Lesson video

Welcome to this second lesson as part of the health and prevention unit, specifically immunisation and vaccinations.

We will be addressing concerns you may have about vaccinations.

I'm Mrs. Harris and in this lesson, we're going to be looking at what to expect when having a vaccination, how to cope and understanding a little more about the anti-vaccination movement.

For this lesson, you will need an exercise book or paper and a pen.

This is what our lesson is going to look like today.

You should already have completed the intro quiz.

In our last lesson, we explored how vaccinations work.

We are going to learn what to expect when we have our vaccinations and also how to cope with the fear that may be experienced.

We will then understand a little more about the anti-vaccination movement.

And at the end of the lesson, there will then be an exit quiz for you to reflect on what we have learned.

Here are our keywords for today's lesson.

Everyone feels anxious from time to time and it usually passes once the situation is over.

It can make our heart race, we might feel sweaty, shaky, or short of breath.

Anxiety can also cause changes in our behaviour, such as becoming overly careful or avoiding things that trigger anxiety.

It's perfectly natural to feel anxious about vaccinations but having an understanding of the process and knowing what to expect can help us to identify coping strategies to help us deal with challenging situations.

An anti-vaxxer is someone who disagrees with the use of vaccines for a variety of reasons and we are going to be looking at why this might be and the scientific reassurance about vaccinations.

How do you feel about vaccinations? Reflect on that.

Do you feel scared? What are you worried about? Do you believe in vaccinations? Why are they important? Take a moment to reflect on this and you may wish to pause the video as you're doing this.

In this section, we're going to be looking at the vaccination process and what to expect.

Knowing what is coming allows us to mentally prepare and identify coping strategies that will help us manage our anxiety.

What should I expect around vaccination time? Sort these statements into the right chronological order.

It is important to consider the stages of the vaccination process as that is one way of preparing you for a vaccination and it can also remove some of the worry and anxiety, which by the way, is totally normal to feel.

Hopefully, this activity should reassure you that it is a well-organized procedure and there is nothing to worry about.

It's over and done relatively quickly.

You may wish to pause the video as you sort these statements into the right order.

Did you agree with me? You will receive information from school or your doctor about the 3-in-1 booster vaccination.

Your parents or carers will read about it and you can research additional information or ask your GP if you have any queries.

If your parents or carers are happy for you to have the vaccine, they will fill in a consent form and this will be returned to school.

On the day the vaccination is due, you will leave your lesson and queue up outside the vaccination room normally in register order.

Your school will most likely not tell you the day the vaccinations are due to minimise undue worry or anxiety.

Sometimes things are more manageable the less time you have to worry about them.

When it is your turn, a nurse will gently wipe an area of your upper arm where the injection will be given.

This is to disinfect the area.

When the vaccine is given, you will feel a sharp scratch, which is just as the needle goes into your skin but this only lasts for seconds.

Once the vaccine is over, you may be given a small piece of cotton wool to hold over where the object went in.

You will return to your lesson and carry on with your school day.

It may be tender around the injection site for two to three days but it will pass on its own.

You can always take age-appropriate painkillers if you feel uncomfortable.

Let's apply our knowledge to this scenario.

Nicky lives with his mum and stepdad, who he gets on well with.

Nicky is in year nine and has recently received information from school about the 3-in-1 booster vaccination.

Nicky is a little worried about what to expect on the day of his vaccination.

He's not sure if he will have it at school or the doctor's surgery? Will he go home after he's had his vaccination? Is he going to feel unwell afterward? He is becoming a little anxious about the whole situation.

Can you help? Feel free to pause the video and take the time to read the scenario again.

This is your task.

What could you explain to Nicky about the vaccination process? Use the answers you have in your book or on your piece of paper from the previous activity and write a paragraph explaining how the vaccination process works.

Remember that explaining a process to someone can often effectively reduce their stress and anxiety about a situation as it removes some of the unknown elements.

Pause the video to complete this task and then resume when you are finished.

Do your answers match mine? You might have explained to Nicky that the vaccination is most likely to happen at school.

He would leave a lesson along with everyone else in the class, have the vaccine and then return to carry on with his normal day.

You might have reassured him that he would feel a sharp scratch but this would only last for a few seconds.

He would then be given a piece of cotton wool afterwards to hold over the injection site.

You might also have let him know that the area around the injection site might be tender for two to three days after.

Which of the following are good ways to cope with fear and pain surrounding vaccinations? If you're up for a challenge, then reflect on which of these you would find the hardest to do.

