Vaccination is a safe, quick and effective way to:
- protect your child against certain diseases
- help your child to fight harmful diseases
If you do not vaccinate your child, there is a chance they could become seriously ill. Some diseases can be fatal for some people.
How vaccines work
When your child is given a vaccine, their immune system makes antibodies. These antibodies remain in the body.
If your child comes in contact with an infection in the future, the antibodies stop them from getting sick.
Your child will not be protected immediately. It usually takes 2 weeks for vaccines to work.
Vaccination also helps stop the spread of harmful diseases.
Vaccines your child will get
The vaccines your child will get depends on when they were born.
Since 1 October 2024 there are 2 vaccine schedules.
Check which vaccines your child will get.
Changes to the vaccine schedule
Children born on or after 1 October 2024 will get a chickenpox (varicella) vaccine.
This is free from your GP.
If your child was born before this date, the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine is not part of their immunisation schedule. If you would like your child to be vaccinated, you can ask your GP for the vaccine, but you will have to pay for it.
Children born on or after 1 October 2024 will also get a fourth dose of the 6 in 1 vaccine. The combined Hib/Men C vaccine will no longer be available. The 6 in 1 vaccine will provide protection against Hib instead.
If you have any questions about your child's vaccines, contact your GP, public health nurse or your local immunisation team.
Flu vaccine
Children age 2 to 17 can get the flu vaccine for free. This is given as a spray in the nose.
The flu vaccine helps protect your child against flu. This also reduces the spread of flu to others - for example to brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents.
The flu season is from October until the end of April.
Flu vaccine for children age 2 to 17
COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine
The COVID-19 vaccine is available to children age 6 months and older. It protects them against serious COVID-19 illness.
COVID-19 vaccination for children
RSV immunisation
You will be offered free RSV immunisation for your baby if they are born between September 2024 and February 2025. This is not the same as a vaccine - it is an antibody that can protect against RSV.
Common side effects of children's vaccines
Common side effects after vaccination include:
- swelling or pain around the area where the injection was given
- irritability
- a high temperature (over 38 degrees Celsius) - particularly common after the MenB vaccine
- headache
- mild diarrhoea
You may give paracetamol to children after their 2-month and 4-month vaccinations. This will help ease any pain and bring down a high temperature.
Sometimes children get a mild rash with a few spots after the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine. The spots are usually appear around where they got the injection, but they can be on other parts of the body.
You can read more about this at immunisation.ie
Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP if after a vaccine:
- your child is not well and you are worried about them
There may be another reason for them being sick.
If you miss a vaccine
It's best to have vaccines on time, but you can still catch up on most vaccines if you miss them.
Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP surgery if your child:
- misses any vaccinations
- has a vaccination appointment that you cannot attend
- has a temperature of 38 degrees or higher - check with your GP or GP practice nurse if your child can have their vaccines
Your GP surgery can book or rearrange an appointment.
Why your child needs more than 1 dose of a vaccine
Most vaccines need to be given a few times to build up long-lasting protection.
For example, if your child gets only 1 or 2 doses of the whooping cough vaccine, they are only partly protected. They may still catch whooping cough if they do not get the full course.
Booster doses are also recommended for some vaccines. This dose boosts the immune system and gives your child better long-term protection.
Talk to your GP, GP practice nurse or public health nurse if you have any questions about childhood vaccines.
Why we use combined vaccines
Children's immune systems can easily cope with more than 1 vaccine at a time. And vaccines are just as safe and effective when they are given together.
Combined vaccines lessens the time your child is exposed to certain diseases. It also cuts down on the number of injections you child gets. For example, there would be 3 single injections for measles, mumps and rubella vaccination. With the combined MMR vaccine, there is 1.
Important
If your son or daughter is starting college or university, make sure they've had:
- a MenC vaccine - protects against a serious infection that causes meningitis and septicaemia
- 2 doses of the MMR vaccine - mumps and measles can spread between students at university
Ask your GP about getting any vaccines that may have been missed.
