Vaccines do
-
help to protect you and your child from many serious and potentially deadly diseases
-
protect other people in your family and community – by helping to stop diseases spreading to people who cannot have vaccines, such as babies too young to be vaccinated and those who are too ill to be vaccinated
-
undergo rigorous safety testing before being introduced – they’re also constantly monitored for side effects after being introduced
-
sometimes cause mild side effects that will not last long – you may feel a bit unwell and have a sore arm for 2 or 3 days
-
reduce or even get rid of some diseases – if enough people are vaccinated
Vaccines do not
-
do not overload or weaken the immune system – it’s safe to give children and adults several vaccines at a time and this reduces the amount of injections needed
-
do not contain mercury (thiomersal)
-
do not contain any ingredients that cause harm – only ingredients essential to making them safer and more effective and only in very small amounts
-
do not cause autism – studies have found no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism
NHS England urges those unprotected against measles to come forward for their vaccinations
Measles cases are continuing to rise across England, with a number of unvaccinated children and adults requiring hospital as infections take hold.
This month, millions of parents and carers in England are being contacted by the NHS to book their children in for their missed measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as part of a major new campaign to protect children from becoming seriously unwell.
NHS figures show almost 3 million children under the age of 16 years are either unprotected or not fully protected and at risk of catching these serious and completely preventable diseases.
Measles is not just a childhood disease and can be serious at any age. If caught during pregnancy it can be very serious causing stillbirth, miscarriage and low birth weight and NHS bosses are also urging young adults to catch up on any missed doses before thinking about starting a family.
Two doses of the safe and effective MMR vaccine are needed for maximum life-long protection, with the first dose given around the child’s first birthday, and the second dose given at around three years and four months old.
However, anyone can catch up at any age on any missed doses and it’s never too late to protect yourself.
If you or your child have not had both dose of the MMR vaccine contact the GP surgery to book an appointment as soon as possible and catch up.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/why-vaccination-is-important-and-the-safest-way-to-protect-yourself/
