UKHSA advice for early years settings and recently vaccinated children

The Department for Education (DfE) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are aware that some early education settings are temporarily excluding children who have recently been vaccinated, even when they are well enough to attend.

A statement from a UKHSA health protection expert below explains why these exclusions are unnecessary and highlights the serious unintended impacts they can have on children and the early years settings that support them.

Dr Mary Ramsay, Director of Public Health Programmes at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

Vaccinations are vital for protecting children against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. With measles outbreaks occurring in areas of the UK, it’s more important than ever that children receive their routine immunisations on schedule.

While some children may experience mild side effects after vaccination, there is absolutely no medical reason to exclude a vaccinated child from a setting if they are feeling well. This practice could potentially discourage parents from getting their children vaccinated and therefore increase the risk of having outbreaks in nurseries and schools.

All medicines can cause side effects, but global health authorities agree that immunisation is the safest way to protect children’s health. If a parent or carer feels their child is well enough to attend nursery or school after vaccination, they should be welcomed as normal.

There is no reason to exclude children who have been recently vaccinated as vaccine viruses cannot spread to others.

By supporting childhood vaccination and maintaining inclusive and evidence-led policies, early years and education settings play a crucial role in protecting not just individual children, but entire communities from preventable diseases.