Published 20 Aug 2026 · Updated 23 Aug 2026 · 12 min read
The short version: India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) provides more than a dozen vaccines free of charge at government health centres, from birth to age 16. The first shots, BCG, oral polio vaccine dose 0 and hepatitis B dose 0, are given at birth; the main series runs at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Missed a dose? Continue from where you left off; never restart. For the private schedule, including optional vaccines, consult your paediatrician.
The short version: India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) provides more than a dozen vaccines free of charge at government health centres, from birth to age 16. The first shots, BCG, oral polio vaccine dose 0 and hepatitis B dose 0, are given at birth; the main series runs at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Missed a dose? Continue from where you left off; never restart. For the private schedule, including optional vaccines, consult your paediatrician.
India runs one of the world's largest immunisation programmes: the UIP vaccinates roughly 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore newborns every year across about 1.3 crore sessions (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25). Yet only 76.4% of children aged 12-23 months are fully immunised, up from 62% in the previous national survey, still short of target (PIB on NFHS-5). "Fully immunised" means BCG, three doses each of DPT and polio vaccine, and one measles-rubella (MR) dose.
The diseases vaccines prevent still hurt Indian children every day:
| Stat | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Newborns vaccinated under UIP each year | ~2.6 crore (plus ~2.9 crore pregnant women) | MoHFW |
| Fully immunised children, NFHS-5 (2019-21) | 76.4% (vs 62% in NFHS-4) | PIB |
| Zero-dose children (never received a single dose) | 909,000 (2024) → 679,000 (2025) | WHO/UNICEF WUENIC |
| India's share of global TB burden | ~26% | WHO India |
Vaccination also protects children who can't be vaccinated, through herd immunity. Measles is so contagious that one infected person can infect up to 18 others, the virus lingers in the air up to 2 hours, and about 9 in 10 susceptible contacts get infected; elimination needs roughly 95% two-dose coverage (WHO measles fact sheet).
Vaccines train the immune system without the danger of the real disease: a weakened, killed or partial form of a germ teaches the body to recognise it, so memory cells fight it off quickly if the real germ arrives.
India's programme has grown for decades: the global Expanded Programme on Immunisation began in 1974, India's UIP in 1985, with vitamin A added in 1990, hepatitis B from 2002 and pentavalent from 2011-15 (Indian history of the EPI/UIP). Modern combination vaccines such as pentavalent pack diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and Hib into one shot, so they protect against more diseases with fewer pricks (Indian history of the EPI/UIP).
All doses below are free at government health centres, and the schedule is regularly updated. For example, a third fractional IPV (fIPV) dose at 9 months (given with MR-1) was added from 1 January 2023 (MoHFW fIPV poster).
| Age | Vaccines | Protects against | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| At birth | BCG, OPV-0, hepatitis B-0 | Tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis B | Hepatitis B birth dose given as early as possible |
| 6 weeks | Pentavalent-1, OPV-1, fIPV-1, RVV-1, PCV-1 | Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, rotavirus, pneumococcal disease | First visit of the main series |
| 10 weeks | Pentavalent-2, OPV-2, RVV-2 | Same as above | |
| 14 weeks | Pentavalent-3, OPV-3, fIPV-2, RVV-3, PCV-2 | Same as above | Rotavirus series ends here |
| 9-12 months | MR-1, fIPV-3, PCV booster, JE-1\*, vitamin A | Measles, rubella, polio, pneumococcal disease, Japanese encephalitis | fIPV-3 is new (since Jan 2023) |
| 16-24 months | MR-2, DPT booster, OPV booster, JE-2\*, vitamin A | Measles, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, JE | |
| 5-6 years | DPT booster | Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus | |
| 10 and 16 years | Td | Tetanus, diphtheria |
\ JE vaccine is given only in India's 355 JE-endemic districts, and it is part of routine immunisation in 334 of them* (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25).
Two points often wrong elsewhere: the government schedule gives MR (measles-rubella), not MMR. Measles vaccine has been in routine immunisation since 1985, a second dose since 2011, and rubella vaccine since 2017 (CDC MMWR). MMR (with mumps) is the private option. And vitamin A drops are not a vaccine; they are a supplement.
