Immunisations
Immunisations
Remember to immunise (unimmunised) children against measles if they come into hospital after the age of 9 months. Remember to immunise children on discharge from hospital if their immunisations are not up to date or due, to record this on the road to health card, to arrange a follow up at the local clinic for further immunisations and to notify the caregiver of this appointment.
Coughs and colds are NOT a contra-indication to vaccination. A history of “allergy” is NOT a contra-indication. Egg allergy is NOT a contra-indication to MMR / measles vaccine (grown on egg fibroblasts but have no egg protein), but do not give yellow fever or chicken pox vaccines to children with confirmed egg allergy. Live vaccines (BCG, oral polio, measles and MMR) should not be given to immune-suppressed individuals (leukaemia, cytotoxic drugs).Avoid BCG in symptomatic HIV, but other live vaccines are NOT contra-indicated in HIV. Kwashiorkor and marasmus are NOT contra-indications for live vaccines. Doses are OPV 3 drops orally, all IMI injections are 0.5mls.
Expanded Programme on Immunisation - EPI (SA)
Revised Childhood Immunisation Schedule from April 2009
| Age of Child | Vaccines Needed | How and where is it given? |
| At Birth | BCG Bacilles Calmette Guerin | Right arm |
| OPV (0) Oral Polio Vaccine | Drops by mouth | |
| 6 Weeks | OPV (1) Oral Polio Vaccine | Drops by mouth |
| RV (1) Rotavirus Vaccine | Liquid by mouth | |
| DTaP-IPV//Hib (1) Dipheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, Inactivated Polio Vaccine and Haemophilus Influenzae type b Combined | Intramuscular/Left thigh | |
| Hep B (1) Hepatitis B Vaccine | Intramuscular/Right thigh | |
| PCV7(1) Pneumococcal Conjugated Vaccine | Intramuscular/Right thigh | |
| 10 Weeks | DTaP-IPV//Hib (2) Dipheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, Inactivated Polio Vaccine and Haemophilus Influenzae type b Combined | Intramuscular/Left thigh |
| Hep B (2) Hepatitis B Vaccine | Intramuscular/Right thigh | |
| 14 Weeks | RV (2) Rotavirus Vaccine* | Liquid by mouth |
| DTaP-IPV//Hib (3) Dipheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, Inactivated Polio Vaccine and Haemophilus Influenzae type b Combined | Intramuscular/Left thigh | |
| Hep B (3) Hepatitis B Vaccine | Intramuscular/Right thigh | |
| PCV7 (2) Pneumococcal Conjugated Vaccine | Intramuscular/Right thigh | |
| 9 Months | Measles Vaccine (1) | Intramuscular/Left thigh |
| PCV7 (3) Pneumococcal Conjugated Vaccine | Intramuscular/Right thigh | |
| 18 Months | DTaP-IPV//Hib (4) Dipheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, Inactivated Polio Vaccine and Haemophilus Influenzae type b Combined | Intramuscular/Left arm |
| Measles Vaccine (2) | Intramuscular/Right arm | |
| 6 Years (Both boys and girls) | Td Vaccine Tetanus and reduced strength of dipheria Vaccine | Intramuscular/Left arm |
| 12 Years (Both boys and girls) | Td Vaccine Tetanus and reduced strength of dipheria Vaccine | Intramuscular/Left arm |
*Rotavirus Vaccine should NOT be administered after 24 weeks.