India's national schedule
India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) gives free vaccines against 12 diseases: 11 across the country, and Japanese encephalitis in districts where it is common. The table lists the vaccines in the order they are given. The programme changes over time, so ask a health worker for the current list.
| Age | Vaccines |
|---|---|
| At birth | BCG, oral polio vaccine (OPV) first dose, hepatitis B first dose |
| 6 weeks | OPV, pentavalent, rotavirus, fractional injected polio vaccine (fIPV), pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) |
| 10 weeks | OPV, pentavalent, rotavirus |
| 14 weeks | OPV, pentavalent, rotavirus, fIPV, PCV |
| 9 to 12 months | Measles and rubella (MR) first dose, a third fIPV dose, PCV booster, Japanese encephalitis first dose (selected districts) |
| 16 to 24 months | MR second dose, DPT booster, OPV booster, Japanese encephalitis second dose (selected districts) |
| 5 to 6 years | DPT second booster |
| 10 years and 16 years | Td (tetanus and adult diphtheria) at each age |
What each vaccine protects against
- BCG: severe forms of childhood tuberculosis
- Pentavalent: diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis), tetanus, hepatitis B, and pneumonia and meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- OPV and fIPV: polio
- Rotavirus : rotavirus diarrhoea
- PCV: pneumonia and meningitis caused by pneumococcus
- MR: measles and rubella
- DPT booster: diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus. Td: tetanus and diphtheria
- Japanese encephalitis vaccine: Japanese encephalitis
If a dose is missed
Do not wait for the next date on the card. Take your child to a health worker or doctor, who will plan the remaining doses. Some vaccines have an upper age limit in the national schedule:
- BCG can be given up to one year of age
- Pentavalent and rotavirus vaccines can be given up to one year of age
- OPV and the measles-containing can be given up to 5 years of age
Additional vaccines advised by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics
The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) is a society of child doctors. Its 2023 timetable covers the same diseases as the national schedule, sometimes with different vaccines (for example injected polio and combined vaccines) and slightly different timing. It also advises the vaccines below. These are additional to the national schedule, and they are advice from a society, not national policy.
| Age | Vaccine |
|---|---|
| From 6 months | Flu vaccine: two doses four weeks apart, then once a year up to 5 years of age |
| 6 to 9 months | Typhoid conjugate vaccine |
| 9 months | MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), with a second dose at 15 months and a third at 4 to 6 years |
| 12 months | Hepatitis A vaccine: one dose of the live vaccine, or two doses of the inactivated vaccine |
| 15 months | Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, with a second dose 3 to 6 months after the first |
| 9 to 14 years | HPV vaccine: two doses, 6 months apart (three doses if started at 15 or later) |
Keeping track
Keep the vaccination card safe and take it to every visit. The Child schedule tool on this site turns your child's date of birth into the date each dose falls due. Your child's doctor can say whether any illness or allergy changes the plan.
Common questions
Are the vaccines in the national programme free?
Yes. The Universal Immunisation Programme offers free vaccines against 12 diseases at government health facilities. Vaccines that the Indian Academy of Pediatrics advises beyond the national schedule are additional, so ask your child's doctor about them.
My child missed a dose. What should I do?
Take your child to a health worker or doctor soon, who will plan the remaining doses. Some vaccines have an upper age limit: BCG, pentavalent and rotavirus can be given up to one year of age, and OPV and measles-containing vaccine up to 5 years.
How does the Indian Academy of Pediatrics schedule differ from the national one?
The national schedule is government policy and the vaccines are free. The IAP timetable is advice from child doctors. It covers the same diseases, sometimes with different vaccines such as injected rather than oral polio vaccine, and adds vaccines such as flu, typhoid, hepatitis A, chickenpox and HPV.
Does every child get the Japanese encephalitis vaccine?
No. In the national schedule it is given only in districts where the disease is common. Ask your health worker whether your district is one of them.
