Immunisations

 

Make an informed decision for your child 

Immunisation is recommended as part of pregnancy and routine child health care. Your LMC, family doctor and their team can help provide accurate reliable information. Here are some basic facts about vaccines and immunisation: 

• immunisation is a very safe and effective way to help prevent potentially serious diseases 
• immunisation teaches the immune system how to recognise and fight specific diseases if we come in contact with them at a later stage 
• having the recommended immunisations during pregnancy is safe and can protect both the parent and their unborn baby, and later their newborn baby, from serious illness 
• if most people are immunised, the spread of the germs is reduced and the chance of getting a disease is much lower 
• pregnant women, babies and children need to have all the recommended immunisations on time every time for the best possible protection 

The National Immunisation Schedule is the series of vaccines that are offered free to babies, children, adolescents and adults. Vaccines on the schedule for children up to the age of thirteen years protect against preventable diseases: 

• If enough people are immunised against diseases they don’t spread as easily.
• Immunisations are free to all children and help to protect against eleven serious diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), pneumococcal, measles, mumps, rubella, and human papillomavirus.
• Immunisations work by making baby’s immune system respond to the vaccine in a similar way it would to the disease.
• Having all the immunisations is important to fully protect your child. If a dose is missed at the right time you can still catch up – you don’t need to restart.

 Tips for the immunisation visit 

At the doctors 

• remain calm and relaxed 
• bring along a stuffed toy or blanket for your child to hold during the immunisation, or use it to distract them 
• hold your baby or child during the procedure 
• after being pricked by the needle your child may cry for a brief time, it’s their way of coping. Your job is to comfort, hold, and talk to them supportively 
• feeding your baby during or straight after their immunisation will help them settle 
• you will need to remain in the clinic for 20 minutes after the immunisation. Use this time to help your child settle, this can help make the next visit easier 

Afterwards 

Most children experience little or no ill effects after immunisations. Some of the minor effects reported are tenderness or swelling and redness at the site of the injection, mild fever is also common. Here are some ways to make your baby or child more comfortable after their immunisation: 

• don’t rub the injection site 
• give lots of cuddles and lots of fluids 
• if you are breastfeeding, give lots of feeds 
• an ice pack wrapped well in a dry cloth or better still a cool cloth, can be held over the injection site if it is sore 
• if your child gets hot, undressing them down to a single layer, for example a singlet and nappy, can help 
• keep the room not too hot or too cold 

Routinely giving Paracetamol before or after immunisation is not recommended because high fever and pain are not common responses. Only use Paracetamol if your child is very uncomfortable and seek medical advice for the correct dosage. 

This advice differs for bexsero (meningococcal vaccine). Routine paracetamol is recommended for all bexsero doses in children under 2, whether given alone or at the same time as other vaccines. This is to reduce the risk of high fever and injection site pain which are more common with this vaccine. Paracetamol should be given ideally 30 minutes before bexsero followed by two further doses 4 to 6 hours apart. It does not reduce the effectiveness of the vaccines. Bexsero is now routinely offered at the 3 month, 5 month and 12 month immunisations.

Certificate

An immunisation certificate may be needed when you enrol your child at an early childhood centre, kohanga reo or primary school. This is completed at your family doctors.

Here are some places to go for more information on these diseases and the vaccines that prevent them: Immunisation Advisory Centre: immune.org.nz or call free: 0800 IMMUNE (466 863) to talk to Healthline. NZ Ministry of Health: moh.govt.nz World Health Organization: who.org