When is the Hib/Men C vaccine needed?
The Hib/Men C vaccine is a routine childhood vaccination that is offered on the NHS to all babies at around 12 months of age. It's given as a single injection into the muscle of your baby's thigh or upper arm.
It increases your baby's immunity to two diseases, meningitis C and Haemophilus influenzae type b.
Who should not have the Hib/Men C vaccine?
The Hib/Men C vaccine should not be given to children who:
- are allergic to the Hib/Men C vaccine
- have a fever
Your baby should not have the vaccine if they have had a confirmed anaphylactic reaction (serious allergic reaction) to a previous dose or to a component of the vaccine.
Children with a minor illness without a fever, such as a cough or cold, are able to have the vaccination but if your child is ill with a fever, vaccination should be postponed until they have recovered. This is to avoid wrongly associating any progression of the illness with the vaccine.
Combining Hib/Men C with other vaccines
It is perfectly safe for your baby to have the Hib/Men C vaccine at the same time as other vaccines that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and hepatitis B, and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV).
It can also be given at the same time as the MMR jab (a combined vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella).
If your baby has other vaccines at the same time as the Hib/Men C vaccine, they will be injected separately in different parts of the body.
Last Updated: 17/02/2022 16:08:53
The information on this page has been adapted by NHS Wales from original content supplied by
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nhs.uk