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The best way to help protect your child against severe illness from whooping cough, measles, and other childhood diseases is to get them up to date with their routine vaccinations.

Find out how vaccines work in this short video from the British Society for Immunology. And remember, all children are entitled to free NHS vaccinations.

Scroll the timeline from left to right to see at which age children’s vaccinations are due

8 weeks
8 weeks

• 6-in-1 vaccine (1st dose)
• Rotavirus vaccine (1st dose)
• MenB (1st dose)

12 weeks
12 weeks

• 6-in-1 vaccine (2nd dose)
• MenB (2nd dose)
• Rotavirus vaccine (2nd dose)

16 weeks
16 weeks

• 6-in-1 vaccine (3rd dose)
• Pneumococcal (PCV) vaccine

1 year
1 year

• MMR (1st dose)
• Pneumococcal (PCV) vaccine (2nd dose)
• MenB (3rd dose)

18 months
18 months

• 2nd MMR dose
• 6-in-1 vaccine (from January 2026)

2 to 16 years
2 to 16 years

• Flu vaccine (every year)

3 years and 4 months
3 years and 4 months

• 4-in-1 pre-school booster

12 to 13 years
12 to 13 years

• HPV vaccine

14 years
14 years

• 3-in-1 teenage booster
• MenACWY

Did you know:

  • Vaccines reduce the spread of infectious disease and even get rid of some completely
  • When enough people get vaccinated, it’s harder for a disease to spread to those who can’t have vaccines
  • Getting vaccinated protects not only you but also your family, friends and community
  • Vaccines are made to prevent people from getting serious infectious diseases. It’s much safer for your immune system to learn to fight illness through vaccination than by catching and treating them.

A full list of all the vaccinations that children in the UK are entitled to and should have is available at NHS vaccinations and when to have them.

Information on the research behind vaccines and how they help prevent illness and spread can be found on the Oxford University Vaccines Knowledge Project – a source of independent, evidence-based information about vaccines and infectious diseases.

South East London Integrated Care Board (the ICB) is an NHS organisation and is responsible for coordinating NHS vaccination services in south east London.