Childhood routine vaccinations

Childhood vaccinations are an important way to protect your child against serious illness.

Your child will get invited for their routine vaccinations at specific stages of their development. These are summarised on the routine immunisation schedule.

The DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB vaccine, also known as the 6 in 1 vaccine, is a single jab. It provides effective protection against 6 serious diseases: 

• diphtheria
• tetanus
• whooping cough (pertussis) 
• polio
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) 
• hepatitis B 

Your baby will be offered the 6 in 1 vaccine as part of their first routine vaccinations, at:

• 8 weeks of age
• 12 weeks of age
• 16 weeks of age

Babies need 3 doses of this vaccine to be fully protected. Speak to your healthcare professional if your baby has missed any doses.

You can find more information about the vaccine and the diseases it protects against on the Public Health Wales website.

Rotavirus infection causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting in babies and young children. The rotavirus vaccine protects your baby against infection. 

Your baby will be offered the rotavirus vaccine with their other vaccinations at:

• 8 weeks
• 12 weeks

Babies need 2 rotavirus vaccinations, 4 weeks apart, to be fully protected.

If your baby misses one of the vaccinations, they can have their first dose up to the age of 15 weeks and their second dose up to the age of 24 weeks. 

You can find more information about the rotavirus vaccine on the Public Health Wales website.

The MenB vaccine is the safest and most effective way to protect your baby against group B meningococcal bacteria. This can cause meningitis and sepsis, which are serious and potentially fatal illnesses. 

Your baby will be offered the MenB vaccine at:

• 8 weeks
• 16 weeks
• 12 to 13 months (booster)

Your baby will get an appointment for the MenB vaccination, along with their other routine immunisations. Babies need 3 doses of the MenB vaccine to be fully protected. Speak to your healthcare professional if your child has missed any doses.

You can find more information about MenB and the vaccine on the Public Health Wales website.

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and meningitis C (MenC) infections can cause meningitis and sepsis. These are serious and potentially fatal diseases.

The Hib/MenC vaccine is a safe and effective way to help protect children when they are most vulnerable to these diseases.

As part of their routine vaccinations, your baby will be offered the Hib/Men C vaccine at:

• 12 to 13 months

Speak to your healthcare professional if your baby has missed any vaccine doses.

You can find more information about the Hib/MenC vaccine on the Public Health Wales website.

The MMR vaccine protects against 3 serious infections: measles, mumps and rubella. They are common, infectious diseases that can have serious, potentially fatal, complications. 

There have been recent outbreaks of measles and mumps in Wales. It's important to make sure you and your children are up-to-date with the MMR vaccination.

The full course of MMR vaccination requires 2 doses. These are offered to your baby at: 

• 12 and 13 months 
• 3 years and 4 months 

If your child misses a dose, they can still have it at any age. If you are unsure if you or your child has had both doses of the vaccine, contact your GP practice as soon as possible. They can check your records and arrange for a catch-up vaccination if needed.

More information about the MMR vaccine and missed vaccinations, is available on the Public Health Wales website.

The DTaP/IPV vaccine, also known as the 4 in 1 vaccine, helps protect against 4 separate diseases: 

• diphtheria
• tetanus
• pertussis (whooping cough) 
• polio

The 4 in 1 vaccine is very effective at boosting the protection given from the 6 in 1 vaccination. It is offered to your child as a pre-school booster at:

• 3 years and 4 months 

Speak to your healthcare professional if your child has missed any of their vaccine doses. 

The 4 in 1 vaccine is also offered during pregnancy to help protect the baby from whooping cough. Speak to your midwife or healthcare professional for more information.

You can find more information about the 4 in 1 vaccine and the diseases it protects against on the Public Health Wales website.

Flu is a virus that can lead to serious illnesses and death. Anyone can get flu, but children have the highest rate of infection and flu can be serious for them. Each year, flu vaccines are changed to match the flu viruses circulating that year, so that people get the best protection.

Each year, the flu vaccination is offered to children aged 2 to 16. This includes: 

• all children who are aged 2 or 3 on 31 August 2023
• all children in primary school

Also, children aged six months or over who have any of the long-term health conditions that puts them at increased risk from flu are eligible.

Flu vaccinations are given between September and March. If you think your child might have missed their vaccine, contact the school nurse or GP surgery.

If your child is not in school or is home educated, they can have their flu vaccine from their GP surgery when they are due.

More information about the flu vaccine is available on the Public Health Wales website.