The South African Vaccination schedule
| Age of child | EPI schedule |
|---|---|
| At birth | OPV (0) BCG |
| 6 weeks | OPV (1) RV (1) DTaP-IPV/Hib (1) HBV (1) PCV (1) |
| 10 weeks | DTaP-IPV/Hib (2) HBV (2) |
| 14 weeks | RV (2) DTaP-IPV/Hib (3) HBV (3) PCV (2) |
| 9 months | Measles vaccine (1) PCV (3) |
| 18 months | DTaP-IPV/Hib (4) Measles vaccine (2) |
| 6 years | Td vaccine |
| 12 years | Td vaccine |
| Age of child | Private practice: Option 1 | Private practice: Option 2 |
|---|---|---|
| At birth | OPV (0) BCG | OPV (0) BCG HBV1 |
| 6 weeks | OPV (1) RV (1) DTaP-IPV/Hib (1) HBV (1) PCV (1) | OPV (1) RV (1) DTaP-IPV/Hib/HBV (1) PCV (1) |
| 10 weeks | RV (2)2 DTaP-IPV/Hib (2) HBV (2) PCV (2) | RV (2)2 DTaP-IPV/Hib/HBV (2) PCV (2) |
| 9 months | RV (2 or 3)2 DTaP-IPV/Hib (3) HBV (3) PCV (3) | RV (2 or 3)2 DTaP-IPV/Hib/HBV (3) PCV (3) |
| 14 weeks | Measles vaccine | Measles vaccine |
| 12-15 months | PCV (4)3 Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine (1)4 MMR (1) or MMRV5 Hepatitis A vaccine (repeat 6 months later) | PCV (4)3 Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine (1)4 MMR (1) or MMRV5 Hepatitis A vaccine (repeat 6 months later) |
| 18 months | DTaP-IPV/Hib (4) | DtaP-IPV//Hib or DtaP-IPV//Hib/HBV(4)6 |
| 5-6 years | MMR (2) or MMRV5 Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine (2) DTaP or TdaP-IPV | MMR (2) or MMRV5 Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine (2) DTaP or TdaP-IPV |
| 9 years | HPV (from 9 years)7 | HPV (from 9 years)7 |
| 12 years | TdaP-IPV | TdaP-IPV |
| Age of child | Private practice: Option 3 |
|---|---|
| At birth | OPV (0) BCG |
| 6 weeks | OPV (1) RV (1) DTaP-IPV/Hib/HBV (1) PCV (1) |
| 10 weeks | RV (2)2 DTaP-IPV/Hib/HBV (2) PCV (2) |
| 14 weeks | RV (2 or 3)2 DTaP-IPV/Hib/HBV (3) PCV (3) |
| 9 months | Measles vaccine |
| 12-15 months | PCV (4)3 Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine (1)4 MMR (1) or MMRV5 Hepatitis A vaccine (repeat 6 months later) |
| 18 months | DtaP-IPV//Hib or DtaP-IPV//Hib/HBV(4)6 |
| 5-6 years | MMR (2) or MMRV5 Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine (2) DTaP or TdaP-IPV |
| 9 years | HPV (from 9 years)7 |
| 12 years | TdaP-IPV |
Abbreviations(0) : Birth dose, which doesn’t count as part of primary series (1) : First dose in a series (2) : Second dose in a series (3) : Third dose in a series (4) : Fourth dose (booster) BCG: Bacille Calmette-Guérin (tuberculosis vaccine) DTaP-IPV//Hib/HBV (hexavalent): Diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis/inactivated polio vaccine/ Haemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis B vaccine DTaP-IPV//Hib (pentavalent): Diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis/inactivated polio vaccine and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine EPI: Expanded Programme of Immunisation HBV: Hepatitis B vaccine HPV: Human papillomavirus vaccine MMR: Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine MMRV: Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine OPV: Oral polio vaccine PCV: Pneumococcal conjugated vaccine RV: Rotavirus vaccine Tdap-IPV (quadrivalent): Tetanus and reduced amount of diphtheria vaccine with acellular pertussis and inactivated polio vaccine. Td vaccine: Tetanus and reduced amount of diphtheria vaccine |
Notes (superscripted numbers above)1. If the hexavalent vaccine (Infanrix-Hexa®) is given according to the EPI schedule (6, 10 and 14 weeks), a birth dose of HBV (not routinely given in South Africa) is required. 2. If pentavalent RV is given, three doses are required, at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. If monovalent vaccine is given, only two doses are required, at 6 and 14 weeks. 3. When Synflorix® is given, the fourth dose can be given from 9.5 months, provided it has been six months since the last dose. 4. Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine can be given at any time from 9 months of age, but is probably most effective if given after the age of 12 months. If not given on the same day as measles vaccines, the vaccines must be separated by at least one month. Varicella vaccine can now be given in combination with MMR as MMRV. 5. MMRV is an option if varicella vaccine has not been given yet. MMRV can be given in place of MMR and varicella vaccines. 6. A booster of HBV is not routinely recommended in South Africa. 7. HPV quadrivalent vaccine can be given to boys and girls; the course consists of three doses, at 0, 2 and 6 months. HPV bivalent vaccine can be given to girls only; the course consists of three doses, at 0, 1 and 6 months. |
