Single and small combination baby vaccines frequently asked questions
You’ll find the answers below to some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about the vaccines available at BabyJabs. Information about individual vaccines can be found on the relevant vaccine pages. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, please do let us know.
If you have questions about an individual case, please book a consultation to discuss them.
What do you have a question about?
Vaccine licences
The vaccines offered at BabyJabs include some that are licensed for use in the UK and others that are unlicensed. It’s important to note that they are all licensed for use in the countries they’re manufactured in.
Yes, if they feel that there is no satisfactory licensed alternative. Doctors often use unlicensed medicines, especially when prescribing for children. This is because most medication initially goes through clinical trials with adult subjects; finding children to take part in clinical trials can be more challenging for many reasons.
There are various examples of medication being unlicensed, which can include the use of a:
- Licensed medicine for an age group that is not included in its licence
- Use of a licensed medicine for an illness that is not included in its licence
- Use of medicine that is only available from abroad and has to be imported (it may have a licence in other countries)
- Use of a medicine that needs to be made especially because it cannot be obtained easily; for example, a patient may not be able to swallow a tablet or capsule (which is licensed) and needs a liquid (unlicensed) version of the medicine
If a vaccine is unlicensed in the UK, it means that it hasn’t passed through the Department of Health’s quality control procedures. It also means that it has to be ordered on a “named patient” basis. This requires that each vaccine be ordered for an individual named child with the clinical reasons that the vaccine is needed.
All vaccines are licensed for use in the countries they’re manufactured in.
If, after informed consideration, you refuse to allow your child to be given the vaccines recommended by the NHS, then your child remains unprotected against various diseases. The only way to protect your child in these circumstances is to give him or her alternative vaccines, which may be unlicensed. This is the clinical indication.
Yes, they are all licensed for use in one or more countries, including their country of manufacture.
All the vaccines we offer at BabyJabs are approved by the World Health Organisation.
Some of the vaccines we offer (e.g. the PCV and Men B) are identical. Others are different because the NHS gives a large number in a 6-in-1 combination vaccine. However, the strength and effectiveness of our vaccines are similar to those used on the NHS.
Manufacture, transport and storage
The vaccines we use are all manufactured in Western Europe, North America or India by large multinational pharmaceutical companies. You will find details of who manufactures which vaccines on the individual vaccine pages.
They are imported by companies that specialise in importing drugs from abroad and have approval from the Department of Health (DoH) to import the vaccines. They arrive at our premises in temperature-controlled conditions.
They are stored in temperature-controlled fridges especially designed for vaccine storage.
The ‘shelf life’ or expiry date will vary from batch to batch but is usually a year or longer. Vaccines are never used after their expiry date.
At BabyJabs, we don’t offer vaccines containing mercury. It is very hard to obtain vaccines free from aluminium, but, where possible, we use vaccines that are aluminium-free or have a relatively low aluminium content.
Yes, there are several vaccines that you may have seen listed on the old BabyJabs website that are no longer manufactured or available. These are:
- Single Tetanus
- Single Diphtheria
- High dose diphtheria and tetanus
- Single rubella
- Single mumps
Although an alternative single meningitis C vaccine is available, we believe that the meningitis ACWY vaccine is preferable because it is aluminium-free and covers four meningitis strains.
Safety
All the vaccines we offer are manufactured by large reputable manufacturers and backed by data from clinical studies. We source vaccines that are as free from additives and contaminants as possible to help minimise side effects. However, no medical intervention can ever be guaranteed to be 100% safe.
All vaccines have potential side effects. We try to minimise these by offering fewer vaccines at any one time than are given on the NHS and by selecting vaccines with as few additives and contaminants as possible.
If your child suffers any side effects, they are most likely to experience redness at the injection site, a slight fever and irritability up to 48 hours after receiving the vaccine. Side effects from some vaccines occur later; for example, side effects from the measles vaccine most commonly arise five to 10 days after being given the vaccine.
We, at BabyJabs, are responsible in the normal way for any advice and treatment that we offer. The pharmaceutical companies remain responsible for the quality of their products.