While you're doing this activity, it's probably best if you pause the video.

Does your list match mine? Some of the best advice is always trying to remain calm and using breathing techniques are a good way of doing this.

We will go through a technique on the next slide.

Researching about the vaccine and the vaccination process might also give you advanced warning of what to expect so that you are better prepared.

In fact, rehearsing the process in your head allows you to consider coping strategies.

You will have learned from our lesson today that many people feel quite anxious about vaccinations.

We are going to have a go at box breathing now as it is a useful way of regulating your breathing during periods of panic or when you feel your anxiety building up.

Firstly, slowly exhale.

Sitting upright, slowly breathe out through your mouth, getting all the oxygen out of your lungs.

Concentrate on what you are doing.

Slowly inhale.

Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose to the count of four.

In this step, count to four very slowly in your head.

Fill your lungs completely until the air moves into your abdomen.

Hold your breath.

Hold your breath for another slow count of four.

Exhale again, exhale through your mouth for the same slow count of four.

And hold your breath again.

Hold it for the same slow count of four before repeating this process.

Let's apply our knowledge to this scenario.

Chelsea is in year nine and has received information about the 3-in-1 booster vaccination.

Her parents have signed the consent form and returned it to school.

Chelsea suffers from anxiety quite a lot and the impending vaccination is making this worse.

She is finding it hard to get to sleep at night as she keeps going over the vaccination process in her head.

Instead of helping her to prepare, this repetitive behaviour is giving her butterflies in her stomach and she keeps worrying each morning if this is the day the vaccinations will happen.

How can you reassure her and give her coping strategies to use to help her with her anxiety? You should pause the video while you carry out this activity and maybe read the scenario again.

This is your task.

What coping strategies might you suggest to Chelsea? Use the list you have in your book from our previous activity to suggest strategies to Chelsea? Explain to her how they will help her to manage her anxiety.

You should pause the video while you carry out this activity.

Do your answers match mine? You might have suggested that she shares worries with her parents.

This is a good coping strategy as they can support her with her anxiety.

Writing down your worries can also help to reduce them going through your mind as much.

You may also have suggested she try the breathing technique we learned about previously in this lesson, box breathing.

You could also have suggested that she speak to her GP or school nurse, asking them questions about the process.

Also, telling others that she is anxious about the vaccination on the actual day can also ensure that she is supported during the vaccination process.

In this section, we are going to be looking at the anti-vaccination movement.

We will look at what scientific research says about vaccinations.

Why is there an anti-vaccination movement? Some people feel that children have too many vaccines and it might overload their system.

Others support some vaccines but not all of them, particularly newer ones.

Some worry about the ingredients of vaccines and that is why it is suggested that you research vaccines in order to be fully informed and reassured that the ingredients are not harmful in small amounts.

And some worry about the side effects of vaccines.

Why is vaccination safe and important? Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health.

They prevent up to three million deaths worldwide every year.

Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or seen very rarely.

Other diseases like measles and diptheria have been reduced by up to 99.

9% since their vaccines were introduced.

However, if people stop having vaccines, it's possible for infectious diseases to quickly spread again.

We talked about herd immunity in the previous lesson.

If 95% of children receive the MMR vaccine, it's possible to get rid of measles.

However, measles, mumps and rubella can quickly spread again if fewer than 90% of people are vaccinated.

Let's apply our knowledge to this scenario.

Zoya is in year nine and has received information about the 3-in-1 booster vaccination.

Her parents have signed the consent form and returned it to school.

Zoya has seen quite a lot of anti-vaxxer information on social media and is beginning to think she shouldn't have the 3-in-1 booster.

She hears that it's not safe and she might experience some side-effects from the vaccine.

How can you convince her with scientific evidence that vaccinations are safe and important? This is your task.

What scientific evidence can you explain to Zoya about vaccinations? Use the list you have in your book from our previous activity to suggest strategies to Zoya? Explain to her how vaccination is safe and important.

You should pause the video while you carry out this activity.

Let's recap for a moment.

It's rare for someone to have an allergic reaction to a vaccination.

Is this true or false? Did you get it right? Well done if you agreed with me.

It's true.

If this does happen, the person who vaccinates you will be trained to deal with allergic reactions.

That brings us to the end of our lesson on addressing concerns about vaccinations.

Before you go and complete your exit quiz, I'd like to thank you for engaging with the tasks and ask you to reflect on our lesson.

Try to write down as much as you can about what you've learned from our session today in 60 seconds.

I hope you've acquired some useful coping strategies for when you have any vaccinations in your life.