Services, to share what we learn about local challenges and improve access, for example by offering vaccines in community places people already visit such as community pharmacies
Making online systems easier to use, so people can book appointments and give permission (consent) for vaccines more easily, including supporting new online systems from SAIS

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