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It is important that all children and babies are fully immunised to protect them from potentially serious diseases. Once common illnesses, such as diphtheria and tetanus, are now rare in the UK because of immunisation. But while polio has been eliminated in Europe, the threat of other diseases, such as measles and meningitis, has not gone away in the UK today.

Parents with worries or queries about any aspect of their child's immunisations should discuss them with their Doctor, Health Visitor, Practice Nurse or School Nurse.

https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/immunisation-and-vaccines/

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● diphtheria ● Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) ● hepatitis B ● human papillomavirus (certain serotypes) ● influenza ● measles ● meningococcal disease (certain serogroups) ● mumps ● pertussis (whooping cough) ● pneumococcal disease (certain serotypes) ● polio ● rotavirus ● rubella ● shingles ● tetanus

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1060682/Greenbook-chapter-11-11Mar22.pdf

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This question was more difficult to research. Any input appreciated :)

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This question was more difficult to research. Any input appreciated :)

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When the human body is exposed to an antigen for the first time, it takes time for the immune system to respond and produce antibodies specific to that antigen.

In the meantime, the person is susceptible to becoming ill.

https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-do-vaccines-work?adgroupsurvey={adgroupsurvey}&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgKHZsNbJ_QIVgWDmCh0zLgSFEAMYASAAEgKFTfD_BwE

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This article is part of a series of explainers on vaccine development and distribution. Learn more about vaccines – from how they work and how they’re made to ensuring safety and equitable access – in WHO’s Vaccines Explained series.

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Why vaccines are important

Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. They prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year.

Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or seen very rarely.

Other diseases like measles and diphtheria have been reduced by up to 99.9% since their vaccines were introduced.

However, if people stop having vaccines, it's possible for infectious diseases to quickly spread again.

Information:

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the biggest threats to global health.

Vaccine hesitancy is where people with access to vaccines delay or refuse vaccination.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/why-vaccination-is-safe-and-important/

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'Parents read, heard or saw something that made them concerned or worried about their baby or child having their vaccines. This most often came from friends or family, social media, the internet (Netmums or Mumsnet), TV or magazines or radio.'

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-vaccines-parental-attitudes-survey-2022/childhood-vaccines-parental-attitudes-survey-2022-findings

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potential adverse events... found this info in a study.

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potential adverse events... found this info in a study.

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parents were worried that their child might develop a fever because their children were infants, so they would not be able to give much paracetamol. Additionally, some parents were worried about the discomfort the needles might cause or about unexpected side effects, such as hair loss

Some parents had concerns about the effectiveness of vaccines. They said that the need for vaccine boosters raises doubts about long-term effectiveness and that they knew of children who were vaccinated against a disease and yet later caught it. Some also believed that new disease strains could appear and then the vaccine would be ineffective

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng218/evidence/b-barriers-to-and-facilitators-for-vaccine-uptake-pdf-11072221743

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What do you think of this? I thought it was useful to explain why some people are against vaccinations.

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What do you think of this? I thought it was useful to explain why some people are against vaccinations.

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I thought this was useful - it shows routine childhood vaccinations. Do you think this is helpful for the final resource?

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I thought this was useful - it shows routine childhood vaccinations. Do you think this is helpful for the final resource?

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Routine childhood immunisations from February 2022 (born on or after 1 January 2020) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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Routine childhood immunisations from February 2022 (born on or after 1 January 2020)

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We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

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I found this information do you think we could use it in the multimedia resource?

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Protect your children. Get all their vaccines on time. The vaccines are free.
Call your local public health unit or health care provider to make an appointment.

Immunization has saved more lives in Canada in the last 50 years than any other health measure.

Janet and Nathan's story

Janet thought 2½-year-old Nathan was too quiet during a car ride, so she looked in the rearview mirror to check on him. Nathan's eyes were rolling to the back of his head, the entire left side of his body was limp, and he was drooling. Janet rushed Nathan to the hospital. The doctors said Nathan had a stroke, likely from having chickenpox 6 months earlier. Nathan had not had the chickenpox vaccine.

