Vaccination Schedule India: Child Specialist Doctor Near Me

The small vaccination card you were handed in the maternity ward will follow your child for years. Doctors ask for it, schools may ask for it at admission, and it is the quickest way to see what has been given and what is still due. Yet many Kolkata parents look at it and feel unsure: why are some vaccines free and others paid for, and what if a date slips by? That uncertainty often leads to a search for a "child specialist doctor near me".

This guide explains India's two schedules, the main age points, missed doses and warning signs. It is not a dose chart: a paediatrician who has seen the card should confirm your child's exact schedule.

Two schedules, one goal: the UIP and the IAP schedule

India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) is the government schedule. Its vaccines are free at government hospitals, health centres and local immunisation sessions. It covers diseases considered essential for every child, including severe childhood tuberculosis (BCG), polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, Hib (a germ that can cause meningitis and pneumonia), measles, rubella, rotavirus diarrhoea and pneumococcal disease. Since 2026 it also gives girls aged 14 a single free dose of HPV vaccine, which protects against the virus behind most cervical cancers. Japanese encephalitis vaccine is added in districts where that infection is a concern.

The IAP vaccination schedule comes from the Indian Academy of Pediatrics. It includes the UIP vaccines and adds further vaccines that IAP recommends but that are not part of the free government programme, so they are usually paid for privately. These include vaccines against influenza, typhoid, hepatitis A, chickenpox and mumps (MMR in place of MR), and HPV vaccine from 9 years (girls aged 14 can get it free under the government programme). It may also suggest combination injections that mean fewer pricks per visit.

The two are not rivals. The UIP is the foundation; the IAP schedule adds further protection that you can plan with your doctor. Many families looking for vaccination for children in Kolkata use both, so a paediatrician should line up the dates to make sure nothing is doubled or missed.

The main age points at a glance

Treat this as a map, not a prescription; details differ between schedules and change with updated guidelines.

• At birth: BCG, a birth dose of oral polio vaccine and the hepatitis B birth dose. The hepatitis B dose should ideally be given within 24 hours of birth. If the mother has hepatitis B, the baby also needs an immunoglobulin injection within 12 hours, so tell the doctor.

• 6, 10 and 14 weeks: the main infant series, protecting against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, rotavirus and pneumococcal disease.

• From 6 months (IAP): influenza vaccine (two doses a month apart the first time, then once every year up to at least 5 years) and typhoid vaccine (TCV).

• Around 9 months: the first measles-containing vaccine (MR, for measles and rubella, under the UIP; MMR, which adds mumps, under IAP). Under the UIP this visit also includes the pneumococcal booster and a third injectable polio dose, and Japanese encephalitis vaccine in affected districts.

• 12 to 15 months (IAP): hepatitis A and the pneumococcal booster.

• 15 to 18 months: the first boosters for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio, and the second measles-containing dose. The government programme gives these between 16 and 24 months; IAP adds chickenpox vaccine around this time.

• School age (around 4 to 6 years): another diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough booster, with other boosters under IAP.

• Pre-teen and teen years (9 to 16 years): tetanus-diphtheria (Td) boosters at 10 and 16 years under the UIP. Since February 2026 the government programme also gives girls aged 14 a free dose of HPV vaccine at government health facilities. Under IAP: a Tdap booster (tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough) at 10 to 12 years, and HPV vaccine ideally between 9 and 14 years. Your paediatrician will advise on the number of doses.

For the teenage years, see adolescent health and the paediatrician.

Missed a dose? How catching up usually works

Doses get missed for ordinary reasons: illness, a move, travel during the Pujas.

• For most vaccines, a delay does not mean starting again. The doctor usually continues from where your child left off.

• Do not wait for the "next round". Book a review as soon as you notice the gap.

• Some vaccines have age limits. Rotavirus vaccine, for example, is not started after a certain age, and for others the number of doses changes if they begin late. So the catch-up plan must be made for your child individually.

• If the card is lost, the hospital or centre that gave the doses may still have records. Do not guess or repeat doses on your own.

After the injection: normal reactions and warning signs

Most reactions are mild and settle within a day or two:

• low fever, fussiness or extra sleepiness (but a baby under 3 months with a temperature of 38°C or more needs a doctor the same day, as below)

• pain, redness or slight swelling at the injection site

• feeding a little less for a day

• a mild fever or faint rash about a week after a measles-containing vaccine

• after BCG, a small bump weeks later that may become a sore, ooze a little and heal into a scar. This is expected. Keep it clean and dry, and apply nothing on it.

Feed often and keep your child lightly dressed. Do not give any medicine, including fever medicine, without asking your doctor, and never start antibiotics for a vaccine reaction.

Call your child specialist the same day if:

• your baby is under 3 months old and has a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or more, even if they seem well. If you cannot reach a doctor that day, go to a hospital emergency.

