Childhood infections: migrant health guide

Main messages

EnsureChildren thatand migrantyoung people who migrate to the UK may be at increased risk of certain infections.

Healthcare practitioners should:

• ensure that children and young people are up to date with the the UK immunisation schedule. Refer- refer to the the immunisations guidance in in the migrant health guide for further advice.advice

• Followfollow national guidelines to prevent the spread of infection in schoolsearly years and othereducation childcaresettings settings, and report statutorily notifiable diseases.diseases

• Referrefer to the migrant health guide pages for more guidance on on assessing migrant patients, , children’s health and  and visiting friends and relatives abroad.

Background

MostChildren childhoodand infectionsyoung arepeople vaccineinclude:

• those preventable.aged The0 rangeto of18 childhoodyears infections(as thatdefined occurby inthe childrenUnited bornNations inConvention on the UKRights mayof alsothe occurChild)
• those inaged non-UK19 bornto children.
  25 years with an education, health and care plan (EHCP)

SomeAn diseaseseducation, mayhealth beand morecare commonplan inis for children bornand abroad,young especiallypeople vaccinewho preventableneed diseasesmore ifsupport theythan haveis notavailable beenthrough fullythe immunised.standard Immunisationspecial coverageeducational needs provision. This includes those in:

• Ofsted registered childcare
• early years and incidenceeducation ofsettings
• children’s childhoodhomes
• temporary diseasessettings isfor highlyunaccompanied variableasylum-seeking throughoutchildren

It also includes those living in closed settings such as:

• young offender institutions
• secure children’s homes
• secure training centres
• secure schools

Some serious childhood infections in the world;UK seeare vaccine preventable. See WHO for countrycountry-specific specific informationinformation..

EnsureHealthcare practitioners should ensure that migrant children are up to date with the the UK immunisation schedule and and refer to the the immunisation algorithm for for advice on immunising individuals with uncertain or incomplete immunisation status.

Many of the descriptions and images used to describe and demonstrate typical rashes associated with childhood infections are based on their appearance in white skin. Be aware that they may look different in darker skin tones or pigmented skin.

Help to prevent the spread of infection by giving advice in accordance with infection control guidelines for schools and childcare facilities.

Be aware that many childhood infections are statutorily notifiable.

Resources

Read furtherYou informationcan aboutrefer individualto childhoodthe diseases:

Coveredfull bylist UKof immunisationnotifiable schedule

• Diphtheriachickenpox
• Measlesmalaria
• Meningococcalmeasles
• tuberculosis disease(TB)
• Mumpswhooping cough (pertussis)

Childhood diseases that are part of the UK immunisation schedule include:

• chicken pox (chickenpox vaccination programme), to be launched in England as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule from January 2026 (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV))

• Haemophilus influenza type B
• Pneumococcalhepatitis diseaseB
• HPV
• measles
• Poliomeningococcal disease (gov.uk);(meningococcal Poliogroups (migrantA, healthB, guide)C, W and Y)
• Rubellamumps
• Pertussispertussis (whooping (Whooping cough)
• pneumococcal disease
• polio 

• rubella

• rotavirus
• tetanus

Other childhood diseases

• Chickenpoxathlete’s foot (Tinea pedis)
• Scarletchlamydia
• cold feversores
• Slappedconjunctivitis
• cryptosporidiosis
• diarrhoea cheekand syndromevomiting (gastroenteritis)
• E. (Parvovirus)coli STEC (Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli))
• Fungalfood infectionspoisoning
• Headgenital herpes
• giardiasis
• glandular fever
• gonorrhoea
• group A Streptococcus (GAS)
• hand, foot and mouth disease
• head lice
• Impetigohepatitis A
• Respiratoryhepatitis syncytialC
• HIV
• impetigo
• invasive virusGroup A Streptococcus (iGAS)
• RotavirusMRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
• Streptococcalmpox
• norovirus
• Panton-Valentine infectionsLeukocidin Staphylococcus aureus (PVL-SA)
• respiratory infections, including coronavirus (COVID-19)
• ringworm
• scabies
• scarlet fever
• slapped cheek syndrome (parvovirus B19)
• Syphilis
• threadworm
• tuberculosis (TB)
• typhoid and paratyphoid fever

See national guidance:guidance for:

• for primary care on the diagnosis of infectious disease
• on infection control in schools and other childcare settings