The chance of having a stroke within a year of having chickenpox is very small, but it can happen. A stroke results in brain injury and can be fatal. Due to his stroke, Nathan has problems learning, and he will have lifelong problems moving his body on the left side.

Nathan's injury could have been prevented if he had received the chickenpox vaccine. To view Nathan's story as told by his mother Janet visit ImmunizeBC https://immunizebc.ca/chickenpox.

Vaccines protect children from serious illness, disability, and death. Be sure your children get all their vaccines on time.

When you get your child immunized, you help protect others as well

If your child is immune to the disease, your child cannot get sick and infect others. Your child's vaccines will help protect:

your family, friends and neighbours;

young babies;

seniors; and

people with diseases such as cancer or other medical conditions.

Vaccines help protect all parts of your child's body

Vaccines help prevent diseases that can cause lifelong damage. For example, meningococcal disease can cause brain damage, kidney damage, deafness, and loss of limbs. About 1 in 10 people who get the disease will die. Vaccines protect your child from harm caused by many diseases.

Vaccines help protect your child now and in the future

Your child is exposed to germs every day. Germs can spread easily in crowded places. Check the list below for some of the places your child may visit:

Daycare or preschool

School, college or university

Waiting room at a doctor's office

Community centre, concert or event

Summer camp

A bus or an airplane

Countries outside of Canada

Vaccines are very safe

It is safer to get the vaccine than to get the disease. Here are things you should know:

Serious side effects from vaccines are very rare.

The most common side effects are soreness in the arm or leg where the vaccine is given, and a low fever that may last for a few days. Up to half of children who get a vaccine may experience these side effects.

Children with a fever may have a seizure, but this rarely happens and these seizures do not do any harm. For more information on febrile seizures, also known as fever seizures, see HealthLinkBC File #112 Febrile Seizures (Fever Seizures).

There is an extremely rare possibility, less than one in a million, of a life-threatening allergic reaction after getting a vaccine. If this happens, your health care provider is prepared to treat this reaction.

What happens if my child does not get immunized?

Vaccines work very well when most parents choose to get them for their children. However, at times large groups of parents have chosen not to immunize their children. When this happens, the diseases come back quickly and lots of children get sick and some die. This has happened in Canada, England, Sweden, Japan and other countries. Get all your child's vaccines and get them on time.

For More Information

For more information on immunizations, visit ImmunizeBC https://immunizebc.ca/.

For more information on childhood immunization, see:

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Protect your children. Get all their vaccines on time.

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This website has lots of useful information let me know what you think.

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you think you or your child have missed any vaccinations

you or your child have a vaccination appointment - but you've missed it or cannot attend

Your GP surgery can book or rearrange an appointment.

It's best to have vaccines on time, but you can still catch up on most vaccines if you miss them.

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A full list of the routine vaccinations offered on the NHS and when they should be given.

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What do you think of this? I think the list format is really helpful to understand the risks of not getting your child routinely vaccinated.

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What do you think of this? I think the list format is really helpful to understand the risks of not getting your child routinely vaccinated.

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2. Other family members are also more likely to get seriously ill

Do you know other people around sick and unimmunized children at risk of contracting diseases or vice-versa?

When you get sick, your children, grandchildren, and parents may be at risk, too
Adults are the most common source of pertussis (whooping cough) infection in infants, which can be deadly for babies. When your child gets vaccinated, you are protecting yourself and your family, as well as those in your community who may not be able to be vaccinated.

Adults can also contract and experience mild symptoms with fatal complications; for example, pregnant women who are infected with the rubella virus are at high risk of giving birth to children with various disorders known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Pregnant women who contract the measles virus are at risk of experiencing a miscarriage.

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7 consequences and risks of not getting your child routinely vaccinated

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Do you know other people around sick and unimmunized children at risk of contracting diseases or vice-versa? When you get sick, your children, grandchildren, and parents may be at risk, too Adults are the most common source of pertussis (whooping cough) infection in infants, which can be deadly for babies.