Yes, we keep a record of the batch numbers of the vaccines in our records. We will also add this information to your child’s personal health record book (usually a ‘red’ book).
We give you a letter to pass on to your GP at every appointment at BabyJabs, outlining what vaccines your child has received.
Giving vaccines separately allows your baby to receive fewer vaccines at each attendance and to spread out the overall vaccine load; however, there is no conclusive evidence that this is better or safer than giving the vaccines altogether. There is scientific research that suggests that delaying vaccination may reduce your child’s risk of developing allergic disorders such as asthma, eczema and hay fever.
Please visit our Why come to BabyJabs page for links to all the relevant research about how delaying vaccinations may reduce the risk of developing allergic disorders.
No one schedule is best for all children. When we see you for a consultation, we will draw up a personalised schedule for your child taking into account your wishes, your child’s medical history and any relevant family history.
Little is known about the possible transmission of a vaccine from a pregnant woman to a foetus. Most vaccines cannot be transmitted from the vaccinated person to someone else. An exception is the chickenpox vaccine where there have been extremely rare cases of it being passed on from the vaccinated person to cause chickenpox in another.
Effectiveness
Most of the vaccines we offer are sourced from the same manufacturers that provide the vaccines for the NHS and are all of similar effectiveness. Many are or were used by the NHS.
The total number of vaccines your child requires will depend on which vaccines you choose and when they are given. At your initial consultation, we’ll create a personalised immunisation plan for your child so you know what to expect.
Vaccines generally take between one and three weeks to provide maximum protection.
This varies depending on the vaccine in question. The measles vaccine, for example, offers protection for well over 20 years, whereas the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine only protects for around four to five years. We have included this information, where known, on each of the vaccine pages.
Vaccine ingredients
We have listed the ingredients for each vaccine on the appropriate vaccine pages. You can also check the patient leaflets published by the manufacturers to confirm the ingredients. Again, you will find a link to these on the respective vaccine pages.
Aluminium is one of the most common metals found in nature and is present in the air, food, water and the human body. In 1926, an immunologist called Alexander Thomas Glenny discovered that adding aluminium salts to a vaccine against diphtheria significantly increased its effectiveness. Further studies showed that small amounts of aluminium can help the body to build better immunity against various germs and toxoids. As a result, aluminium-containing adjuvants have been used in some vaccines since the 1930s.
To the best of our knowledge, the following vaccines are vegetarian:
- Td-pur (low dose tetanus and diphtheria)
- Daptacel (DTaP)
- HBVaxPro (hepatitis B)
- Hiberix (Hib)
- Menitorix (Hib-Men C)
- Bexsero (Men B)
- Nimenrix (Men ACWY)
- Prevenar 13 (PCV)
- Pentavac (DTaP, Hib and polio)
- Tetravac (DTap and polio)
Very few, if any, vaccines are vegan and we are unable to guarantee that any of our vaccines are completely vegan.
The chickenpox vaccine Varivax contains porcine gelatine; for this reason, we can offer Varilrix as a gelatine-free alternative.
In addition, the single Measles, combined Measles and Rubella, and MMRVax Pro vaccines contain porcine gelatine. An alternative brand is available for the latter through the Samedaydoctor clinic in which BabyJabs is situated.
The flu nasal spray (Fluenz) also contains porcine gelatine. The Quadrivalent flu vaccine is a gelatine-free alternative and can be offered by the Samedaydoctor clinic.
To the best of our knowledge, none of our other vaccines contain any pig-derived products.
The following vaccines are known to contain dairy products:
- Daptacel (DTaP)
- Infanrix-IPV-Hib
- Hiberix (Hib)
- Measles vaccine
- Measles & rubella vaccine
- Prevenar 13 (PCV)
It is extremely rare for a vaccine that contains dairy products to cause a serious adverse reaction in a child with a milk allergy.
To the best of our knowledge, none of the vaccines offered at BabyJabs contain egg products.
(The following vaccines offered by the Samedaydoctor clinic do contain egg: Quadrivalent flu vaccine and Yellow Fever.
