Immunisation

Childhood Immunisation Programme

A vaccine which protects against a disease that causes blood poisoning, meningitis and pneumonia has been added to the UK child immunisation programme.

The Department of Health announced changes to the childhood immunisation programme to introduce protection against pneumococcal infection. Children under two years of age will now receive an additional pneumococcal vaccine at age two months, four months and 13 months.

Two other changes have also been announced to maximise protection against meningitis C and haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). The current three doses of meningitis C vaccine will be given at three and four months with a booster at 12 months.

It is currently available at two, three and four months of age. A booster dose of Hib vaccine will now be given at 12 months.

When the pneumococcal infection enters the bloodstream it can cause serious illnesses such as meningitis, septicaemia (blood poisioning) and pneumonia. There are around 5,000 cases of pneumococcal disease in England and Wales each year and around 530 of these are in children under two years. Since the introduction of a vaccination programme in the US, cases in young children caused by the strains in the vaccine have fallen by 94%, and cases in the over 65s have dropped by two thirds.

The MenC vaccination programme introduced in 1999 has been a major public health success reducing cases in all age groups by 90%. Before then, meningococcal C infection, which can cause meningitis, was a significant cause of deaths in children and young adults.

The Hib vaccination programme, introduced in 1992, has also produced a marked reduction in HiB disease in children, and particularly cases of Hib meningitis.

Vaccination Catch-up Call -
Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine
Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) is appealing to parents and carers of children who have missed any of their scheduled childhood vaccinations to ‘catch up’ and make sure their children are protected against preventable diseases.

In particular the PCT is urging a catch up with the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

They are writing to all parents of children up to five years in the first instance and then from April onwards to children over five years to eighteen years.

Figures show that many children up to five years old have not been vaccinated at all or have only had the first dose of the MMR vaccine which is given to children aged 13 months old.

Even if they have received the first vaccine, children are still at risk of catching measles, mumps and rubella. This is because in 10 % of cases the first MMR vaccine does not work.

What Should I Do?
It is vital that parents and carers check to see what vaccines their children have had and, if necessary, make an appointment to see their GP as soon as possible, where they will be able to arrange to have one or both doses of the MMR vaccine.

Anna Hinton, Oxfordshire PCT’s Principal in Health Protection, said: “Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known. It can be very serious leading to pneumonia and even death. It is really important that you protect your child and having just the first MMR vaccination is not enough. The second MMR dose is needed to protect those children who did not respond to the first one and to protect the population. This is especially important as the number of measles cases is rising due to the fact that children remain unimmunised.”

In Oxfordshire only 82% of children had had their two doses of MMR by the age of five years. Nationally there have been two deaths in the past two years from measles and recent outbreaks in east London and Cheshire.

Parents or carers who want more information about vaccinating their children, or who may have opted out of the vaccine up to now, should look at key facts on the Department of Health website: www.immunisation.nhs.uk