Immunisation
Ibuprofen
When your baby was in the womb, you gave him natural immunity against disease. But now he's in the big, wide world he's more vulnerable to infections. Immunising your baby or child is the safest and most effective way to protect him from serious diseases. It also helps prevent nasty illnesses spreading throughout the community.
Here is a table of all the immunisations your child will need and at what age he'll need to have them. [Printable version]
| Age immunisation is given | Diseases protected against | Name of vaccine |
| Two months old | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Pneumococcal infection | DTaP/IPV/Hib Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, (PCV) |
| Three months old | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Meningitis C | DTaP/IPV/Hib MenC |
| Four months old | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Meningitis C Pneumococcal infection | DTaP/IPV/Hib MenC PCV |
| Around 12 months old | Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) Meningitis C | Hib/MenC |
| Around 13 months old | Measles, mumps and rubella Pneumococcal infection | MMR PCV |
| Three years and four months or soon after | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio Measles, mumps and rubella | DTaP/IPV or dTaP/IPV MMR |
| 13 to 18 years old | Diphtheria, tetanus, polio | Td/IPV |
| 12 to 18 years old (girls only) | Human papilloma virus (HPV) - increases the risk of cervical cancer | HPV |
What if my child develops a fever after vaccination?
When your child is immunised he's injected with a tiny amount of the bacteria or virus that causes the disease. Even though this isn't enough to give him the disease itself, the body can sometimes start battling the bugs. Which means your child's temperature might go up.
To help with a fever, many health care professionals suggest ibuprofen - the active ingredient in Nurofen for Children (Always read the label) - because it starts to work in just 15 minutes and can help reduce fever for up to 8 hours. It's sugar and colour-free and comes with a easy dosing syringe which helps make giving the correct dose simple.
Here are some other things you can do to bring your child's temperature down:
- Keep him in a room that is warm
- Check his temperature regularly to make sure he's not getting too cold
- Give infant ibuprofen suspension, like Nurofen for Children
- Offer drinks and food, even though you might be turned down
- If you're worried for any reason, please speak to your doctor
- For more information on fever in your baby click here.
