Child immunisation
Immunisation is the best way to help protect your child against
many serious diseases such as tuberculosis, tetanus, meningitis,
polio, measles, mumps and cervical cancer.
Your child can be immunised against these diseases with a
vaccine, which is injected into your child’s arm or leg. A
vaccine stimulates the body to produce antibodies, which are
proteins that fight illness. When children come into
contact with the disease they have been immunised against, the
antibodies fight the disease and prevent them from becoming
ill.
If children are not immunised against a disease, they are at
much greater risk of catching it and also passing the infection on
to others. The more people who choose not to immunise their
children against diseases such as measles and mumps, the more
outbreaks of these diseases there will be. Hackney has
had two recent outbreaks; in 2006 84 children were affected, with
some needing hospitalisation and in 2007, 330 children were
infected again with some hospitalisation. Here in Hackney, we
continue to have regular surges of measles and of mumps.
City and Hackney health services are committed to increasing the
accessibility and acceptability of immunisation services, in order
to respond to the needs of the local community, and to ensure that
all children have the opportunity to be fully protected against
vaccine preventable diseases. If your child’s immunisation
status is not up to date or if you are not sure, please book an
appointment with your GP, Health Visitor (0-4years olds) or School
Nurse (5-19year olds). If necessary, these professionals can
refer you on to a specialist nurse or to a paediatrician
(children’s doctor) for further discussion and
advice.
The Child Health Promotion
Programme - What every Child should have 196Kb
Alternatively you can take your child to one of our Walk-In
clinics which do not require an appointment. Please click on
the link below for details.
Walk-In Child
Health and Immunisations Clinics in Hackney 222Kb
Immunisation Sessions in School settings
11-16 year olds tend to have their immunisation sessions at
their schools by the named School Nursing Team. Dates and consent
forms are sent to parents/carers in advance of the sessions.
. Please make sure that you complete the consent forms and
send it back to the school as soon as possible to ensure your child
receives the vaccination that they need.
We are also in the process of offering a similar service to the
Early Years’ settings and Primary Schools. Please look out
for the information.
For further information regarding the immunisation
service in City and Hackney, please speak to your GP, Health
Visitor, school nurse or paediatrician.
Additional information can be found on the Department of Health immunisation
web site