Get vaccinated on campus this October

Update Friday 18 October: Pre-booked appointments will continue to take place in the Tithebarn Building until the end of today after the vaccination hub vehicle was affected by adverse weather earlier in the week and had to be taken off campus for repairs. The hub will be back outside the James Parsons Building and open from Saturday 19 October. 

A pop-up vaccination hub will be on campus this October outside the James Parsons Building, Byrom Street at our City Campus.

It will be open from Monday 14 to Saturday 19 October and also Monday 21 to Saturday 26 October, 10.30am to 7pm, and students can simply drop in or ring 0151 433 2560 to book an appointment.

Registered nurses will give the HPV and MMR vaccines to students who meet the following criteria:

• Are female and aged 18 to 25
• Have not had a HPV vaccine or more than two MMR vaccinations
• Are registered with a Liverpool GP 

About the MMR vaccine and mumps and measles

Teenagers and young adults who have not had two doses of the MMR vaccine are particularly vulnerable to mumps and measles.

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can sometimes lead to serious complications and can be fatal in very rare cases. Mumps is a contagious viral disease and although complications are rare, they can include swelling of the ovaries or testes, meningitis and deafness. Rubella (also known as German measles) is generally a mild rash illness but catching this during pregnancy can very seriously harm your unborn baby.

Two doses of MMR vaccine can protect you against rubella for life. The best protection against mumps and measles is to ensure you have had two doses of MMR vaccination.

The vaccine can be given at any age and is available for free to any student who has not yet received both doses. If students are unsure whether they are up-to-date, after checking with their parents or guardians, they can contact their GP practice to confirm. If they haven’t had two MMR doses, they should arrange a free catch-up vaccination as soon as possible. For more detail, please see the MMR vaccine overview on NHS.UK.

About the HPV vaccine and the cancers it prevents

Female students should have been offered two doses of HPV vaccine in Year 8 or Year 9 when aged 12 to 13 years at school (S1 in Scotland). From 1 September 2023, all eligible students will now be offered a single dose of HPV vaccine and those that have already received one dose will be considered fully vaccinated.

HPV vaccine protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes most cervical cancers and cancers that affect both boys and girls including some anal, genital, mouth and throat (head and neck) cancers. It also offers protection against the most common genital warts caused by HPV.

Any female student who missed their HPV vaccine can catch up before their 25th birthday. Herd protection due to the impact of the HPV vaccine being given to female students has been shown to reduce HPV infections in heterosexual male students in the same age group.

Male students born from 1 September 2006 are now also being offered HPV vaccine and if they remain unvaccinated, they are similarly eligible up to their 25th birthday. In Scotland, any individual eligible to be in S1 in the 2019/2020 academic year is eligible for the HPV vaccine. Students who are gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men up to 45 years of age are also eligible for HPV vaccine when they visit a specialist sexual health service or HIV clinic. Some transgender people are also eligible for the HPV vaccine. For more detail, please see HPV vaccine overview on NHS.UK.

How to register with a GP

It’s vital that you also register with a GP as soon as you arrive in Liverpool. GPs are your first point of call for most health issues.

To find a local GP ring Healthwatch on 0300 77 77 007 or you can use the NHS find a GP online service.

If you are not from Liverpool you can still see your own doctor when you go home.

Further health and wellbeing support from Student Advice and Wellbeing (SAW)

You're not on your own at LJMU - there's always someone on hand to help, advise and guide. If you need help, just ask. Get support from SAW.