You have been given this leaflet as your child has been started on a medication which may have an impact on how we give your child vaccines. Vaccines are available as either live or non-live ‘killed’ vaccines. If your child is taking immunomodulating medication(s), they should avoid live vaccines unless advised by the paediatric rheumatology team on an individual basis.
Children on the following immunomodulating medications should not have live vaccines:
- Methotrexate – unless advised by your rheumatology team.
- Steroids (prednisolone, hydrocortisone) including up to four weeks after finishing the course.
- Other DMARDs – mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide.
- Biological therapies – etanercept, adalimumab, tocilizumab, infliximab, anakinra, abatacept, rituximab, canakinumab, secukinumab, belimumab.
- JAK inhibitors – baricitinib, tofacitinib.
- Cyclophosphamide.
Additional information
- Please note: if your child is on immunomodulating medication, they should avoid entering the area where live nasal flu spray vaccines are being administered (eg at school).
- Household contacts (aged six months and over) of the person on immunomodulating medication are likely to be eligible to receive the yearly flu vaccination – please speak to your family GP about this.
Further advice
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the paediatric rheumatology advice line between 08:00 (8am) and 16:00 (4pm) Monday to Friday on 01223 254988 or email the paediatric rheumatology team.
We are smoke-free
Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the hospital campus. For advice and support in quitting, contact your GP or the free NHS stop smoking helpline on 0800 169 0 169.
Other formats
Help accessing this information in other formats is available. To find out more about the services we provide, please visit our patient information help page (see link below) or telephone 01223 256998. www.cuh.nhs.uk/contact-us/accessible-information/
Contact us
Cambridge University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
Hills Road, Cambridge
CB2 0QQ
Telephone +44 (0)1223 245151
https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/contact-us/contact-enquiries/