Vaccination
Enrol for a PDF and email reminders, then use the visual guides and full IAP timetable — including which shots are usually private beyond free government UIP vaccines.
Automated vaccination
Submit name, date of birth, gender, and parent email. A vaccination schedule PDF is emailed automatically, with reminders three days before each due date and on the day itself.
Opens Google Form · PDF arrives by email after submit
Infographics
Visual guides for the age journey, how vaccines work, free UIP vs private IAP add-ons, and a calm clinic visit.
Age journey
Protection builds from birth through the teen years — densest visits are early.
How a vaccine works
Train → remember → shield — without causing the full illness.
UIP and private together
Free government core on one side; IAP add-on vaccines on the other.
Clinic visit
Calm visit, record card ready, short wait after the shot.
Birth
BCG · OPV · Hep B
6–14 wk
Primary series peak
9–15 mo
MMR · Varicella · PCV
16–18 mo
First boosters
4–6 y
School-entry boosters
9–18 y
HPV · Tdap · Td
01
Train
A tiny, safe piece of the germ teaches the immune system.
02
Remember
Memory cells keep the lesson without causing the disease.
03
Shield
If the real germ arrives later, the body fights faster.
04
Protect others
High coverage also shields newborns and immunocompromised kids.
01
UIP core
Free at government centres: BCG, OPV, Hep B, Pentavalent, IPV/fIPV, rota, PCV, MR, boosters.
02
IAP extras
Usually private: varicella, Hep A, TCV, flu, MMR (mumps), Hib booster, HPV, Tdap.
03
Formulation choice
DTaP / hexavalent / full-dose IPV are private options covering the same core diseases.
04
One plan
Many families mix UIP visits with private IAP add-ons — your paediatrician maps both.
01
Bring the card
Photo the record. Missed doses are easier to catch up early.
02
Ask UIP vs private
Confirm which shots are free today and which IAP add-ons you want.
03
Stay 30 minutes
Rare allergic reactions show early. Feed and comfort as usual after.
04
Note the next date
Enrol for email reminders so the next visit is not forgotten.
IAP schedule
Based on the IAP ACVIP Recommended Immunization Schedule (2023). Ages are completed weeks, months, or years. Your paediatrician may adjust for catch-up, combination brands, or state UIP timing.
| Age | Vaccines |
|---|---|
| Birth |
|
| 6 weeks |
|
| 10 weeks |
|
| 14 weeks |
|
| 6 months |
|
| 7 months |
|
| 6–9 months |
|
| 9 months |
|
| 12 months |
|
| 15 months |
|
| 16–18 months |
|
| 18–19 months |
|
| 4–6 years |
|
| 9–14 years |
|
| 10–12 years |
|
| 15–18 years |
|
Why each vaccine
Short parent explanations — not a substitute for counselling in clinic.
Bacillus Calmette–Guérin
Protects against: Severe forms of tuberculosis (especially TB meningitis and miliary TB in young children)
Given at birth so the immune system learns to fight TB before exposure. A small scar on the arm weeks later is expected.
Oral polio vaccine
Protects against: Poliomyelitis (polio paralysis)
Oral drops build gut immunity and help keep India polio-free. Birth and later doses matter even when IPV is also given.
Protects against: Hepatitis B virus — chronic liver infection, cirrhosis, liver cancer
The birth dose within 24 hours blocks mother-to-child transmission. Later doses complete long-term protection.
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis
Protects against: Diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), and whooping cough (pertussis)
Whooping cough is dangerous in young infants. Primary doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks, then boosters, keep antibody levels up. DTwP is in UIP; DTaP (‘painless’) is a private option with fewer local reactions.
Haemophilus influenzae type b
Protects against: Hib meningitis, pneumonia, and epiglottitis
Before Hib vaccine, bacterial meningitis left many children with deafness or brain injury. Primary series is in UIP Pentavalent; IAP also advises a booster around 16–18 months (usually private).
Inactivated polio vaccine
Protects against: Polio
Injectable IPV gives strong blood immunity. IAP uses full-dose IM at 6–10–14 weeks plus boosters. UIP uses fractional intradermal IPV with OPV — both paths protect; your paediatrician aligns the schedule if you switch.
