Bachon Ke Teeke: Child Vaccination Schedule by Age, EPI and UIP
Your child’s government vaccines come in six visits in Pakistan (birth, 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks, 9 months and 15 months) and a similar set in India, with boosters that run to age 16. Below is the child vaccination schedule by age for both, side by side, plus what to do if a dose was missed, which after-effects are normal, and which ones mean a doctor today.
Before your next visit
- Cost: every vaccine on the government schedule is free at EPI and UIP centres
- Bring: the vaccination card, every single time
- Missed a dose? Go now. Doses carry on from where they stopped; nothing restarts
- A mild cold is not a reason to wait: let the vaccinator decide
- Checked: September 2026, against the published EPI Pakistan and India UIP schedules
Prefer to listen? This post as a 5 min video · Video page with transcript
Child vaccination schedule by age: Pakistan EPI and India UIP
This is the routine government schedule as published in September 2026. Programmes change: a vaccine gets added, a combination replaces two injections, a province starts a dose early. So treat this table as a map, and confirm it against the card and the staff at your local vaccination centre or with your child’s doctor. If anything here differs from your card, the card and the centre win.
| Age | Pakistan (EPI) | India (UIP) |
|---|---|---|
| At birth | BCG, OPV-0; Hepatitis B birth dose where your province offers it | BCG, OPV-0, Hepatitis B birth dose (within 24 hours) |
| 6 weeks | OPV-1, Pentavalent-1, PCV-1, Rota-1 | OPV-1, Pentavalent-1, Rota-1, PCV-1, fIPV-1 |
| 10 weeks | OPV-2, Pentavalent-2, PCV-2, Rota-2 | OPV-2, Pentavalent-2, Rota-2 |
| 14 weeks | OPV-3, Pentavalent-3, PCV-3, IPV-1 | OPV-3, Pentavalent-3, Rota-3, PCV-2, fIPV-2 |
| 9 months | MR-1, Typhoid conjugate (TCV), IPV-2 | 9 to 12 months: MR-1, PCV booster, fIPV-3, JE-1 in some districts, vitamin A |
| 15 to 24 months | 15 months: MR-2 | 16 to 24 months: MR-2, DPT booster-1, OPV booster, JE-2 in some districts |
| 5 to 6 years | No routine dose | DPT booster-2 |
| 10 and 16 years | HPV for girls 9 to 14 (see below) | Td at 10 and at 16 |
What the names mean
- BCG: against severe childhood forms of TB. Given in the left upper arm.
- OPV and IPV (fIPV in India): polio drops by mouth, and polio injections. Both are needed; they protect in different ways.
- Pentavalent: five in one: diphtheria, whooping cough (kali khansi), tetanus, hepatitis B and Hib (a cause of meningitis and pneumonia).
- PCV: pneumococcal vaccine, against a leading cause of pneumonia.
- Rota: drops by mouth against rotavirus, the big cause of severe diarrhoea in babies.
- MR: measles and rubella. TCV: typhoid, added in Pakistan because of drug-resistant typhoid. JE: Japanese encephalitis, only in districts where it occurs.
In India, vitamin A is given by the programme from 9 months, repeated every six months up to age 5, at the amount the health worker measures. In both countries, pregnant women get tetanus-diphtheria (Td) injections, which protect the newborn from tetanus too.
For girls, Pakistan ran its first HPV vaccine campaign in September 2025 for ages 9 to 14 in Punjab, Sindh, Islamabad and Azad Kashmir, with other provinces planned to follow and a plan to give it routinely to 9-year-old girls. Whether it’s routine in your area yet is a question for your centre. In India, HPV isn’t yet on the national routine card; ask your child’s doctor.
By age band: what’s due and when
- Under 6 months: the busiest stretch. Birth, 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Premature babies get their vaccines by their actual age from birth, not a “corrected” age, unless the doctor says otherwise.
- 6 to 12 months: the 9-month visit. This is the one families most often forget, because it comes after a long gap.
- 1 to 3 years: MR-2 (and India’s first boosters). Measles is still common, and one dose isn’t enough.
- 3 to 6 years: India’s second DPT booster at 5 to 6. In Pakistan, keep up with polio and measles campaign doses when teams come.
- Over 6: Td at 10 and 16 in India; HPV for girls where offered. School age vaccination in Pakistan is mostly campaign-based, so keep the card ready.
A late dose still counts. A dose skipped because it felt too late doesn’t.
Keep the card, and what to do if a dose was missed
The card (or India’s MCP card and digital record) is the only proof of what your child has had. Photograph both sides after every visit and keep the photo in a family chat or email. Schools, doctors and travel forms ask for it.
- Take the card and the child to the nearest government vaccination centre or the EPI/UIP room at a hospital, as soon as you notice the gap.
- The vaccinator gives the missed doses and continues from where the child stopped. Nothing restarts from the beginning.
- Doses in a series (OPV, Pentavalent, PCV) need at least 4 weeks between them, so a child who is behind may need 2 or 3 visits a month apart.
- Some vaccines, such as rotavirus, have an upper age limit. If your child is past it, the centre will skip that one; that’s their call and it’s normal.
- Lost card? The centre often has a register. If there’s no record, the vaccinator decides which doses to give again, which is safe for most of these vaccines; a BCG scar on the arm usually shows BCG was already given.
