Immunisation: Contact a Family - for families with disabled children: information on rare syndromes and disorders

photo of a disabled child with a family member

Immunisation is the use of a vaccine to protect against disease. When a vaccine is given, the body's immune system is stimulated to produce memory cells and substances called antibodies which protect against future infections. Vaccines contain either:

the live germ (bacteria or virus) which has been toned down (attenuated) so that usually it does not cause the disease or, if so, it is usually in a mild form or
the killed germ or
part(s) of the germ or things the germ produces

Vaccines also contain small quantities of other substances to enable them to work properly.

The Routine Childhood Immunisation Schedule in UK (from September 2006)
Vaccine	Recommended age of administration
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP), Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) - DTP/IPV/Hib, a single injection	8 weeks.
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)	8 weeks.
DTP/IPV/Hib and Meningococcal C vaccine (Men C)	12 weeks.
DTP/IPV/Hib, PCV and Men C	16 weeks.
Hib/Men C booster	12 months.
Measles, mumps & rubella (MMR) and PCV	13 months.
MMR - 2nd dose	Any time after 1st dose as long as at least three months have elapsed, or one month if after 18 months old. Usually given with pre-school booster below.
DTP/IPV	Three years four months old
Td/IPV	At, or before, time of leaving school. From 2008, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine will be given to girls in year 8 at school. There will also be a catch-up campaign for older children in the school years beginning autumn 2009 and autumn 2010.
BCG used to be offered to all children in secondary school, but as the pattern of disease has changed, this is no longer the case. Instead, the vaccine is offered to all babies and children who are thought to be at higher risk of catching the disease. In some areas, this will mean that all babies are offered the vaccine.

It is normal for parents to have concerns and questions about immunisation. There are very few reasons for withholding immunisation. They are usually temporary and include:

if the child is unwell or has a fever on the day of immunisation, in which case the vaccination should be postponed
if the child is taking any medicines that affect the immune system, including steroids or has a disease that affects the immune system
if the child has an unstable neurological condition

Side-effects of immunisation include swelling or redness around the site of the injection, temperature or irritability.

Parents of children with special needs may have concerns relating to immunisation and their child's specific condition. Children who have certain specific conditions may be more at risk from childhood diseases and therefore immunisation is encouraged. Where the condition affects the immune system (e.g. Primary Immunodeficiencies) vaccination may not work very well and, in some cases, live vaccines may be dangerous. In such circumstances, vaccination should always be discussed with the child's paediatrician. It is always helpful for parents to discuss any concerns they may have regarding immunisations with their health visitor or general practitioner or with the paediatrician involved in the care and management of their child.

Medical text written June 2000 by Dr David Elliman and Dr Helen Bedford. Last updated October 2007 by Dr David Elliman, Consultant in Community Child Health, Islington Primary Care Trust, London, UK and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK, Immunisation Co-ordinator, Islington Primary Care Trust and Dr Helen Bedford, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, London, UK.

Further information on this and the Immunisation Programme can also be obtained from:

Immunisation Programme
Department of Health
Room 602A
Skipton House
80 London Road
London SE1 6LH
Fax: 020 7972 5758
Web: http://www.immunisation.org.uk