If Your Child Misses An Immunisation
To fully protect your child and avoid unnecessary costs, it is best to immunise your child at the recommended age. If you have fallen behind or missed a session, the vaccine schedule can be safely continued as if there had been no delay. Ask your doctor or immunisation provider about catch-up doses of vaccine.
There is no need to repeat doses already received before having catch-up doses.
How To Prepare Your Child For A Vaccination
If your little one is old enough to understand whatâs going on, try describing the immunization appointment and whatâs about to happen. Offer assurance that even though the shot may hurt a little, the pain wonât last. Also, consider bringing along your childâs favorite toy or even a security blanket. This may help comfort her.During the appointment, you may be able to hold your child in your lap, which can offer additional comfort. Also, consider trying to distract him with a toy, a story, or pointing out things in the room. For a very young child, you might consider breastfeeding or bottle-feeding afterward. Even swaddling may help comfort her especially if sheâs crying after the shot.You may consider asking the doctor or the nurse who administers the shot if there are any steps you could take to help your child feel more comfortable. You may be told to have your child move his arm around after the vaccination, which can help reduce any pain or swelling.
Vaccines Given At Two Months
Hepatitis B Vaccine is given to your baby for the second time during the two month check-up.
DTaP Vaccine protects your baby from three life-threatening, toxin-releasing bacterial diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis . Often found in unsanitary conditions or from improper wound care, tetanus is a severe disease of the nerves that can cause the jaw to lock. Diphtheria affects breathing and the throat in small children and may cause nerve, heart, and kidney damage. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that mostly affects babies under six months and causes coughing spells that can become severe and potentially deadly. Getting the vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy is also a great way to help prevent your infant from contracting pertussis.
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Some Diseases Have Disappeared From This Country Why Do We Need To Immunise Against Them
In the UK, these diseases are kept at bay by high immunisation rates. Around the world, millions of people a year die from infectious diseases with more than 5 million of these being children under the age of 5.
Many of these deaths could be prevented by immunisation. As more people travel abroad and more people come to visit this country, there is a risk that they will bring these diseases into the UK. The diseases may spread to people who havent been immunised so your baby is at greater risk if he or she has not been immunised.
Immunisation doesnt just protect your child it also helps to protect your family and the whole community, especially those children who, for medical reasons, cant be immunised.
A Guide To Immunisations For Babies Born On Or After 1 January 2020

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-immunisations-for-babies-up-to-13-months-of-age/a-guide-to-immunisations-for-babies-born-on-or-after-1-january-2020
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Why Is It Important To Stick To The Vaccine Schedule
Its important to stick to the vaccine schedule because those schedules have been developed by scientists and experts who have looked at the best timing to receive a vaccine and what diseases a child is vulnerable to.
In certain countries, for instance, some diseases are more common and so a child will receive those vaccines earlier in their life, so sticking with that schedule is providing your children the protection they need from the diseases that theyre most likely to encounter.
Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme
Current immunisations are extremely safe but, very rarely, an individual may suffer from a problem after vaccination. The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme is designed to ease the present and future burdens of the person who, on that very rare occasion, may be affected by the vaccination. There are several conditions that need to be met before a payment can be made.
If you need more information, please contact:
Vaccine Damage Payments Unit
dTaP/IPV |
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Your Babys First Shot
Shortly after birth, your baby should receive the first dose of the vaccine to help protect against the following disease:
All babies should get the first shot of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth.
This shot reduces the risk of your baby getting the disease from you or family members who may not know they are infected with hepatitis B.
If you have hepatitis B, your baby should get the first shot of hepatitis vaccine within 12 hours of birth. Theres additional medicine that can help protect your newborn against hepatitis B its called hepatitis B immune globin . HBIG gives your babys body extra help to fight the virus as soon as your baby is born.
Baby Immunisations And Vaccinations
We look at the early baby immunisations and vaccinations schedule. Heres what you need to know and why it matters
You might wonder why babies need extra protection or any immunisations in the first place. Its because before theyre born, babies receive antibodies against infections from the placenta. This gives your newborn immediate but short-lived protection. This is a type of natural immunity called passive immunity .
After several weeks to three or four months that passive immunity wears off so your baby is not protected from infections. That means your baby will need active immunisation through vaccinations. This is where the immunisations programme comes in.
Whether youre all for the vaccinations modern medicine has brought us or not, they have made formerly common childhood diseases rare . And the decision to vaccinate or not can make a difference. In August 2019, England lost its ‘measles-free’ status with the World Health Organization. This is due to 231 confirmed cases of measles in the first three months of 2019 . Experts are pointing to ‘sub-optimal’ take-up of MMR for this .
