Hexavalent vaccine now available for newborn babies

All babies born in England are to be provided with access to a six-in-one vaccine as part of Public Health England's universal childhood immunisation programme.

The hexavalent vaccine replaces the existing five-in-one pentavalent vaccine and offers protection against hepatitis B in addition to the five diseases – diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib – covered by the pentavalent option.

All babies born on or after August 1st 2017 will be routinely provided with the jab at eight, 12 and 16 weeks, with no change to the current immunisation schedule or the number of injections.

The hexavalent vaccine is already widely used, with around 150 million doses having been given in 97 countries.

Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at Public Health England, said: "The hexavalent vaccine has been extensively tested and shown to be safe and is widely used internationally with millions of doses being given around the world."

This comes as part of the government's commitment to the World Health Organization's global hepatitis strategy, which aims to eliminate viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030.

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