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This website explains what happens if a child isn't vaccinated, have a look and let me know what you think.

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Why would a parent refuse to provide his or her child with a time-tested, effective, safe, and simple medical treatment that prevents serious diseases and saves an estimated 3 million lives each year?

Pediatricians and other health care professionals are seeking answers to this question, as many parents and guardians continue to delay immunizations for their children or refuse the life-saving treatments altogether. The dangers of refusing to immunize children against diseases such as measles, mumps, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough) extend far beyond the unvaccinated children and their families. An unimmunized population poses grave dangers to public health by increasing the risk of disease for everyone - especially for people with compromised immune systems.

Some parents cite religious beliefs for their decision not to provide their children with immunizations. Others have concerns about the safety of the treatments or claim personal or philosophical reasons.

Health care professionals are responding to the growing dangers of immunization refusal by educating the public about the tremendous benefits of immunizations, as well as the scientifically documented risks associated with the treatments.

Why Vaccinations Are Important

The ultimate goal of health care is to prevent disease rather than treat it, and vaccinations have played a major role in advancing that goal. As recently as the mid-20th century, polio, smallpox, and other infectious diseases posed dire threats to public health. Today, smallpox has been vanquished around the world, and polio has been wiped out in North America - all thanks to comprehensive immunization programs. Germs that cause mumps, measles, whooping cough, and other dangerous maladies still exist, but widespread vaccination programs have made the diseases rare in the U.S.

The human immune system comprises organs, glands, and cells throughout the body that identify antigens (germs that invade the body and cause disease) and produce special proteins called antibodies to defend against them. A healthy immune system "remembers" antigens it has previously encountered and is prepared to fight them should they recur.

Newborns are protected against antigens in their first year of life via antibodies they receive from their mothers, but this immunity eventually dissipates. When unimmunized children encounter antigens, their immune systems begin to produce antibodies, but the production is usually too slow to prevent the disease from taking root in the body.

Even children who cannot be vaccinated because they are too young or have certain medical conditions are protected by the vaccinations other people receive. When disease-causing germs are less prevalent in the environment, fewer people get sick, and the chances that someone who hasn't been vaccinated will encounter the disease-causing antigens are diminished greatly. Also, by reducing the number of infections, immunizations prevent expensive medical treatments and lost work time for parents.

Statistics on Parents Refusing Immunizations

To make knowledgeable decisions about their children's care, parents need complete information on the medical treatments their children are scheduled to receive. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) promotes the provision of Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) as part of the discussion doctors and other health care providers have with parents about vaccination effectiveness and potential vaccine-related adverse effects.

Despite this ongoing educational outreach, however, a growing percentage of physicians are reporting vaccination refusals and delays. More than 85 percent of pediatricians who participated in a 2013 AAP survey reported that they had treated children whose parents had refused to allow vaccinations within the last year, up from about 75 percent in 2006.

Another AAP study conducted in 2011 found that 13 percent of parents of children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years chose to adopt an "alternative vaccine schedule." Of those parents who chose to diverge from their pediatricians' recommendations, 53 percent refused specific vaccines, and 55 percent delayed their children's immunizations, both of which increase a child's risk of contracting a preventable disease. In addition, 17 percent of these parents refused all vaccines for their children. The immunization that parents decline most often, according to the AAP, is the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine; other vaccines that parents frequently refuse are varicella; pneumococcal conjugate; hepatitis B; and diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

Common Reasons for Parental Refusal of Vaccines

At one time, health agencies believed that measles and mumps had been eradicated in the U.S. Recent outbreaks of both diseases prove otherwise: in 2017, 118 people in the country contracted measles, and an outbreak of mumps in Hawaii affected more than 800 people. Likewise, cases of whooping cough have increased steadily since the 1980s, peaking at over 48,000 incidents of the disease in 2012.

