A vaccine comes with inactive or debilitated parts of an antigen. Administering the vaccine to a kid allows the antigen to trigger an immune response in the child’s body. This is much like its initial reaction to the original pathogen. The process helps the body to build up the memory of the pathogen and train itself to fight the organism when exposed to it later.
From the end of December 2021, COVID-19 vaccines for children in India (aged 2-18) would be available under the Covid immunization program of the country. But even besides COVID-19 vaccines, kids need several other vaccines to strengthen their immune systems. In 2021, 3.97 million to 4.73 million children were immunized against polio, DPT3, BCG and measles. Now it’s your kid’s turn to take all the necessary vaccines from the best maternity hospital. Here’s a look.
Compulsory Vaccines for Children in India
- Hep A: It can immunize kids against Hepatitis A, a contagious liver infection.
- Hep B: It can protect children against Hepatitis B.
- BCG: It is the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine that helps kids fight against tuberculosis.
- OPV: Known as the oral poliovirus vaccine, it helps protect children combat the disease, poliomyelitis caused by the poliovirus. It may contain 1, 2 or all the 3 serotypes of the live attenuated strains of the virus.
- IPV: The inactivated poliovirus vaccine is also administered to protect children against poliomyelitis.
- DTP: It immunizes kids against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. DTaP works for acellular pertussis and DTwP for whole-cell pertussis.
- PCV: The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine boosts the immunity of children to fight pneumococcal diseases like pneumonia.
- Hib: It helps young kids combat the bacteria, Haemophilus influenzae type B responsible for bacterial meningitis.
- Rota: It prepares children to fight diphtheria caused by rotavirus.
- Influenza vaccine: It helps protect kids against influenza (flu).
- MMR: This vaccine can boost the immune system of children to fight measles, mumps and rubella.
- TCV: The typhoid conjugate vaccine is administered to help kids combat typhoid fever.
- Varicella vaccine: It helps protect children against chickenpox, and therefore, is also called the chickenpox vaccine.
- Tdap/Td: The Tdap vaccine immunizes children against tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis. The Td vaccine enhances the immunity of kids against tetanus and diphtheria.
- HPV: It helps protect girls against vaginal, cervical and vulvar cancers and certain infections caused by human papillomavirus.
Vaccination Schedule for Babies/Children
- At birth: Hep-B1, OPV, BCG
- 6 weeks: IPV-1, DTP-1, Hib-1, Hep-B2, PCV-1, Rota-1
- 10 weeks: IPV-2, DTP-2, Hib-2, Hep-B3, PCV-2, Rota-2
- 14 weeks: IPV-3, DTP-3, Hib-3, Hep-B4, PCV-3, Rota-3
- 6 months: Influenza 1
- 7 months: Influenza 2
- 6–9 months: TCV
- 9 months: MMR-1
- 12 months: Hep-A1
- 12–15 months: PCV Booster
- 15 months: Varicella vaccine, MMR-2
- 16–18 months: IPV-B1, DTP, Hib-B1
- 18–19 months: Hep-A2, Varicella 2
- 4–6 years: IPV-B2, DTP, MMR-3
- 9–15 years (for girls): HPV (2 doses)
- 10–12 years: Tdap/Td
- 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th years: Annual Influenza Vaccine
Make sure that your little one receives all the doses of the necessary vaccines for children in India from the best maternity hospital on time.