Vaccinations

In England, girls and boys aged 12 to 13 years will be routinely offered the HPV vaccination when they're in school Year 8. It helps protect against cancers caused by HPV.

You can also receive this vaccine as an adult including men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. More information is available from Sexual Health Buckinghamshire.

The HPV vaccine helps protect you from being infected by the human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus increases the risk of developing some cancers later in life, such as:

• cervical cancer
• some mouth and throat cancers
• some cancers of the anus and genital areas.

The HPV vaccine does not protect against other sexually transmitted infections.

To provide the very best protection, it is important that your child is vaccinated against the HPV virus before they come sexually active, which is why it’s offered in year 8.

Further information about HPV and the vaccine can be found on the NHS website.

The HPV vaccine will be moving to a single-dose schedule following evidence from studies as it has been shown to be as effective and lasts as long as two doses in preventing HPV infection for under 25s.

This year there’s a change to the HPV schedule.

Children who become eligible for the HPV vaccine from the academic year 2023 to 2024 (date of birth between 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011) onwards will only need one dose. This will continue to be routinely offered to children in school year 8 and those of an equivalent age who are not in mainstream education.

For those children who became eligible for the HPV vaccination programme in the 2022 to 2023 academic year (date of birth between 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010), the following applies:

1. Those who started their HPV vaccination schedule and have already received one dose of the vaccine will be considered fully vaccinated.
2. Those who have not yet received any HPV vaccinations will be eligible to receive one dose of the HPV vaccine.

All other cohorts who require catch-up via their SAIS provider or general practice will move to a one-dose schedule from 1 September 2023, and remain eligible until their 25th birthday.

Although the HPV vaccine is offered to boys and girls in Year 8, it is recommended that all young people from the age of 12 years up to their 25th birthday receive the vaccine.

If your daughter is 12 to 25 years and has not received her HPV vaccine, or your son has not received his HPV vaccine (and was in school year 8 in September 2019), please contact the Immunisation Team on 01494 323 000.

More information about who should have the HPV vaccine is available on the NHS website.

All young people in Year 9 (ages 13 to 14) are offered the teenage booster vaccine (Td/IPV) as part of the routine Childhood Immunisation Schedule. This is administered as a single injection into the upper arm.

The Meningitis ACWY Immunisation is also given at the same time if this is required.

The Td/IPV vaccine is a single booster vaccination against Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Polio. You need a total of five doses to build up and keep your immunity. Everyone should have:

• the first three doses as a baby, usually offered at 2 months, 3 months and 4 months of age
• the fourth dose when you are between three and five years old, before starting school
• the fifth dose is due in Year 9 (aged 13 to 14)

If you have missed any of these, please contact the Immunisation Team on 01494 323000.

All young people in Year 9 (ages 13 to 14) are offered the Meningitis ACWY vaccination as part of the routine Childhood Immunisation Schedule alongside the Td/IPV vaccine. This is administered as a single injection into the upper arm.

Meningitis is inflammation of the lining of the brain, and can be the result of infection with a virus, bacteria, or other disease-causing organism, or as a result of injury. There are five main groups of meningococcal bacteria that can cause meningitis and septicaemia – A, B, C, W and Y.

As well as meningitis, meningococcal infection can lead to septicaemia (blood poisoning), which is serious, especially if not diagnosed early, and can lead to death.

For protection against four groups (A, C, W and Y) of meningococcal infection, routinely the MenACWY vaccine is given in Year 9 (ages 13 to 14).

It is important to have one dose of Men ACWY before you reach 19 years of age, or if you are going to university for the first time. If you have missed this, please contact the Immunisation Team on 01494 323000.

It is recommended that all first-time university entrants (‘freshers’), up to 25 years old, should have the MenACWY vaccine before or soon after they start university. New university students are at particularly high risk in the first weeks of term when they will come into contact with many new people of a similar age.

The Td/IPV (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Polio) vaccination is usually administered at the same time as the MenACWY vaccination.