Is it safe to follow two weeks delay schedule of vaccination?
Prof HPS Sachdev,
Senior Consultant Pediatrics,
Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research,
New Delhi
Q: My 50 days old baby has been given following vaccination birth - OPV & Hepatitis B vaccination, seventh day of life - BCG vaccination, 47th day of life – sixth week: Prevenar & Easy five vaccination and 50th day of life – seventh week: IPV vaccination. Now, the doctor recommended us to use the same vaccination & has called us for next two immunisation schedule after 45 days. However, the immunisation schedule as given in IAPCOI Web-Portal should be on 10th week after the birth. Is it safe to follow two weeks delay schedule of vaccination? Instead of 6, 10, 14 weeks schedule, our doctor recommends 6, 12, 18 weeks. Is my child on right treatment? We are taking Easy Five vaccination, which is a combination vaccination of DTP, Hepatitis B and Hib. Should we continue with Easy Five vaccination?
A:The immunisation schedule prescribed by your doctor is a little complex to understand. As a general principle there should be a minimum gap of 4 weeks between two vaccinations. I would opt for sticking to the IAP recommended schedule and the gap between the first, second and third doses are 4 weeks rather than 6 weeks.