Vaccinations help protect your child by preparing their immune system to fight off illnesses that spread between people (infectious diseases). Babies and young children are more at risk from certain diseases because the symptoms can be more severe and cause lasting damage to their health, or even death. It is important to make sure that babies are protected as early as possible to prevent them from catching the diseases.
The vaccination programmes in the UK are very effective. This means that diseases such as measles, polio and diphtheria are rare in the UK. However, if babies and young children are not vaccinated against these diseases, they may become more common again. Many of these diseases can be particularly serious in babies and young children.