Formaldehyde has been used for decades in vaccines to inactivate viruses and detoxify bacterial toxins, ensuring they don’t result in sickness when injected. It is diluted during the vaccine manufacturing process, but residual quantities do remain in some current vaccines.
Research suggests that the amount of formaldehyde present in some vaccines is so small compared to the concentration that occurs naturally in the body that it does not pose a safety concern.
Antibiotics (e.g. neomycin, polymyxin B, streptomycin and gentamicin) are sometimes used in vaccines to prevent bacterial contamination during the manufacturing stage. Although most of them are removed during the vaccine purification process, trace amounts can remain. These small quantities have never been found to cause severe allergic reactions.
We would advise contacting a paediatric allergy consultant for testing. We work closely with Children’s Allergy Doctors at https://childrensallergydoctors.com/
Timing of vaccines
For some vaccines, fewer doses are needed for older children; for other vaccines, the same number of doses will be required. If your child has fallen behind with their vaccine schedule, we can update their schedule for a fee (click here for our price list).
Some vaccines, such as Hib, can be given less often if given later – for example, after 12 months, rather than at two, three and four months. However, this does mean that the child would not be protected for the first 12 months of life.
This is very much a matter of personal choice. The only hard and fast rule is that the same vaccine cannot be given less than one month apart. Our preference is generally to leave a four-week gap between all vaccines. Vaccines can be given far more spaced out than on the NHS schedule, when they may also be more effective. This can be discussed when we arrange a personalised schedule for your child.
Most vaccines require more than one dose for maximum protection. However, this is usually given as a primary course of two or three doses. Boosters are required for most vaccines, including tetanus, diphtheria, polio and whooping cough, for prolonged protection.
No, because although vaccine schedules for different children are often similar, each one is individually tailored, taking into account various factors including the child’s personal medical and family history.
No. Our medical team’s medical indemnity insurance will not cover them giving advice about vaccines that they’re not familiar with.
Consent
For infants and young children to be vaccinated, consent must be given by a person with parental responsibility. The person providing their consent has to be capable of consenting and be able to communicate their consent for the child to receive the vaccination.
For each consultation or the child’s first vaccination appointment, we ask that you complete an online registration and consent form before the appointment. When you attend the appointment, you will be asked to confirm the consent verbally before the vaccination will take place.
There are rules set out in the Children Act 1989, which sets the legal requirements for parental responsibility for a child. Mothers automatically have parental responsibility for their children. A father usually has parental responsibility if he is:
- Married to the child’s mother or was the civil partner at the time of the child’s birth
- Listed on the birth certificate (after a certain date, depending on which part of the UK the child was born in)
- Has a court order confirming parental responsibility
Parental responsibility is also granted via an adoption order. In addition, you may have a parental responsibility agreement or court order if you are a parent in a same-sex relationship or a step-parent, for example.
You may want to arrange for someone else to bring your child into BabyJabs for their vaccinations (for example, a family member, friend, childminder or nanny). You will need to confirm who will be bringing your child via the online registration form, give your consent and ensure that we know who to expect in advance.
In addition to completing an online registration and consent form for your child in advance of their appointment, you will also need to upload a form of photo ID (e.g. passport or driver’s license) of one adult with parental responsibility.
Although we mainly see infants and younger children at BabyJabs, it should be noted that where someone aged 16 or 17 years consents to vaccination, a parent cannot override that consent.
Young people who understand fully what is involved in the proposed procedure (referred to as ‘Gillick competent’) can also give consent, although ideally their parents will be involved. If a Gillick-competent child consents to treatment, a parent cannot override that consent. If the health professional giving the immunisation felt a child was not Gillick competent then the consent of someone with parental responsibility would be sought.
If a person aged 16 or 17 years or a Gillick-competent child refuses treatment that refusal should be accepted.
Consent is a process rather than a one-off event. This means that you may withdraw consent for us to vaccinate your child at any time.
Equally, consent obtained for one immunisation does not necessarily remain in place for all future vaccinations. Where consent has been obtained for a full course, however, it is not necessary for us to seek consent again for each subsequent vaccine unless new information comes to light.
We will always check in with you verbally at the beginning of each appointment to ensure you’re happy to proceed.