Government and private vaccines come from the same WHO-prequalified supply and meet the same quality standards. In fact, only about 4.2% of Indian households get childhood vaccination from the private sector (11.1% urban, 1.6% rural); the vast majority of shots already happen in public facilities (BMC Medicine).
| Government (UIP) | Private (per paediatrician) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free at government centres | Paid, roughly a few hundred to a few thousand rupees per dose, varying by city, clinic and vaccine |
| Vaccines | UIP list (table above) | UIP list plus optional vaccines (MMR, typhoid, hepatitis A, varicella, HPV, influenza) |
| Formats | Individual shots plus combination pentavalent | More combination options and "painless" DTaP formulations |
Private clinics add convenience: flexible timing, fewer visits via combination vaccines, and optional vaccines. "Painless" (acellular) vaccines are not stronger; they cause fewer injection-site reactions. Switching between a government centre and a private clinic mid-schedule is fine.
Recommended by the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) but not in the free government list, so ask your paediatrician:
BCG (tuberculosis). Given at birth, it protects against severe forms of TB, which still carries about 26% of the global burden in India (WHO India). A small scar at the injection site is normal.
OPV and fIPV (polio). Oral drops build gut immunity; fractional IPV (fIPV) shots add blood immunity, with a third dose at 9 months since 1 January 2023 (MoHFW fIPV poster). India was certified polio-free in March 2014 after years of mass vaccination (WHO India).
Pentavalent (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, Hib). One shot replaces five, covering whooping cough, tetanus and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), a leading cause of childhood pneumonia and meningitis. It was phased into the UIP during 2011-15 (Indian history of the EPI/UIP).
RVV (rotavirus). Rotavirus is the biggest cause of severe diarrhoea in Indian infants, and India was the first country in WHO's South-East Asia region to introduce an indigenous rotavirus vaccine, in March 2016 (Journal of Tropical Pediatrics).
PCV (pneumococcal). Protects against Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis. PCV started in 5 states in May 2017 and went nationwide on 12 November 2021, with over 60 million doses delivered (Gavi).
MR (measles-rubella). Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known: one case can infect up to 18 others and the virus stays airborne up to 2 hours (WHO measles fact sheet). Rubella is mild in children but dangerous in pregnancy. India's catch-up campaign vaccinated 34.77 crore children, 97.98% of the 35.49 crore target (CDC MMWR).
JE (Japanese encephalitis). A mosquito-borne viral infection causing brain inflammation, given only in the 355 endemic districts (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25). Ask your health worker whether JE is given where you live.
Td (tetanus-diphtheria). The adolescent boosters at 10 and 16 years keep protection against tetanus, a potentially fatal bacterial infection, alive beyond infancy.
Vaccines are very safe, but no medicine is entirely free of reactions. Most children have mild, short-lived effects: low-grade fever, pain or redness at the injection site, fussiness, drowsiness, reduced appetite for a day or two, or a mild rash 7-10 days after the measles (MR) dose.
Manage these at home with a cool compress, fluids and breastfeeding, plus fever medicine only as directed by your paediatrician, and never give aspirin to a child. Serious reactions are extremely rare: severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) occur in about 1 to 10 per million vaccine doses (WHO AEFI brief).
Seek medical help immediately if your child has: a fever above 102°F (38.9°C) lasting more than 24 hours; continuous crying for more than 3 hours (in infants); convulsions or seizures; unusual lethargy or unresponsiveness; or swelling of the lips, face or throat with difficulty breathing.
Myth: The MMR vaccine causes autism. Fact: the claim traces to a *1998 study in The Lancet that was formally retracted in February 2010 after the research was found to be dishonest ([the retraction](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2831678/); [analysis of the retraction](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3136032/)). Since then, large studies found no link: a Danish study of roughly half a million children found no increased autism risk after MMR ([BMJ](https://www.bmj.com/content/325/7373/1134.2)), and a meta-analysis of five cohort studies covering 1,256,407 children plus case-control studies found no association between vaccines and autism* (Vaccine journal, via PubMed).
