Vaccines for at-risk groups

Some vaccines are only available on the NHS for groups of people who need extra protection.

Pregnant Women

During pregnancy, your immune system (the body's natural defense system) is naturally weakened to protect the pregnancy. This may make you less able to fight infections. As your baby grows, you cannot breathe so deeply, increasing the risk of infections such as pneumonia.

These changes can increase the risk of flu - pregnant women are more likely to have flu complications than non-pregnant women, and more likely to be admitted to hospital. Having the flu vaccine means you are less likely to get flu.

Cough is a very serious infection, with young babies most at risk. Most babies with coughs are admitted to hospital.

When you get the cough vaccine during pregnancy, your body produces antibiotics to protect against whooping cough. These antibodies are passed on to your baby and this gives them some protection until he or she is old enough to have their cough vaccine at eight weeks old.

Find out more about the flu vaccine during pregnancy here (Opens in new link)

Find out more about the cough vaccine during pregnancy here (Opens in new link) .

Hepatitis B vaccine

If you are at high risk of hepatitis B and are pregnant or thinking of having a baby, you are advised to have the hepatitis B vaccine. It is not a live vaccine and so there is no evidence of any risk to you or your baby .

Extra vaccines for people at risk

Some vaccines are only available on the NHS for groups of people who need extra protection, such as people with long-term health conditions and healthcare workers.