Vaccination Service

Public Health Scotland – Childhood Immunisations – one less thing video

In NHS Lanarkshire, children aged 5 and under get their vaccines from the Health Visitor Teams. Vaccines protect children from serious illnesses by helping their immune systems fight infections.

You will get a letter inviting your child to an appointment. The letter will tell you what vaccines they should get. Before giving any vaccine, your vaccinator will tell you what your child is getting. They will also ask for your permission to give your child the vaccine.

There have been some recent changes to the routine childhood schedule. The timing of your child’s vaccinations will depend on when they were born. The following vaccines are offered as part of the routine schedule:

*These include the changes that were made to the schedule from 1 January 2026. Hib/Men C vaccine was removed from the schedule from 1 July 2025. The MenB and pneumococcal vaccines are now given at different times If your child was born before 30 June 2024, visit nhsinform.scot/immunisation to check which vaccines they should have had.

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Like all medicines, side effects after vaccines are common.

It is normal for your baby to be upset for up to 48 hours after vaccination. Sometimes the area where the needle goes in can be sore and red for 2 or 3 days. This should go away on its own.

Some children may feel irritable and unwell. They may develop a high temperature (fever). If your child develops a high temperature:

• make sure they’re not wearing too many layers of clothes or blankets
• give them plenty to drink
• give them liquid paracetamol or ibuprofen for children to bring their temperature down

We advise that you give your baby liquid paracetamol after the MenB vaccine at 8 weeks and 12 weeks old. This helps reduce the risk of them having a high temperature.

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Call your GP on NHS24 on 111 if:

• your child is under 3 months old and has a temperature of 38°C or above or,
• Your child is 3 months old or older and has a temperature of 39°C or above

For more information about common side effects after vaccination, go to NHS Inform: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/why-immunise/what-to-expect-after-immunisation-babies-and-children-up-to-3-years-4-months/

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Public Health Scotland – Child Flu Vaccine – Help beat flu with a wee scoosh video

Flu vaccine: Children under 5 can get the free flu vaccine each year. This helps protect them from flu (influenza). It is given as a simple, painless spray, or “wee scoosh” in each nostril.

The programme runs from September and March. It is offered to:

• children aged 6 months to 2 years with certain health conditions
• children aged 2 to 5 years who are not yet at school (children must be at least 2 years old on 1^st September to get this vaccine)

The preschool flu programme is delivered by the Vaccination Service. Children are invited through their nursery. If your child is not in nursery, you will be sent a letter inviting you to book a vaccination appointment.

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After a child’s flu vaccination, especially the nasal spray, children often get:

• a runny or blocked nose
• less hungry
• tiredness
• a mild headache or fever.

These side effects are usually mild and only last 1 or 2 days.

The vaccine cannot cause the flu. The side effects of the vaccine are less serious than the flu itself.

For more information about common side effects after vaccination, go to NHS Inform: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/child-flu-vaccine/

Contact information for flu: If you believe your child is should have the vaccine because of their age or health condition but hasn’t been invited, contact the team or visit a drop-in clinic. You find more information on the week by week vaccination guide.

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Contact information for early childhood vaccines: If you think you may have missed a vaccine in the routine schedule, please speak to your Health Visitor. You can find the contact information in your appointment letter.

Contact information for flu: If you believe your child is should have the vaccine because of their age or health condition but hasn’t been invited, contact the team or visit a drop-in clinic. You find more information on the week by week vaccination guide.

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• NHS Inform vaccines for children: https://www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/vaccines-for-children/
• NHS Inform child flu vaccine: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/child-flu-vaccine
• Public Health Scotland childhood immunisation resources: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/childhood-immunisation-resources/
• NHS Inform one less thing campaign: https://www.nhsinform.scot/onelessthing
• NHS Inform immunisations: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/
• NHS Inform what to expect after immunisation: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/why-immunise/what-to-expect-after-immunisation-babies-and-children-up-to-3-years-4-months/

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• What to expect after vaccination in other languages: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/what-to-expect-after-vaccination-for-babies-and-children/
• https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/child-flu-vaccine/#other_languages_and_formats

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