Why your child needs to get back on track with their vaccinations

Oxford Health’s secondary school immunisation programme is set to begin again next week, giving essential protection to young people from a range of illnesses and deadly infections.

For five weeks from Friday, September 4 our nurses will resume clinics for simple safe vaccinations which had to be cancelled during lockdown.

Families are being reminded about the importance of their children attending appointments to prevent outbreaks of serious diseases and reduce pressure on the health service.

The vaccines will include HPV for boys and girls, which prevent common HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) infections that can lead to cancers. Two vaccines are necessary for full protection and are given one year apart, one in Year 8 and a second HPV vaccination in Year 9.

Boys and girls will also receive protection against meningitis and blood poisoning (Men ACWY vaccine), as well as for tetanus, diphtheria and polio (TDP), also deadly infections.

Some children will need to attend for their MMR vaccination for protection against measles, mumps and rubella, if they have not already received two doses of this vaccine, usually given prior to starting school.

Emma Leaver, Oxford Health’s director of community services said: “It is important that parents and carers keep their children’s vaccinations on track without further delay, or we could see a rise in other diseases like measles as well as dealing with Coronavirus.

“The school health nurse team are available to give immunisation advice and can be contacted in the following ways; please call 07920 254400 or email the immunisation team administrator at ImmunisationTeam@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk”

As long as children and young people attending for vaccination appointments do not have symptoms or are not self-isolating because someone in the household is displaying symptoms, all scheduled vaccinations should go ahead as normal.

Any child who misses their session in school, will have a second opportunity to receive their vaccinations, when the immunisation team return to school later in the academic year.