ABSTRACT
The goals of immunisation are the prevention of disease in individuals and, herd immunity for a group, or eradication of the disease. High immunisation rates have reduced dramatically or almost eliminated, diphtheria, measles, mumps, polio, rubella, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b diseases in developed countries. Because organisms that are responsible for these diseases persist around the world, continued immunisation efforts must be maintained and reinforced. In some circumstances, the immunisation programme has to be modified due to an underlying disease or concurrent medical treatment. The aim of this chapter is to focus on interactions between vaccines and medicines. Contraindications to immunisation are often misunderstood and many common conditions, circumstances and treatment are not contraindications for vaccinations.