After the teeka: normal effects and red flags
Most children are fussy, a bit warm and sleepy for a day or two. The injection spot can be red, sore or have a small lump. That’s the immune system doing its job, not a sign that anything went wrong. After MR, a mild fever or faint rash sometimes appears a week or so later. After the rota drops, stools can be a little loose for a day.
The BCG scar
About 2 to 6 weeks after BCG, a small red bump appears on the arm. It can turn into a little blister or sore that oozes, then heals over a couple of months, leaving a small scar. Leave it alone: keep it clean and dry, don’t cover it, squeeze it, or put ointment, haldi or toothpaste on it.
Fever care
Keep breastfeeding or offer more milk and water, dress the child lightly, and let them rest. Don’t sponge with cold water. Don’t give fever medicine beforehand “just in case” unless the doctor advises it. If your child is uncomfortable, paracetamol is measured by your child’s weight, using the pack’s chart or a pharmacist’s advice, and never combined with another product that contains the same medicine. No aspirin for anyone under 16. Our guide to bachon ka bukhar by age covers fever care in detail.
Go to emergency care now for swelling of the face, lips or tongue, wheezing, trouble breathing or hives spreading over the body (usually within minutes to hours, which is why you’re asked to wait at the centre after the injection), a fit, a floppy or hard-to-wake child, or crying that won’t stop for 3 hours or more. In the days after rotavirus drops, go straight away for bouts of screaming with the legs drawn up, repeated vomiting, green vomit or blood or red jelly in the stool. See a doctor today for any temperature of 38 °C or more in a baby under 3 months, a fever of 39 °C or more, fever lasting more than 3 days, or a sore that becomes hot, swollen and spreading. Report any serious reaction to the centre as well.
Teeke ke myths: what parents hear, and the truth
Myth: Fever after a vaccine means it was a bad batch
A day of low fever and fussiness is a common, expected reaction. It isn’t needed for the vaccine to work, and its absence doesn’t mean the vaccine failed either.
Myth: Polio drops cause infertility or harm children
This rumour has circulated in Pakistan for years and it’s false. The polio drops used in campaigns are the same oral polio vaccine given worldwide, and extra campaign doses are safe even when routine doses are complete. They add protection in areas where the virus still circulates.
Myth: A child with a cold or loose motions must wait
A runny nose, a mild cough, low fever or mild diarrhoea usually isn’t a reason to delay. A child who is properly ill with high fever may be asked to come back in a few days. Let the vaccinator decide, and don’t just stay home.
Myth: Too many vaccines at once overload a baby
A baby’s immune system handles countless germs every day from feeding, crawling and kisses. The few vaccines given at one visit are a tiny load by comparison, and fewer visits means less delay.
Doctors may mention extra vaccines outside the government schedule. That’s a conversation for your child’s doctor. The free schedule above is the one every child should finish, and it’s what protects against the diseases that fill children’s wards in both countries.
Many families tie a thread or put kajal on a baby before the teeka “for nazar”. A thread around the wrist or ankle can tighten and cut into skin, and kajal or surma near a baby’s eyes can contain lead, so skip both. The old habit of keeping the baby close, feeding often and resting on vaccine day is exactly right.
Bachon ke teeke: questions parents ask
What vaccines are given at birth in Pakistan?
BCG and OPV-0 (the zero dose of polio drops), plus a hepatitis B birth dose where your province provides it. Ask before leaving the hospital, and make sure they’re written on the card.
What is the vaccination schedule at 6, 10 and 14 weeks?
In Pakistan: OPV, Pentavalent and PCV at all three visits, rotavirus at 6 and 10 weeks, and IPV at 14 weeks. In India: OPV and Pentavalent at all three, rotavirus at all three, PCV and fIPV at 6 and 14 weeks.
Which vaccines are given at 9 months?
In Pakistan, MR-1, typhoid conjugate vaccine and the second IPV. In India, at 9 to 12 months, MR-1, the PCV booster, the third fIPV, vitamin A, and JE in districts that give it.
What if my child missed a vaccine?
Go to the centre with the card as soon as you can. The missed doses are given and the schedule continues; it never restarts.
Is fever normal after vaccination?
Yes, a mild fever and fussiness for a day or two is common. A baby under 3 months with 38 °C or more, a fever of 39 °C or more, or fever beyond 3 days needs a doctor.
Can I give paracetamol after vaccination?
If your child is uncomfortable, yes, but measure it by your child’s weight from the pack or with a pharmacist’s advice. Don’t give it before the injection unless your doctor tells you to.
Can my child be vaccinated with a cold?
Usually yes. A mild cold, cough or low fever isn’t normally a reason to skip. The vaccinator will postpone if the child is properly unwell.
Are polio drops safe if my child already had the routine doses?
Yes. Extra campaign doses are safe and add protection, which matters while polio still circulates in the region.
Why does the BCG spot turn into a sore?
That’s the normal BCG reaction, appearing 2 to 6 weeks later and healing over a couple of months into a small scar. Keep it clean and dry and put nothing on it.
Is there a school age vaccination schedule?
In India, yes: DPT booster at 5 to 6 and Td at 10 and 16. In Pakistan, school-age doses come mainly through campaigns, including HPV for girls 9 to 14 where it has been introduced.
Related reading: hepatitis B testing and vaccination in Pakistan for adults, and who needs the flu vaccine before winter. More child health guides are in Bachon Ki Sehat.