Heres what you need to know about vaccinations and baby immunisations.
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Annual Updates To The Immunization Schedule 1995 To 2010
As more vaccines became available, an annual update to the schedule was important because of changes that providers needed to know, such as detailed information about who should receive each vaccine, age of receipt, number of doses, time between doses, or use of combination vaccines. New vaccines were also added.
Important changes to the schedule between 1995 and 2010 included:
- New vaccines: Varicella , rotavirus hepatitis A pneumococcal vaccine
- Additional recommendations for existing vaccines: influenza hepatitis A
- New versions of existing vaccines: acellular pertussis vaccine intranasal influenza
- Discontinuation of vaccine: Oral polio vaccine
2000 | Recommended Vaccines
* Given in combination as DTaP** Given in combination as MMR
Why Is It Important For My Baby To Get Vaccines On Time
Vaccines work best when they are given on time. To protect your baby as soon as possible, your baby should get their vaccines starting at 2 months of age. Most vaccines need to be given as more than 1 dose, or more than once. To ensure the best protection for your baby, the doses are given 1 or more months apart. For example, whooping cough can be a deadly disease for babies. Babies need their first dose at 2 months of age to begin building protection against whooping cough. They will have full protection in infancy after 3 doses. The 4th dose given at 18 months of age is a booster dose to provide protection to last until your childs next dose at 4-6 years of age.
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What Are The Side Effects Of Vaccinations
Many children get minor side effects such as redness, soreness and swelling where the needle went in, mild fever, and being irritable or unsettled. If your child has any of these side effects, give them extra fluids to drink, dont overdress them if they feel hot, and consider giving them paracetamol to help ease any fever or soreness. Most side effects are short-lasting and the child recovers without any problems.
For young children about to receive their meningococcal B vaccination, you can give them the recommended dose of paracetamol beforehand. This can help reduce the chance of your child developing a fever. Talk to your doctor or child health nurse before your appointment about how to do this.
Serious reactions to vaccinations are very rare. However, if they do occur, take your child to the doctor immediately.
When Was The First Vaccine Created

- Smallpox is caused by the Variola virus, which dates back to prehistoric times
- other diseases traveled around the world before effective vaccines were created.
- Edward Jenner was born in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England, in 1749.
- the World Health Assembly announced that smallpox had been eradicated from the world.
With the race to find a COVID-19 in full swing, now is a good time to look back on history to learn about how the very first vaccines were created. To understand the timeline, we will start with one of the first natural diseases known to humans, smallpox, called the scourge of mankind.
Smallpox is caused by the Variola virus, which dates back to prehistoric times. The earliest evidence of smallpox-like skin lesions was found on Egyptian mummies from 1570 to 1085 BC. Other indications of the disease were found in ancient Asian cultures, from around 1122 BC. It was later found in Europe, the West Indies, Africa, and the New World.
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Tetanus And Diphtheria Vaccine
Td is a two-in-one vaccine. It protects people against tetanus and diphtheria. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization strongly recommends that all Canadians receive a primary immunizing course of tetanus toxoid in childhood followed by routine booster doses every 10 years.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care recently introduced one lifetime dose of the pertussis vaccine for adults to the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario. All adults 19 to 64 years of age, who have never received the Tdap vaccine in adolescence, are now eligible to receive one lifetime dose of the vaccine. This lifetime dose replaces one of the Td booster doses given every 10 years.
Parents, grandparents or other adult household contacts of newborns, infants and young children as well as health care workers are considered a priority to receive the Tdap vaccine.
What is tetanus?
Tetanus or lockjaw is a serious disease that can happen if dirt with the tetanus germ gets into a cut in the skin. Tetanus germs are found everywhere, usually in soil, dust and manure. It does not spread from person to person. Tetanus causes cramping of the muscles in the neck, arms, leg and stomach, and painful convulsions which can be severe enough to break bones. Even with early treatment, tetanus kills two out of every 10 people who get it.
What is diphtheria?
Where Can My Child Get Vaccinated
Your child can get vaccinated at your local health unit. Health units are also called public health units, community health centres, or primary care homes in some areas of BC. Some family doctors and nurse practitioners also give vaccines. Pharmacists can vaccinate children who are five years of age and older. Services vary across BC.
Its best to book your childs appointment well in advance as clinics book up quickly. This helps to ensure your child is vaccinated on time.