Protects against: Severe watery diarrhoea and dehydration from rotavirus
Rotavirus was a leading cause of hospital diarrhoea in Indian infants. Oral drops are timed early (before the gut is heavily exposed).
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
Protects against: Pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis, and blood infection
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common cause of serious childhood lung and brain infections. Primary series plus a booster closes the highest-risk window.
Measles, mumps, rubella
Protects against: Measles, mumps (including orchitis and meningitis), and rubella
Measles spreads fast and can cause encephalitis. Rubella in pregnancy harms the baby. Mumps is why IAP prefers MMR over MR alone.
Measles–rubella
Protects against: Measles and rubella (no mumps)
Free under UIP at about 9 months and 16–24 months. If only MR is given, ask about adding MMR so mumps is covered.
Chickenpox vaccine
Protects against: Chickenpox and its complications (skin infection, pneumonia, encephalitis)
Chickenpox is usually mild but can hospitalise children and leave scars. Two doses give strong, lasting protection. Not in UIP.
Protects against: Hepatitis A — food- and water-borne liver infection
Common where sanitation is uneven. One live dose or two inactivated doses prevent weeks of jaundice and school loss. Not in UIP.
Protects against: Typhoid fever
Typhoid still circulates with contaminated food and water. One conjugate dose from 6–9 months gives durable protection. Not in routine UIP.
Flu vaccine
Protects against: Seasonal influenza and related pneumonia
Young children get severe flu more often. IAP advises starting at 6 months, two priming doses, then yearly till at least 5 years (and longer if high-risk).
Human papillomavirus vaccine
Protects against: HPV cancers (cervical, and also oropharyngeal, anal, penile) and genital warts
Best given before sexual exposure. IAP 2023 recommends it for girls and boys; 2 doses at 9–14 years, or 3 doses if started later.
Protects against: Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis in adolescents
Antibody levels fall in the school years. Tdap at ~10–12 years boosts whooping-cough protection; UIP more often uses Td without pertussis.
Protects against: Tetanus and diphtheria
IAP 2023 adds Td at 16–18 years because diphtheria still appears in older teens and young adults when boosters are missed.
Protects against: Japanese encephalitis (brain infection)
Given under UIP only in endemic districts. Ask if your area is covered; private JE may be advised for travel to endemic zones.
Private beyond UIP
India's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) already covers the core free vaccines (BCG, OPV, Hepatitis B, Pentavalent, IPV/fIPV, rotavirus, PCV, MR, DPT/Td boosters, and JE in endemic areas). These IAP-recommended vaccines are typically arranged at a private clinic because they are not part of routine UIP — or they add cover UIP does not fully include (such as mumps via MMR).
Varicella (chickenpox)
Two doses — not part of free UIP. Strongly recommended by IAP.
Hepatitis A
Live (1 dose) or inactivated (2 doses). Protects against food/water jaundice.
Typhoid conjugate (TCV)
Usually one dose from 6–9 months. Important where typhoid is common.
Influenza (annual)
Start at 6 months; yearly till 5 years (longer if high-risk).
MMR (for mumps)
UIP gives MR (measles + rubella only). MMR or an extra mumps-containing dose is needed privately for full IAP cover.
Hib booster (16–18 months)
Primary Hib is in UIP Pentavalent; the toddler booster is an IAP / private addition.
DTaP / hexavalent combinations
Same diseases as UIP, but private clinics often use DTaP (‘painless’) or 5-/6-in-1 shots with full-dose IPV. Cost is private; disease cover overlaps UIP.
HPV (girls and boys)
Adolescent cancer-prevention vaccine. Mostly private (some school/state programmes exist).
Tdap at 10–12 years
Adds pertussis boost; UIP adolescent visit is usually Td only.
Priority if you are choosing step by step: MMR (mumps), varicella, Hepatitis A, TCV, then influenza and HPV — confirm the order for your child in clinic.
Automated vaccination
Submit name, date of birth, gender, and parent email. A vaccination schedule PDF is emailed automatically, with reminders three days before each due date and on the day itself.
Opens Google Form · PDF arrives by email after submit
Parent education screen only — not a diagnosis. Discuss results with Dr. N. Chaitanya Krishna at Imperial Hospitals, Bhimavaram.