We cannot vaccinate a child until both parents agree to go ahead or there is a specific court approval that the immunisation is in the best interests of the child.
If there is any evidence that the person with parental responsibility may not have agreed to the immunisation (for example, the notes indicate that the parent(s) have negative views on immunisation), or may not have agreed that the person bringing the child could give the necessary consent (for example, suggestion of disagreements between the parents on medical matters) then the person with parental responsibility will be contacted for their consent.
If there is a disagreement between the people with parental responsibility for the child, then immunisation will not be carried out until their dispute is resolved.
Practicalities
This does not prevent your child from having any of the other single or small combination vaccines. The vaccines offered at BabyJabs can be used to complete courses started on the NHS or in other countries.
We do not advise giving paracetamol routinely as this is often unnecessary and may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine. If your child develops a high fever (over 39 degrees) then do give your child some paracetamol.
If your child has fainted after previous blood tests or injections, please let us know before their appointment. We will ensure that they remain laying down after the vaccine and stay in the clinic until they feel well enough to leave.
Yes. Unless your child shows immediate signs of a bad reaction to the vaccine (which is extremely unlikely), you will be allowed to leave shortly after your child has received the agreed immunisation.
Our opening times vary across each of our three clinics. You can check our contact page for more information.
Not necessarily. We have a second London clinic within the Samedaydoctor practice at Canary Wharf or, if it’s more convenient, you may be able to have your child vaccinated at our clinics in Manchester or Leicester.
Before you can book a vaccination for your child at our Manchester or Leicester clinic, you will need to have a phone or video consultation with Dr Gill.
The only exception is that Manchester and Leicester can offer the single measles or measles and rubella (MR) vaccines without prior consultation if your child has followed an NHS vaccination schedule.
MMR
No, this isn’t possible. Single mumps and rubella vaccines are no longer available. The questions and answers below will give you an overview of your options to protect your child from measles, mumps and rubella.
We can offer your child the single measles vaccine. Alternatively, we can offer them a 2-in-1 vaccine for measles and rubella. The MMR vaccine is also available from BabyJabs, offering protection against measles, mumps and rubella.
Currently, the only way to get vaccinated against mumps is with the 3-in-1 MMR vaccine offered through the NHS or BabyJabs. There is no single mumps vaccine.
As there are limited options available for single vaccines as an alternative to the MMR, we typically suggest the following:
- Single measles vaccine from 15 months (as research suggests the vaccine has greater efficacy at this age) followed by a measles immunity test to see if a second dose is required.
- All girls get a rubella and mumps immunity test and boys get a mumps immunity test in their teens.
- Girls can have either the Measles-Rubella or the MMR vaccine if a blood test shows they are not immune. Boys can have the MMR to gain some mumps immunity.
The pharmaceutical companies who manufactured these have stopped doing so.
This is not a problem. After all, most children receive two MMR vaccines.
Miscellaneous questions about vaccines
Giving vaccines in this way is likely to delay the time by which your child is protected against all the diseases covered by the vaccinations. The Department of Health would also be concerned that you may not give your child all the recommended vaccines.
Giving vaccines separately or in smaller combinations may mean that your child needs more individual injections compared to when vaccines are given in larger combinations.
The earliest age at which you should start the vaccines is eight weeks, the age at which vaccination is started on the NHS. However, there could be advantages in delaying vaccination by a few weeks or months as this may reduce the risk of your child developing asthma in later life (see “Why come to BabyJabs?”) and will also allow your child’s immune and nervous systems to mature. This can be discussed when planning your child’s immunisation schedule.
This depends on your child’s health and circumstances. All vaccines offer benefits associated with risks and it’s difficult to rank them in order of importance. This can be discussed in a consultation, bearing in mind your child’s unique situation.
Some vaccines are probably less important than others for most children. This is something we can discuss with you during a consultation.
Chickenpox is rarely serious and there are concerns that, if everybody were to be vaccinated against this illness, we may see an increase in cases of adults with shingles in the future. In the UK, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has so far advised the government that it would not be cost-effective to include chickenpox vaccinations in the routine immunisation schedule.
