Childhood immunisations (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

High level priorities

  • When a vaccination programme against a disease begins, the number of people catching the disease goes down. As the threat decreases, it's important to keep vaccinating; otherwise the disease can start to spread again.
  • If enough people in a community are vaccinated, it's harder for a disease to pass between people who have not been vaccinated. This is called herd immunity.
  • Herd immunity is particularly important for protecting people who can't get vaccinated because they're too ill or because they're having treatment that damages their immune system.
  • An infographic explaining herd immunity can be found on Figure 1 of the supporting appendices Child Immunisation Appendices.
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