Childhood Immunization (Vaccination) Schedule

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Medical Author: David Perlstein, MD, FAAP
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

• Why do we need vaccines?
• How do vaccines work?
• What childhood vaccines are recommended, and at what ages they should be given?
• What if your child misses a shot?
• What are the vaccine-preventable diseases?

Why do we need vaccines?

None of us wants to see our children get sick. If we could, we would protect them from any illness, no matter how small—even the sniffles.

Now suppose you could make your child safe from some of the most deadly diseases in history...And suppose that at the same time you could also help protect your neighbors' children and other children around the country from the same diseases...And finally, suppose you could actually help to rid the world of some of these diseases that have been crippling and killing children for centuries.

You can do all of these things with one of the easiest and yet most powerful health tools ever developed. You can make sure your children get their shots.

How do vaccines work?

When you receive a vaccine, it helps your body to create antibodies. Antibodies are the body's defenses that fight off any foreign substances (germs). Although your body can create antibodies on its own, most of the vaccine-preventable diseases cause severe illness and even death before enough antibodies are produced.

Immunization (vaccination) schedule

Vaccines work best when they are given at certain ages. For example, measles vaccine is not usually given until a child is at least 1 year old. If it is given earlier than that, it may not work as well. On the other hand, the DTaP vaccine should be given over a period of time, in a series of properly spaced doses. More information about the specific diseases your child is vaccinated against is listed later in this article.

Following is a description of the routine childhood immunization schedule. It is published each year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

What childhood vaccines are recommended, and at what ages they should be given?

Hepatitis B vaccine:

1. First dose at birth to 2 months
2. Second dose at 1 to 4 months
3. Third dose at 6 to 18 months

Hib vaccine:

1. First dose at 2 months
2. Second dose at 4 months
3. Third dose at 6 months
4. Fourth dose at 12 to 15 months

Polio vaccine:

1. First dose at 2 months
2. Second dose at 4 months
3. Third dose at 6 to 18 months
4. Fourth dose at 4 to 6 years

DTaP vaccine:

1. First dose at 2 months
2. Second dose at 4 months
3. Third dose at 6 months
4. Fourth dose at 15 to 18 months
5. Fifth dose at 4 to 6 years
6. DTaP is recommended at 11 years

Pneumococcal vaccine:

1. First dose at 2 months
2. Second dose at 4 months
3. Third dose at 6 months
4. Fourth dose at 12 to 18 months

Rotavirus vaccine:

1. First dose at 2 months
2. Second dose at 4 months
3. Third dose at 6 months

Hepatitis A vaccine:

1. First dose at 12 months
2. Second dose at 18 months

Influenza vaccine:

1. First dose at 6 months (requires a booster one month after initial vaccine)
2. Annually until 5 years (then yearly if indicated or desired, according to risks)

MMR vaccine:

1. First dose at 12 to 15 months
2. Second dose at 4 to 6 years

Varicella vaccine:

1. First dose at 12 to 15 months
2. Second dose at 4 to 6 years

Meningococcal vaccine:

1. Single dose at 11 years

Human papillomavirus vaccine (adolescent girls only):

1. First dose at 11 years
2. Second dose two months after first dose
3. Third dose six months after first dose

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• Gardasil (HPV Vaccine) - Gardasil HPV vaccine (recombinant human papillomavirus quadrivalent vaccine) drug class, prescription, injection, preparation, storage, dosage, drug interaction, pregnancy and nursing, and side effects information.
• Flu Vaccine - Get the facts about influenza vaccine (flu shot) ingredients, side effects and vaccination effectiveness. Learn who should (children, pregnant women, elderly) and shouldn't get a flu shot.
• Hepatitis B - Read about hepatitis B, a virus spread through infected blood or body secretions (blood, semen, vaginal discharge, breast milk, and saliva). Symptoms, diagnosis, and treamtent information is included in the article.

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