Teenage vaccine FAQs

Your school nurse or members of our immunisation team will give the teenage vaccines at a special clinic held in your school. Look out for the dates, which will be promoted at school. The vaccines will be injected in your upper arm.

Please wear clothes which will allow the nurse or vaccinator to easily give you your vaccine in your upper arm.

Vaccines are very carefully produced and fully tested to make sure they are safe and effective.

The main ingredient of vaccines is a small amount of a bacteria or virus that causes disease. There is no risk of a healthy person catching the disease from the vaccine because the bacteria or virus has been weakened or destroyed first. Introducing a small amount of the weakened bacteria or virus to your body encourages your immune system to build up its defences.

They also include a number of other ingredients. These are only present in very tiny amounts and are used to help vaccines last longer without going off, reduce the number of doses we need, and to allow us to chill and freeze vaccines safely.

Some vaccines may have gelatine, egg protein or antibiotics in them. If you are allergic to or have any concerns about any vaccine ingredients you can discuss them with your school nurse.

More information about vaccine ingredients is available from NHS 111 Wales.

Some people may experience mild side effects, including swelling, tenderness or redness where the injection took place.

These usually go away quickly. More serious side effects are very rare. 

Before you receive them, we will need to get consent to give you your vaccinations. Normally we need written consent from a parent, guardian or carer. 

You will be asked to return a completed consent form before the vaccination takes place.

Please make sure you return your completed consent form at least two days before your vaccination.

If you are behind on other vaccinations you should have received, your school nurse may discuss how you can catch up.

We encourage everyone to get their routine vaccinations as soon as they are due, but remember it is never too late to catch up. Your school nurse will be happy to talk through your options. 

Remember, many workplaces ask employees to make sure they are up to date with routine vaccinations to reduce the risk of illness or disease.  

Some employers ask workers to have additional vaccinations to increase their protection. Some higher-risk job roles may require further vaccinations.