Table 1.
National immunization schedule for children and pregnant women in India
| Time point in schedule | Vaccine | Upper age limit |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | BCG | Up to 1 year |
| Birth | OPV0 | Up to 15 days after birth |
| Birth | HepB0 | Up to 24 h after birth |
| 6 weeks | Penta 1 (containing DTP1) | Up to 1 year |
| 6 weeks | OPV1 | Up to 5 years |
| 6 weeks | IPV1 | Up to 1 year |
| 6 weeks | Rota1 | Up to 1 year |
| 6 weeks | PCV1 | Up to 1 year |
| 10 weeks | Penta 2 (containing DTP2) | Any age (as long as first dose is given by 1 year) |
| 10 weeks | OPV2 | Up to 5 years |
| 10 weeks | Rota2 | Any age (as long as first dose is given by 1 year) |
| 10 weeks | PCV2 | Any age (as long as first dose is given by 1 year) |
| 14 weeks | Penta 3 (containing DTP3) | Any age (as long as first dose is given by 1 year) |
| 14 weeks | OPV3 | Up to 5 years |
| 14 weeks | IPV2 | Any age (as long as first dose is given by 1 year) |
| 14 weeks | Rota3 | Any age (as long as first dose is given by 1 year) |
| 14 weeks | PCV3 | Any age (as long as first dose is given by 1 year) |
| 9 months | JE1 | Up to 15 years |
| 9 months | M1 | Up to 5 years |
| 16 months | DTP-b | Up to 7 years |
| 16 months | M2 | Up to 5 years |
| 16 months | OPV-b | Up to 5 years |
| 16 months | JE2 | Up to 15 years |
| 5–6 years | DTP-b2 | Up to 7 years |
| 10 years | TT | Any age |
| As soon as pregnancy is confirmed | TT1 | During labour |
| During pregnancy, 4 weeks after TT1 | TT2 | During labour |
| During pregnancy, if received 2 TT doses in a pregnancy within the past 3 years | TTb | During labour |
Notes: Table shows the schedule of vaccines provided for free by India’s national immunization program to infants (16 months and under) and pregnant women. The vaccines provided include: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG), oral polio vaccine (OPV), Hepatitis B vaccine (HepB), pentavalent vaccine (Penta), oral polio vaccine (OPV), rotavirus vaccine (Rota), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), Japanese Encephalitis vaccine (JE), measles vaccine (M) and tetanus toxoid vaccine (TT). The number next to the vaccine indicates the dose number in the vaccination schedule. The letter ‘b’ indicates a booster shot. The pentavalent vaccine contains protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus Influenzae B and Hepatitis B. It replaced three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP1, DTP2 and DTP3) vaccine in India’s immunization schedule in 2011, though DTP was still used in some areas at the beginning of the study period.