Links to further information

Quicklinks

Please contact us if you have comments about the Vaccine Knowledge website. We can’t answer all the individual queries we get, but we will use your suggestions and questions to improve the website. You should consult your doctor or other healthcare provider if you need specific advice on vaccines for you or your child.

More detailed information about infectious diseases

The Green Book is the UK Department of Health's guide to Immunisation Against Infectious Disease. It is aimed at healthcare professionals who immunise, and has the latest information on vaccines and vaccination procedures in the UK.

Public Health England publishes statistical data about infectious diseases:

Manufacturers' information about vaccines

All drugs have both a Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) and a Patient Information Leaflet (PIL). These documents contain much of the same information, but are written with different audiences in mind: the SPC is aimed at medical professionals, while the PIL is aimed at patients. People without a medical background are advised to use the PILs as they are easier to understand. However, we have given links to most of the SPCs as well. (Department of Health advice is based on the most up-to-date information on each vaccine and may be slightly different from the information in some of the SPCs and PILs.)

The list below contains all the vaccines currently used in the UK by the NHS. Other vaccines have been licensed for use in the UK and may occasionally be used (for example, by private providers). If in doubt ask for the trade name of the vaccine and a copy of the Patient Information Leaflet.

6-in-1 vaccine:

Rotavirus vaccine:

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV):

MenB vaccine:

Hib/MenC vaccine:

MMR vaccines:

Nasal flu vaccine:

  • Fluenz Tetra (also called FluMist): SPC PIL

Pre-school booster vaccines:

HPV vaccine:

Teenage booster:

MenACWY vaccines:

Inactivated flu vaccines: several different makes of flu vaccine are licensed each year for use in the UK. For more information, ask for the Patient Information Leaflet for the vaccine you are offered.

Shingles vaccine:

Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV):

  • Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine: SPC PIL

Hepatitis B vaccines: several different makes of vaccine are licensed for use in the UK. For more information, ask for the Patient Information Leaflet for the vaccine you are offered.

Chickenpox vaccines:

TB vaccine (BCG vaccine):

  • BCG vaccine made by A J Vaccines: SPC PIL

COVID-19 Vaccines:

Official UK organisations involved with immunisation

The UK government's advisory committee on vaccination: the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

UK Health Security Agency 

Public Health Scotland

NHS information on vaccinations

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which regulates medicines, including vaccines, in the UK. The MHRA runs the Yellow Card scheme for reporting suspected problems or side effects of medicines and medical devices.

Other websites

The World Health Organization's Vaccine Safety Net has a list of websites worldwide that meet its assessment criteria .

NaTHNaC (the National Travel Health Network and Centre) provides up to date and reliable information on travel vaccines for UK travellers on its Travel Health Pro pages. NaTHNaC is commissioned by the UK government through Public Health England.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has a useful website which lets you compare vaccination schedules from all the countries in the EU/EEA.

The World Health Organization has a webpage which allows you to view all the vaccines routinely offered in any country in the world . Select your country of interest from the drop-down menu.

The History of Vaccines is an educational website created by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, one of the oldest medical societies in the United States.

The Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is a US website with detailed information about vaccines and infectious diseases.

The Understanding Health Research website has a useful online tool for making sense of health studies.

Moving and informative personal stories about people affected by meningitis and other infectious diseases can be found at:

Page last updated: 
Thursday, May 26, 2022

Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine, Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, OX3 7LE.

Medical content reviewed by Professor Andrew Pollard.
Please click here to contact us if you have comments about the Vaccine Knowledge website. We can’t answer all the individual queries we get, but we will use your suggestions and questions to improve the website. You should consult your doctor or other healthcare provider if you need specific advice on vaccines for you or your child.

The Vaccine Knowledge Project is funded by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the Oxford Martin School.