Vaccination time table
Vaccinations (also called immunisation) protect children against a range of childhood diseases, through the use of a vaccine. Ireland's childhood vaccination programme is free to all children and available from your GP.
How do vaccinations work?
The vaccine helps your child prevent or fight off certain diseases and may be administered as an injection. Once injected it stimulates your child's immune system to make antibodies to fight the disease. The only other way to build up immunity to any disease is to catch it, but there is a much greater risk of serious complications from having the full disease than from having the vaccine. There are currently no proven effective alternatives to immunisation.
| Age | Where | Vaccination |
|---|---|---|
| At birth | Hospital/Clinic | Bacille Calmette-Guérin (TB) |
| 2 months (2 Injections) |
GP | 6 in 1 (Includes Diptheria, Polio, Tetanus, Hib, Pertussis, Hepatitis B Vaccinations) & Pneumococcal Vaccination |
| 4 months (2 Injections) |
GP | 6 in 1 (Includes Diptheria, Polio, Tetanus, Hib, Pertussis, Hepatitis B Vaccinations) & Meningococcal C Vaccination |
| 6 months 3 Injections |
GP | 6 in 1 (Includes Diptheria, Polio, Tetanus, Hib, Pertussis, Hepatitis B Vaccinations) & Meningococcal C Vaccination & Pneumococcal Vaccination |
| 12 months (2 Injections) |
GP | Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine (MMR) & Pneumococcal Vaccination |
| 13 months (1-2 Injections) |
GP | Meningococcal C Vaccination + Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) |
| 4 - 5 Years (1-2 Injections) |
GP/School | 4 in 1 (includes Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis and Polio Vaccines) & Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccination |
| 11 - 14 Years |
Diphtheria, Tetanus | |
| 12 years (Girls only) | Human Papillomavirus | |
| * Reference: HSE National Immunisation Office May 2010 |
||
Recommended vaccines protect against:
| Diphtheria: | This is a serious infectious disease which affects the mucous membranes, especially in the throat. |
| Hib | Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b): this can cause a range of illnesses including pneumonia, infections in bones and joints, a severe form of croup, septicaemia or blood poisoning and one form of bacterial meningitis. |
| MMR | Measles, Mumps, Rubella (German measles) |
| Tuberculosis (TB): | A contagious bacteria affecting the lungs. |
| Polio: | A viral infection spread by close contact with an infected person's faeces. It causes fever, headache, vomiting and in some cases, permanent paralysis. |
| Tetanus (lockjaw): | A bacteria from soil that releases a toxin, causing painful muscle spasms, convulsions and lockjaw. The risk is greatest for very young or very old people. |
| Pertussis (whooping cough): | A bacterial infection that can cause a whooping cough and vomiting. The disease can last up to three months. |
| Group C Meningococcal Disease (meningitis): | A bacterial infection spread by close contact causing meningitis or septicaemia, or both. |
| Pneumococcal: | A disease which can cause meningitis, septicaemia and pneumonia. |
| HPV: | Human Papillomavirus - more commonly known as HPV, is a viral infection spread through skin to skin contact. HPV is a group of over 100 different viruses, with at least 30 strains known to cause different types of cancer. |
download the "A useful guide to children's vaccination" leaflet