While some of the resurgence can be attributed to the tendency of some vaccines to lose effectiveness over time, the principal reason for the return of these and other preventable diseases is the reluctance of many parents to allow their children to be immunized. A report published in 2016 in the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics (JPPT) identified the four reasons most often given by parents for their refusal to immunize their children: religious objections, personal or philosophical beliefs, concerns about safety, and the lack of information received from health care providers about the vaccinations.

Many parents who refuse immunizations mistakenly believe that vaccines cause autism in healthy children. Unfortunately, misleading and inaccurate claims related to this issue - all of which lack scientific basis - are widespread on the internet, requiring pediatricians to be more proactive in providing families with factual information about vaccine safety.

Tips for Talking with Parents Who Refuse Vaccinations

Parents who hesitate to allow their children to be vaccinated do so out of concern for their children's well-being. Health care providers should avoid making these parents feel as if they are being attacked or judged harshly for their decision. The researchers behind the JPPT study recommend that health care professionals work to understand the reasons parents refuse to immunize their children. Discussing the dangers of immunization refusal with parents will likely help make health care providers' mitigation efforts more effective.

Attempts to educate the public about the dangers of failing to immunize children have been only modestly successful to date. The AAP recommends that pediatricians and other family health care providers listen sincerely to parents' concerns about vaccines. It is also important to acknowledge that vaccines are not 100 percent effective, and while immunizations are safe, they do carry some risks. Providers should discuss these risks in relation to the risks to children who are not immunized. For example, the odds of developing encephalopathy from the measles vaccine are about one in 1 million, yet the risk of developing encephalopathy because of a measles infection is 1,000 times greater. Pediatricians can direct parents to the many science-based websites that explain the benefits and risks of specific vaccines, as well as the dangers of the diseases that they prevent.

The AAP provides information for pediatric health care providers about the best ways to document and respond to parents' refusal to allow their children to be vaccinated. The organization also outlines strategies for engaging with reluctant parents to determine whether their concerns relate to specific vaccines, immunization schedules, or the pain they believe a child experiences when vaccinated.

By building a relationship with parents over the course of several office visits, pediatric care providers can better understand a parent's decision to disregard advice about his or her child's immunizations. As providers establish more trust with parents, parents may become more amenable to reconsider their decision to refuse immunizations despite the dangers.

Learn More

The online Master of Science in Nursing program at Regis College prepares graduates for advanced and specialized nursing roles in settings such as family practices, pediatric units, adult-geriatric facilities, women's health centers, and mental health institutions. Learn about how this program can lead to career success today.

Recommended Readings:
What Is a Pediatric Nurse? Pediatric Nurse Practitioner: Exploring the Field of Pediatric Nursing What Is the Difference Between a Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor? Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics: Documenting Parental Refusal to Have Their Children Vaccinated American Academy of Pediatrics: Responding to Parental Refusals of Immunization of Children Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics: Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccinations Pediatrics: Vaccine Delays, Refusals, and Patient Dismissals: A Survey of Pediatricians Scientific American: Straight Talk About Vaccination U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Why Are Childhood Vaccines So Important? Women's Health Magazine: Mumps, Measles, and Whooping Cough Are Making a Serious Comeback

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The Dangers of Immunization Refusal | Regis College Online

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Why would a parent refuse to provide his or her child with a time-tested, effective, safe, and simple medical treatment that prevents serious diseases and saves an estimated 3 million lives each year? Pediatricians and other health care professionals are seeking answers to this question, as many parents and guardians continue to delay immunizations for their children or refuse the life-saving treatments altogether.

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why some parents have concerns about vaccinating their child

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why some parents have concerns about vaccinating their child

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&#151; -- The belief that vaccines cause autism -- which has been debunked by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others -- is no longer the primary reason parents are refusing vaccines for their children, according to a new study today from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Instead, a growing number of parents believe vaccinations are "unnecessary," researchers found.

The AAP surveyed more than 600 pediatricians in 2006 and then again in 2013, asking them to estimate the percentage of parents they encountered who wished to refuse or delay vaccines and the parents' rationale for doing so. Pediatricians were also asked how often they dismissed patients from their practice for continuing to refuse vaccines.

