Although the vast majority of parents have a high level of confidence in the UK vaccination programme, we know that there is a minority of people who may have lower levels of vaccine confidence, or may just not have all the information they need to make an informed decision about vaccinating their children.
We know that parents really value the opportunity to discuss vaccination with Health Professionals. In the UKHSA 2023 Parental attitudes to vaccines survey although the majority of parents (83%) had already decided that their babies would have all the vaccines offered before the discussion. Fourteen percent of parents who had not made up their mind about vaccination, decided in favour of vaccination following the discussion. Ethnic minorities, men, and younger parents were more likely to have changed their mind and decided to have their baby vaccinated after speaking to a healthcare professional.
We have included some key questions and answers below to help stakeholders speak to parents about their worries and concerns:
How safe are the vaccines?
Before a vaccine is allowed to be used, its safety and effectiveness have to be thoroughly tested. After they have been licensed, the safety of vaccines continues to be monitored. Any rare side effects that are discovered can then be assessed further. All routine vaccines in the NHS programme have been used in millions of children worldwide and have an excellent safety record.
All medicines can cause side effects, but research from around the world shows that immunisation is the safest way to protect your child’s health.
Find out more about vaccination safety and risks.
Is it safe to have several vaccinations in one go?
Yes. From birth, babies’ immune systems protect them from the germs that surround them. Without this protection, babies would not be able to cope with the tens of thousands of bacteria and viruses that cover their skin, nose, throat and intestines. This protection carries on throughout life.
Studies have shown that it is safe to have several vaccinations at the same time and your baby/child will be protected from some very serious infections much more quickly when this happens.
Will there be any side effects from the vaccines?
Any side effects that occur are usually mild and short lived. Your child may get a little redness, swelling or tenderness where the injection was given that will disappear on its own. Fever can be expected after any vaccination. There is advice for parents on what to expect after vaccination HERE.
Fever is more common after the first two doses of the Meningococcal B (Men B) vaccination, which are given at 8 weeks and 16 weeks old. There is specific advice for parents on how to prevent and treat fever after MenB vaccine at 8 and 16 weeks HERE.
Facts about ingredients in vaccines
Vaccines do not contain any ingredients that cause harm – only ingredients essential to making them safer or more effective and only in very small amounts.
Most vaccines contain a small amount of bacteria, virus or toxin that’s been weakened or inactivated in a laboratory first. Some contain chemicals that make your body think it’s coming into contact with the bacteria, virus or toxin. This means there’s a very low risk of healthy people catching a disease from a vaccine.
The vaccine ingredients are used in very small amounts mixed with water. There is no evidence that any of the ingredients are harmful in such small amounts.