The vaccinations you need at every age – and how to get up to date if you’ve missed them

Polio affects nerves in the spinal cord and brainstem, leading to paralysis of one or more limbs, while whooping cough can prove deadly to babies and infants, causing brain swelling and convulsions.

“Those who have not been fully vaccinated against polio are at risk of being paralysed and they also continue to facilitate transmission and the outbreaks that are occurring in the UK,” says Prof David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “Vaccination against polio is therefore both a personal protective measure and an individual responsibility to protect the communities in which we live.”

Babies should also be vaccinated against rotavirus, a common cause of  diarrhoea and vomiting, at eight and 12 weeks, as well as the MenB jab at eight weeks, 16 weeks, and one year. The latter protects against meningococcal group B bacteria which can lead to meningitis and blood poisoning, known as sepsis. 

When they turn one, infants should also receive the Hib/MenC vaccine which protects against two common types of life-threatening bacterial infections. Both Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and Meningococcal group C (MenC) bacteria can infect the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, resulting in permanent brain damage, as well as leading to sepsis. 

Because infants are particularly at risk of pneumonia, the NHS also recommends the pneumococcal vaccine; it protects against a particular bacterium called streptococcus pneumoniae which can cause serious lung infections in both the very young and old.

2 to 12 years old

Flu vaccine, Covid-19, chicken pox (optional)

Starting at the age of two, and continuing every year until they finish Year 11 of secondary school, children should receive the seasonal flu vaccine. This is at its most vital for preschoolers – according to the UK Health Security Agency, 6,000 children under five were hospitalised by flu during the winter of 2022/2023.

Flu vaccines are now easier for children to receive than ever before thanks to a new version which is administered as a nasal spray. According to Dr Hamid Merchant, a pharmacy researcher at the University of East London, these vaccines are now far more effective at preventing infections than their previous injectable equivalents.