By 2013, nearly 9 out of 10 pediatricians (87 percent) say they were asked by at least one parent in their practice to alter their child's immunization schedule. Pediatricians in the study responded that 73 percent of parents refusing or delaying vaccines for their children in 2013 were doing so because the parents believed the vaccines were unnecessary, whereas that number was 64 percent in 2006.

Dr. Lolita McDavid, medical director of child advocacy and protection at the University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, said the findings did not surprise her.

"In the past, people were scared of polio and whooping cough, but parents aren't now because they don't see it anymore," McDavid, who was not involved in this study, told ABC News. "It's a very uninformed way to approach a child's health."

Dr. Catherine Hough-Telford, lead author on the paper and a pediatrician with the Pediatric Health Care Alliance in Tampa, Florida, told ABC News that "it will be interesting to look in future studies at how parents' perceptions change after the Disneyland measles outbreak." Disneyland is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

Vaccinations have prevented an estimated 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths for Americans born between 1994 and 2013, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Communicable diseases that previously afflicted the population are now largely a distant memory due to the development of vaccines.

Pediatricians reported in 2013 being able to persuade hesitant parents to allow scheduled vaccinations only one-third of the time, according to the study. Understanding why parents are refusing or delaying vaccines is critical for doctors so they can tailor their counseling accordingly, researchers said.

"When I talk to families ... I always emphasize vaccines are safe, effective and they save lives," Hough-Telford said. "We all want the same thing -- for the child to be healthy."

Other reasons for vaccine delay were parental concern about causing discomfort for the child or concern for burdening the child's immune system. The fear of autism as the reason for delaying vaccines fell to 64 percent in 2013 from 74 percent in 2006.

The study did not mention the specific vaccines that parents were refusing, which will be important for health care providers to explore. A study published this month in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reported that many parents wanted to opt out of the Gardasil vaccine for HPV -- approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006 -- because they thought the vaccine was unnecessary for their sexually inactive child. It is unclear if parents refusing the HPV vaccine would feel similarly about vaccines that protect against measles, whooping cough and tetanus.

Pediatricians in suburban and rural settings were more likely to see children whose parents wished to delay or avoid vaccinations than parents in urban settings, according to the AAP study, and the percentage of pediatricians "always" dismissing patients from their practice for continued vaccine refusal nearly doubled from 6 percent to 11 percent between 2006 and 2013.

McDavid said she is one of those physicians.

"[The parents and I] are partners, from the child's newborn exam until they are 18 [years old]," she said. "I can't treat a child in a way that I feel is not best for that child."

To help inform parents about the importance of vaccination, McDavid said she gives parents an assignment to go on a field trip to a graveyard.

"I want you to go to an old cemetery, walk through, look at the headstones of the babies that died at age 1, 2, 3 years of age," she said, but thanks to vaccines, "people don't see this anymore, so people don't know what to be afraid of."

The study was published as the AAP called on public health authorities today to universally eliminate all vaccine exemptions, unless they are medically necessary. While public school students in the U.S. are required to receive various vaccinations before attending classes, in most states the requirement can be waived by "non-medical" vaccine exemption forms because of a parent's beliefs or religion.

Dr. Geoffrey Simon, board-certified pediatrician and lead author of AAP's policy statement today, and chairperson of the AAP's Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine, explained the decision as necessary to protect people via herd immunity, where the majority of people being protected helps guard against an outbreak.

"We disenfranchise children and adults who are medically unable to receive the vaccine," Simon said of diminishing herd immunity from lowered vaccine rates. "Who's to say that creating a risk of developing preventable disease is fair. They deserve a safe school and work environment."
Dr. Kathryn J. Horton is a senior internal medicine resident at the University of Washington in Seattle and is currently working in the ABC News Medical Unit. Dr. Shailja Mehta, a resident in the ABC News Medical Unit, also contributed to this report.

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Why Parents Aren't Vaccinating Their Kids, According to New Study

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Debunked claims about autism and vaccines aren't main the reason.