Why is it necessary? of Immunisation

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Vaccination is very effective in preventing and reducing the impact of serious illness. Some diseases, such as smallpox, have been completely wiped out, and it is hoped that others such as polio and measles will soon be destroyed .

If people are not vaccinated, these diseases could return. They could also be brought back into this country from parts of the world where they are still common. Thatâ€™s why it is important to maintain the rates of vaccination.

Vaccination protects the wider community, as it makes it harder for the disease to find an unprotected person to infect, and to spread widely enough to cause an epidemic (a sudden widespread outbreak). For a highly infectious disease like measles, about 95% of people need to be vaccinated to give this protective effect, known as herd immunity.

Certain diseases, such as rubella (German measles) and mumps, are particularly harmful to the unborn baby if caught during pregnancy. Therefore it is important that both girls and boys are vaccinated against these diseases, to prevent them being passed to pregnant women.