Best practice: Childhood immunisations-current practice, common challenges and future considerations.

Abstract

Vaccinations are a global public health success and prevent over 5 million deaths annually, worldwide. Unfortunately, over recent years, vaccine uptake has been declining in the UK, which has led to a re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases. This, in addition to planned changes in the childhood vaccination schedule and increasing medical complexity, means that childhood vaccinations can be a challenging and confusing area for many healthcare professionals looking after children. This review outlines the upcoming changes to the schedule and addresses common challenges for healthcare professionals when considering vaccine administration to children. These include vaccination in immunocompromised individuals, intercurrent illness, religious and dietary objections and unknown vaccination status. Parents may have concerns around vaccine safety that need to be considered, although this is beyond the scope of this article. We hope that this article will equip paediatric healthcare professionals with greater knowledge and confidence around childhood vaccinations in the UK and encourage an opportunistic approach to vaccination.