Can vaccines 'overload' a baby's immune system?

You might be concerned that too many vaccines at a young age could "overload" your child's immune system, but this really isn't the case. Studies have shown that vaccines do not weaken a child's immune system.

As soon as a baby is born, they come into contact with a huge number of different bacteria and viruses every day, and their immune system copes well with them.

The bacteria and viruses used in vaccines are weakened or killed, and there are far fewer of them than the natural bugs that babies and children come into contact with. In fact, if a child was given 11 vaccines all at the same time, it would only use a thousandth of their immune system!

Last Updated: 17/02/2022 16:01:12
The information on this page has been adapted by NHS Wales from original content supplied by NHS website nhs.uk