Being vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves and our children from serious illnesses. Vaccination prevents millions of deaths throughout the world every year. Babies and children are often the most vulnerable to diseases that may be prevented by vaccines.
Diseases such as smallpox, polio and tetanus, which used to disable or kill millions of people, have either gone or are very rarely seen since vaccination was introduced in the UK. Other diseases, such as diphtheria and measles, have been reduced to a very small number of cases. However, cases of measles have started to increase again in Wales. This is worrying, as measles can lead to serious and life-threatening complications, such as meningitis.
Give your children the best start in life, and make sure they are up to date with their routine vaccinations.
Your children will be offered other vaccines when they are school age. See the complete routine immunisation schedule for Wales