To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?

A Personal Reflection from Southend Coastal Surgeries

When I think of vaccination, I picture new parents sitting next to their tiny eight-week-old baby, nervous but resolved to do the right thing. I picture older people who wish to remain active and independent as long as possible. I imagine families getting ready for long-awaited holidays abroad. Vaccination is ultimately about protection, prevention and peace of mind.

In the past few years, we’ve witnessed a troubling decline in the uptake of baby vaccinations. More and more parents are procrastinating or missing those early visits, and I totally understand why. Becoming a parent is overwhelming. There’s so much information, so many opinions, the conflicting voices telling you what you “should” or “shouldn’t” do. It’s not surprising, therefore, that people are unsure or hesitant.

I also want to acknowledge something that many parents feel but rarely say out loud: the worry about watching their baby have a vaccine. Hearing your baby cry, even for a moment, can be incredibly emotional. It goes against every instinct you have as a parent. Our nurses understand this completely. They take time to comfort babies, use gentle techniques to minimise discomfort, and encourage parents to hold, cuddle or feed their baby straight afterwards. The cry is usually brief, and babies settle quickly, often within seconds.

But despite how difficult that moment can feel, those early vaccines are some of the most important protections we can give a child. From eight weeks old, babies are protected against illnesses that once caused devastating harm, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease and rotavirus. These diseases have not disappeared; they have become rare because vaccination has been so successful. When uptake drops, these illnesses begin to creep back in.

We have already seen this with measles. Measles was declared eliminated in the UK in 2016, meaning it was no longer spreading within the community. But due to falling vaccination rates, measles has returned. In 2025, England recorded over 1,000 confirmed measles cases, the highest number in more than a decade. Measles is often misunderstood as “just a rash,” but it can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis and hospital admission. It spreads incredibly easily, and when vaccination rates fall, measles finds the gaps. This is why we worry, not because we want to lecture anyone, but because we have seen the consequences first-hand.

One thing I want every patient to know is just how skilled our nursing team is at Southend Coastal Surgeries. They are true experts in vaccination. Our nurses spend years training in immunisation, infection control, side-effect monitoring, safeguarding and understanding how the immune system develops at different ages. They stay up-to-date with national guidance, new research and safety updates. Beyond their clinical expertise, they are kind, patient and exceptional at explaining things in a way that makes sense.

Another area that can cause frustration is vaccine eligibility. We often hear questions such as, “Why can’t my child have this vaccine now?” or “Why do I have to wait until I’m a certain age?” I completely understand how this feels. When you want protection, waiting can seem unnecessary. But eligibility rules are not random. Vaccines are offered at specific ages because the immune system develops in stages, and certain vaccines only work properly when given at the right time. Some vaccines are less effective or less safe if given too early, and national programmes are based on huge amounts of research and evidence. Eligibility ensures that vaccines benefit the people most at risk. For example, baby vaccines are timed to protect infants when they are most vulnerable, while the shingles vaccine is offered later in life because the risk of shingles increases with age. Although these rules can feel frustrating, they exist to ensure the safest and most effective protection possible.

As children get older, they are served boosters that boost their immunity. Teenagers get the HPV vaccine, a significant leap forward in combating cancer, as well as boosters for tetanus, diphtheria and polio. For adults, vaccines such as flu, COVID-19, shingles, pneumococcal and RSV continue to play an important role.

Let’s talk about the dreaded text messages and booking links we send out for vaccinations. I promise you, we are not trying to drive you mad or bombard you. We send these reminders because we have seen a real drop in baby vaccine uptake, and reminders genuinely help people stay on track. Vaccines only work when people receive them, and we do not want anyone to miss out on protection. Text messages are the quickest and safest way to reach thousands of patients. Life is busy, parents are exhausted, and people forget appointments. A simple text can be the difference between a child being protected or being at risk. It is never about pressure; it is about making things easier and keeping you safe. In the same way, if we notice you haven’t taken up a vaccine, our nurse picks up the phone and call you, taking the opportunity to check in on you and giving you a safe environment to ask questions and express concerns.

One of the hardest parts about my job is watching people get sick with illnesses we would have been able to prevent. I’ve treated older adults recovering from pneumonia, those living with the lifelong pain of shingles and children who became dangerously ill from infections we have vaccines for. These experiences live on in you. So, when people ask me whether I should and shouldn’t be vaccinated, the answer does not come from a textbook. It comes from experience. I have witnessed the difference vaccination can make, the protection it provides for babies, the reassurance it provides for families and the independence it helps older adults achieve.

Vaccination is not about ticking a box. It is about choosing one of the safest and most effective tools we have to protect ourselves, our families and our community. At Southend Coastal Surgeries, we will always support you in making informed choices. If you ever have questions, worries or simply want to talk things through, our nurses are here, ready to listen, ready to explain and ready to help. Why not pick up the phone or put in that Anima request to talk to one of our nurses today?

http://www.southendcoastalsurgeries.co.uk