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How do I get my child immunised?
All parents automatically receive invitations to take their baby or child to their GP practice to be immunised. It is important that you attend, so that your child can be protected against the diseases as soon as possible.
If you think your child has missed some vaccines, please speak to your GP, practice nurse or health visitor. Remember, it is never too late to have your child immunised.
Routine childhood immunisations
In the UK, a free immunisation programme is run by the NHS to protect children from a variety of diseases. The table below shows the current UK vaccination schedule. Please click on the links in the table to find out more about the diseases and why the immunisations are so important.
| When to immunise |
Diseases protected against |
| Two months old | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Pneumococcal infection |
| Three months old | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Meningitis C |
| Four months old | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Meningitis C Pneumococcal infection |
| Between 12 and 13 months | Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) Meningitis C Measles, mumps and rubella Pneumococcal infection |
| Three years and four months or soon after | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio Measles, mumps and rubella |
| Girls aged 12 to 13 years | Cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 |
| 13 to 18 year olds | Diphtheria, tetanus, polio |
Non-routine childhood immunisations
| When to immunise |
Diseases protected against |
| At birth (to babies who are more likely to come into contact with TB than the general population) |
Tuberculosis For more information on local services for people with TB, please click here. |
| At birth (to babies whose mothers are hepatitis B positive) |
Hepatitis B |
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