Policies excluding children’s attendance after their vaccinations

Dr Mary Ramsay, Director of Public Health Programmes at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

“Vaccinations are vital for protecting children against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. With measles outbreaks occurring in areas of the UK and cases of whooping cough being reported, its more important than ever that children receive their routine immunisations on schedule.

While some children may experience mild side effects after vaccination, there is absolutely no medical reason to exclude a vaccinated child from a setting if they are feeling well. This practice could potentially discourage parents from getting their children vaccinated and therefore increase the risk of having outbreaks in nurseries and schools.

All medicines can cause side effects, but global health authorities agree that immunisation is the safest way to protect children’s health. If a parent or carer feels their child is well enough to attend nursery or school after vaccination, they should be welcomed as normal. There is no reason to exclude children who have been recently vaccinated as vaccine viruses cannot spread to others.

By supporting childhood vaccination and maintaining inclusive and evidence-led policies, early years and education settings play a crucial role in protecting not just individual children, but entire communities from preventable diseases.”