Sefton Public Health Report 2023
Foreword from Margaret Jones
Welcome to this year’s public health annual report
This year we wanted to tell the story of immunisations, how they work and why they are important. We are going to focus on the immunisation programme for children and young people, as we know that immunisations offer important protection to babies, children and young people from serious illness.
Worryingly since 2020 we have seen lower uptakes in some of our most disadvantaged communities.
Regionally we have seen increased cases of Whooping Cough (Pertussis) and Measles.
We are going to set out some of the work that is taking place to support better access to the programme and explore ways we can work together to and support more children and young people to receive immunisations.
Introduction
Childhood immunisations play a critical role in keeping children and young people well
This annual report tells the story of vaccinations, and we will hear from local experts about the how vaccinations were first developed to fight smallpox, why the childhood immunisation programme is so important and about the impact of introducing a new immunisation into the schedule.
We will also hear about some of the challenges we face around inequalities and hear messages from experts to parents about the childhood vaccination programme.
We are committed to protecting children against vaccine preventable infections in Sefton, and we will describe some of the ways we have worked together across the system to help more children and young people access immunisations. We will also tell you about our plans to continue this work.
FAQs
A vaccine is a type of medicine that activates the body’s immune system so that it can fight a disease it has not already been exposed to. Vaccines use our immune system’s ability to create antibodies which can protect us from viruses and bacteria, so that we can be protected from diseases and the medical complications that they cause.
The terms ‘vaccination’ and ‘immunisation’ are mostly used interchangeably but the meanings are not identical. Vaccination refers to the act of receiving a vaccine, either through an injection or orally. Immunisation encompasses the entire process of receiving the vaccine and subsequently developing immunity to the disease.
Vaccines provide protection from infectious diseases, this is particularly important for those who may otherwise experience serious complications from infection for example babies and children, older people, and those with existing health conditions.
Additionally, if enough people are vaccinated diseases cannot spread and that means that we control, eliminate, and, when possible, eradicate the infectious disease altogether.
Vaccinations work by creating an immune response in the body, so that your body is familiar with the pathogen (bacteria or virus that could cause disease). This means that the immune system can respond much faster when it encounters the pathogen. Often this will mean that you do not get any symptoms, other times it may mean that the illness is far less serious.
You can find out more by following the links below:
https://vaccineknowledge.ox.ac.uk/how-do-vaccines-work