There have been reports of the HPV vaccine causing debilitating auto-immune reactions in some young people. Other studies conclude that there isn’t enough robust evidence to support safety concerns about the HPV vaccine and auto-immune reactions. This is something we are monitoring but we do not currently offer the HPV vaccine at BabyJabs. It is, however, offered by the Samedaydoctor clinic.
Immunity against some diseases is passed on to the baby, either in the womb or through breast milk, but this varies from disease to disease and is rarely long-lasting.
There is no clear-cut answer to this. We don’t typically recommend the flu vaccine, but one of the vaccines against whooping cough is worth considering because whooping cough is life-threatening in the first few weeks of life and some immunity can be transferred from mother to baby in utero.
No, the vitamin K injection is not a vaccine.
In the UK, it’s recommended that all newborn babies receive vitamin K at birth, either as an injection or via oral doses. This is given to prevent a rare bleeding disorder called Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (formerly known as Haemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn (HDN)).
It should be/have been offered to your child in the hospital or birthing centre where they were born. You can find out more about this through the National Childbirth Trust.
We do not offer vitamin K injections at BabyJabs.
The various vaccinations against COVID-19 are currently only available via the NHS in the UK. We are not able to advise you about giving this vaccine to your child because there is currently very limited published information on any of the COVID-19 vaccines, none of which have been tested on children.
Your child will need to be seen in the emergency department to be assessed to see if they need Tetanus immunoglobulin. Once this has been done, then you can have a consultation to see which would be the best Tetanus-containing vaccine for your child as single Tetanus vaccines are no longer manufactured.
This is not something we are experienced in; however, Dr Anna Forbes is a practitioner who can advise you.
Not at all! Although the majority of our patients are babies and children, we are able to see all ages, including adults.
Admin questions
There are several reasons why we require you to have a consultation before vaccinating your child at BabyJabs.
Like any prescription-only medication, vaccines can have potential risks and side effects, and there may be contraindications (reasons that a vaccine isn’t suitable) if your child has certain medical conditions, allergies or takes specific medication. It’s vital that you have a clear understanding of these issues so that you are able to make fully informed consent on your child’s behalf.
Having a one-to-one conversation gives us the insights necessary to develop a vaccination schedule that reflects your child’s individual needs. Having a good understanding of your child’s medical history is also the best way to protect them in the unlikely event that any adverse or unexpected reactions occur.
We are following the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) guidelines that patients should be informed about any potential risks associated with a vaccine; this includes vaccines that are currently unlicensed in the UK.
As you would like to pursue an alternative vaccination schedule to that offered by the NHS, a consultation is a perfect opportunity to explore your options, ask questions, discuss research and cut through misinformation with the advice and knowledge of a highly experienced and qualified clinician.
The most important reason for this is that every child is different and may have their own unique health risks or concerns that were not present in their sibling.
It is also essential that you understand the potential risks or side effects of a vaccine, which may have changed since your child’s sibling received the same vaccination.
In our experience, parents don’t always remember what was discussed or agreed during a previous consultation. In addition, there may be new recommendations or research.
A consultation is an opportunity for you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have so that we can adjust each child’s vaccination schedule as needed.
Yes, but these will necessitate a further consultation fee.
No, this isn’t possible as we must administer all our vaccines on our premises.
No, this is not a service we offer.
All three of our BabyJabs clinics run alongside a Samedaydoctor clinic. All medical facilities have to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and must ensure that they are safe with the correct policies and procedures in place. Each of our sites is registered and the CQC reports can be found at these links:
Please contact Samedaydoctor to book an appointment to see a private GP.
If you are travelling abroad and would like advice about travel vaccines such Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Rabies, Tickborne Encephalitis, Japanese Encephalitis, this can be done through our Samedaydoctor clinic.
If you wish to give your child single or small dose vaccines, you should book an initial consultation with a BabyJabs clinician, so that you can discuss and agree on an individual immunisation schedule for your child that best meets your wishes and concerns.
Please note that medical advice can only be given by clinicians. Please book a consultation as the admin team are unable to answer medical questions. We have put as much information as possible on the website.