Myth: Too many vaccines too soon overload the immune system. Fact: babies handle thousands of antigens daily, and the schedule is far smaller. The disease itself is the bigger risk: measles wipes out 11-73% of pre-existing antibody memory for 2-3 years ("immune amnesia"); the measles vaccine does not (Harvard Chan School).
Myth: A more painful vaccine works better. Fact: pain doesn't equal protection; "painless" (acellular) vaccines give the same protection with fewer reactions.
Myth: Don't vaccinate a child with a cold. Fact: a mild illness with low-grade fever is not a reason to delay vaccination, but let your health worker decide for moderate or severe illness.
Myth: Vaccines can give my child the disease. Fact: inactivated (killed) vaccines cannot cause the disease they protect against; live vaccines may rarely cause a mild form (like a rash after the measles dose), which is normal and not dangerous.
Myth: Vaccination is legally compulsory in India. Fact: it is not mandatory by law; it is strongly recommended and provided free because the benefits outweigh the very small risks (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25).
If your child missed a dose, don't panic and don't restart: continue from the missed dose on your paediatrician's or health worker's advice. Catch-up vaccination is part of the free UIP services at government centres (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25).
Free UIP vaccines are given at government health centres: anganwadi centres, primary health centres (PHC), community health centres (CHC), district hospitals and mobile outreach sessions (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25). Bring your child's MCP (immunisation) card to every visit so no dose is missed.
U-WIN is the government's digital immunisation record, nationwide since 29 October 2024; every UIP vaccination is registered, giving parents a downloadable digital immunisation certificate, a handy backup for a lost paper card (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25).
Before you go: carry the MCP card; dress the baby so arms and thighs are easy to reach; tell the health worker if your child is unwell or has reacted before; ask for the next appointment date. Giving two vaccines the same day (e.g., pentavalent and OPV together) is standard practice.
Which vaccines are given at birth? BCG, OPV dose 0 and hepatitis B dose 0, all free under the UIP (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25).
Is it MR or MMR in the government schedule? MR. Rubella vaccine has been in routine immunisation since 2017; MMR is the private option (CDC MMWR).
Why was a third fIPV dose added at 9 months? To strengthen polio protection; the third fractional IPV dose at 9 months was added from 1 January 2023 (MoHFW fIPV poster).
Are government vaccines as good as private ones? Yes: the same WHO-prequalified supply; only about 4.2% of households use the private sector for childhood vaccination (BMC Medicine).
We missed a dose. Do we restart? No. Continue from the missed dose; never restart. Rotavirus has a first-dose age cap; ask your paediatrician.
Does the MMR vaccine cause autism? No. The claim came from a retracted 1998 study, and research on more than 1.25 million children found no association (Vaccine journal, via PubMed).
What fever after vaccination needs a doctor? Fever above 102°F (38.9°C) lasting over 24 hours, continuous crying for more than 3 hours, seizures, unusual drowsiness, or breathing difficulty. Severe allergic reactions are very rare, about 1-10 per million doses (WHO AEFI brief).
Does every child in India need the JE vaccine? Only children in or travelling to the 355 JE-endemic districts (routine immunisation covers 334); ask your health worker (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25).
How do I get the digital vaccination certificate? Every UIP vaccination is recorded on U-WIN, nationwide since 29 October 2024; the certificate can be downloaded from the platform (MoHFW Annual Report 2024-25).
Which vaccines are NOT in the free government schedule? MMR, typhoid (TCV), hepatitis A, varicella, HPV, influenza and Tdap are private options. NTAGI has recommended the typhoid conjugate vaccine for the UIP, and India reports millions of typhoid cases yearly, disproportionately in children under 5 (CDC Yellow Book 2026).
Vaccination is one of the safest, most effective gifts you can give your child: it protects them, their siblings and their community. If you have questions about the schedule, a missed dose or any side effect, talk to your paediatrician or visit your nearest government health centre, and always carry your child's immunisation card.
This information is for general guidance only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified doctor about tests, diagnosis and treatment.