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Planned changes to the routine Childhood Immunisation Programme
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Document type:Dear colleague letter
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Author:Department of Health; Sir Liam Donaldson (Chief Medical Officer); Christine Beasley (Chief Nursing Officer); Jeannette Howe (Chief Pharmaceutical Officer - Acting)
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Published date:8 February 2006
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Primary audience:Professionals
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Publication format:Electronic only
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Gateway reference:6126
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Pages:6
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Copyright holder:Crown
This letter provides advance notice of the Department of Health's plans to introduce important changes to the childhood immunisation programme that will start later this year (2006). These changes will ensure that young children in this country are offered the best protection against serious vaccine-preventable diseases.
The Department of Health propose to introduce these changes in the summer, and a firm date will be announced as soon as vaccine supply and other issues have been finalised. A further more detailed Chief Medical Officer/Chief Nursing Officer/ Chief Pharmaceutical Officer letter, with supporting documentation, will follow as soon as possible.
The proposed changes, recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), are:
- the introduction of a new vaccine to protect against pneumococcal infection;
- a pneumococcal vaccination catch-up programme;
- amending the MenC vaccination schedule to give two doses of vaccine in the first year of life, and a booster dose in the second year;
- the addition of a booster dose of Hib vaccine in the second year of life.
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