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Why Does Your Baby Need The Same Vaccination More Than Once
Your baby needs more than one of every vaccination in the vaccination schedule. For some vaccinations, your baby needs more than one dose to build up enough immunity to protect her from disease. Immunity is her bodys protection from disease. For other vaccinations, immunity decreases over time, so your child needs another dose to boost her immunity. Some vaccinations help protect your child against germs that are always changing, like the flu. This is why your child needs a flu shot every year. To get the best protection from disease, your baby needs all the recommended doses of each vaccine.
What Vaccines Should Be Given To Newborns In India
There are two main immunization schedules that are followed for child immunization in India: the National Immunization Schedule and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics immunization schedule. In simple terms, NIS includes the bare minimum vaccines that are necessary for every child in the country to take, whereas the IAP immunization schedule also includes a few additional vaccines that are available in the country but are not yet mandated for all.
Know that the government gives all the vaccines recommended in the NIS to all children free of cost. No matter the schedule you choose to follow, Bacillus Calmette Guerin , Hepatitis B , and Oral Polio Vaccine are the 3 main vaccines given to every newborn right after birth. Different doses and vaccines will then follow when your child is 6 weeks, 10 weeks, and 14 weeks old.
Some states may also require your child to take additional vaccines based on the prevalent conditions in that area. In other cases, your child may also require other vaccines based on their individual health conditions. It is advisable to clearly consult with your doctor about all the vaccines your child will need so that you can ensure the good health and wellbeing of your child.
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If People Hardly Ever Get These Diseases Why Does My Child Need To Be Vaccinated
Diseases that were once common in childhood are now rare in Canada because of vaccines. But they still exist. Even one case of measles can spread quickly when people are not vaccinated. You can still catch measles one hour after an infected person has left the same room. It is not easy to tell who is carrying the germ, or if your child has been exposed.
Many vaccine-preventable diseases have no treatment or cure. In some cases, children can die from complications of a disease.
The best protection is to keep vaccinating.
To better explain the importance of vaccination, here is an analogy: It’s just like when we started bailing out a boat that had a slow leak the boat was full of water . We have been bailing fast and hard, and now the boat is almost dry. If we stop bailing the water will continue to come in as there is still a leak .
Have You Ever Wondered What A Vaccine Is Heres A Simple Vaccine Definition
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , a vaccine is a product that stimulates a person´s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease. Therefore, a vaccine will protect a person from a certain disease. Most often, vaccines are administered through needle injections. Nevertheless, they can also be sprayed through the nose or be taken orally, through the mouth.
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Vaccination Program In Mexico
One important thing to note regarding this topic is that vaccinations are mandatory in Mexico. In fact, thanks to its Universal Vaccination Program, Mexico has one of the most complete vaccination schemes in the world. Mexicos Universal Vaccination program is based on vaccination cards, and therefore, all Mexican children and babies should have one. Mexicos mandatory vaccination scheme is for and includes all children under the age of five.
Important facts about Vaccinations for babies and children in Mexico:
What Vaccines Will Baby Get This Month

Most infants can follow the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions recommendations for vaccination schedules. Your pediatrician may ask a few questions to be sure this is the case, to determine if your baby could be at risk for uncommon diseases, or if she has a health condition that might change the schedule. Regardless, the typical baby receives the following vaccinations at this age:
HepB
This is a series of three shots, first of which takes place in the hospital, after birth. The HepB vaccine protects against the hepatitis B virus, which causes liver infection and sometimes cancer.
DTaP
DTaP stands for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Diphtheria causes difficulty breathing, paralysis and heart failure. Tetanus is caused by a bacterium that enters a puncture wound . It causes pain and stiffness, and it can be fatal. Pertussis, or whooping cough, causes uncontrollable coughing spells that can prevent a baby from being able to eat, drink or even breathe. This disease may cause respiratory arrest or apnea.
Haemophilus influenzae type b, despite its name, is not the flu. Its a bacterium that can cause flu-like symptoms, and may lead to meningitis, pneumonia and infection throughout the body.
Polio
PCV13
This vaccine prevents pneumococcal disease which causes fever, cough, chest pain, pneumonia, meningitis and even infections of the blood and brain.
Rotavirus
Talk to your baby’s doctor if you have questions or need more information about vaccinations.
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Transcript Of ‘getting Your Baby’s First Vaccines: Mini Parenting Master Class’ Video
As a parent myself, I know that going to get your child vaccinated can cause a lot of anxiety. You dont want to do anything to hurt your child and the idea of them getting a needle can cause a lot of concern for parents. So, its important to remember therere lots of strategies you can use.
My name is Shannon MacDonald and this is my Mini Parenting Master Class on getting your babys first shots.