• fever lasts more than two days, keeps rising or reaches 40°C (104°F)

• swelling at an injection site keeps spreading, turns hot and very painful, or oozes pus (apart from the small expected BCG sore)

• your baby cries for three hours or more and cannot be settled

• your child is feeding much less than usual

Also book a check-up if a lump appears in the armpit or neck on the side of the BCG injection. See also when a child's fever needs a paediatrician.

Go to a hospital emergency now if:

• your child has difficulty breathing, wheezing or noisy breathing, or the lips or tongue turn blue

• the face, lips, tongue or throat swell, or hives spread across the body

• your child has a fit (seizure)

• your child becomes floppy, limp, pale or very hard to wake

• a rash of tiny red or purple spots or bruises appears that does not fade when you press a glass on it, or there is unusual bleeding from the nose or gums

• there is repeated vomiting, severe tummy pain with legs drawn up, or blood in the stool

• a baby under 3 months has a fever and is drowsy, floppy, pale or will not feed

Severe allergic reactions usually start within minutes, which is why you should wait at the vaccination centre for 30 minutes after every vaccination before leaving. For any sign above, go straight to the nearest hospital emergency. If your child is struggling to breathe, has a fit that does not stop, or cannot be woken, call 112 for an ambulance. Do not wait for a clinic appointment.

Keeping the vaccination card safe

• Photograph both sides after every visit and save the photos on your phone and in your email.

• Keep the paper card in a plastic sleeve with the birth certificate.

• Check every entry before leaving: date, vaccine name and next due date.

• Keep all records together if doses were given at different places.

• Carry the card to every doctor visit. Gaps are often spotted during a routine fever or cough consultation.

Child specialist doctor near me: what a schedule review at MCR covers

What you need is a paediatrician (pediatrician) who will check the card line by line, not just glance at it. At MCR, a vaccination advice and card review covers:

• matching the card against the UIP and IAP vaccination schedule

• a catch-up plan for missed doses

• a discussion of IAP-recommended extra vaccines, so you can decide with the doctor what suits your child

• advice on where each dose can be given and what to watch for afterwards

Paediatricians at MCR

• Dr. Debangana Chatterjee: 6 years of experience in child health and immunisation. Bengali, Hindi and English. Consultation fee Rs 800.

• Dr. Suhena Sengupta: 15 years of paediatric experience, caring for children from newborns to adolescents. Bengali, Hindi and English. Fee Rs 900.

• Dr. Agnik Chattopadhyay: 13 years of paediatric experience focused on preventive and acute care. Bengali, Hindi and English. Fee Rs 800.

See all MCR paediatricians on the Paediatrics Department page.

How to book at MCR

MCR Super Speciality Polyclinic & Pathology is at 11A, Sourin Roy Road, near Behala Tram Depot, beside Ellora Cinema Hall, Behala, Kolkata 700034, within easy reach of Sarsuna, Thakurpukur, Joka, Parnasree, Barisha, Silpara, Taratala, New Alipore and Tollygunge. The clinic is open Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 8 PM, and closed on Sunday; individual doctors keep their own timings. Call or WhatsApp 9830525004, or tap "Book Now" on the Paediatrics Department page. Please bring the vaccination card. If travelling is difficult, see online consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Are government vaccines in India really free?

Yes. Vaccines under the Universal Immunisation Programme are given free at government health facilities and immunisation sessions. The additional vaccines in the IAP schedule are usually paid for at private facilities.

Is the IAP vaccination schedule better than the government schedule?

They are not competitors. The UIP covers the core vaccines every child in India should receive, and the IAP schedule adds further recommended vaccines and sometimes different timings. A paediatrician can help you plan which extra vaccines to give and when.

My child has a cold. Should we postpone the vaccine?

A mild cold or runny nose is usually not a reason to delay. If your child has a high fever or seems quite unwell, the doctor may advise waiting until they recover. Ask your doctor rather than skipping a dose on your own.

We lost the vaccination card. What now?

Contact the hospital or centre where the doses were given, as they may have records. Doses given at government sessions may also be recorded on the government's U-WIN portal, where you can look them up using the mobile number registered at vaccination. Then bring whatever you have to a paediatrician, who will decide which doses are still needed.

What should I bring to a schedule review at MCR?

The vaccination card or clear photos of it, the birth discharge summary, records of any vaccines given privately, and a note of any reactions after earlier doses. Before any vaccine, tell the doctor if your child had a severe allergic reaction to an earlier dose, has a weak immune system or takes steroid or cancer medicines, has had a bowel blockage (intussusception), or had a fit or serious illness after a previous vaccine.

This article is general information, not a substitute for a consultation with a doctor; please follow the advice of your child's paediatrician.