The WHO vaccination schedule for babies, dose by dose
The World Health Organization's recommended routine immunisations from birth to two years in one table — what each dose protects against, the boosters that follow, and how it compares with India's IAP and UIP schedules.
The WHO recommends that every baby gets BCG, hepatitis B and oral polio at birth; then DTP-hepatitis B-Hib (pentavalent), polio, pneumococcal (PCV) and rotavirus at 6, 10 and 14 weeks, with injectable polio (IPV) from 14 weeks; measles-rubella at 9 months and again at around 15–18 months; and a DTP booster in the second year, followed by boosters at 4–7 and 9–15 years and HPV for adolescents. It is a template that countries adapt, not a single national schedule — Araia can lay it out as real dates for your baby alongside the IAP and CDC schedules.
The World Health Organization doesn't run a vaccination clinic anywhere. What it publishes is a set of recommended routine immunisations — the vaccines every child in the world should get, with the youngest age and minimum gap for each dose. National programmes then build their own schedule on top of it. India's free government Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is one of them; so is almost every national schedule across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
That makes the WHO schedule a useful reference for three kinds of parents: families outside India and the US who want to know the baseline, parents moving between countries, and anyone who wants to understand where the IAP and UIP schedules come from.
The WHO vaccination schedule, birth to 2 years
This is the common baseline used by WHO's Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI): the ages at which most national programmes give each dose. Where WHO allows a range, the table shows the age most countries use.
| Age | Vaccines due | Protects against |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | BCG · Hepatitis B (within 24 hours) · bOPV-0 | Severe childhood tuberculosis, hepatitis B, polio |
| 6 weeks | Pentavalent-1 (DTP-HepB-Hib) · bOPV-1 · PCV-1 · Rotavirus-1 | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus diarrhoea |
| 10 weeks | Pentavalent-2 · bOPV-2 · PCV-2 · Rotavirus-2 | Same as above, second dose |
| 14 weeks | Pentavalent-3 · bOPV-3 · IPV-1 · PCV-3* · Rotavirus-3* | Same as above, third dose; first injectable polio dose |
| 9 months | Measles-rubella (MR)-1 · IPV-2 | Measles, rubella, polio |
| 15–18 months | Measles-rubella (MR)-2 | Measles, rubella |
| 12–23 months | DTP booster-1 | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis |
*PCV can be given as three primary doses (3+0, shown here) or two primary doses and a booster at around 9 months (2+1) — both are WHO-approved, and countries choose one. Rotavirus is two or three doses depending on the vaccine brand.
After age 2: the boosters WHO recommends
The infant schedule isn't the end of it. Protection against tetanus and diphtheria in particular fades without boosters, which is why WHO recommends six doses of a tetanus-containing vaccine across childhood and adolescence.
| Age | Vaccine | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 4–7 years | DTP-containing booster-2 | Tops up diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis protection before school |
| 9–14 years (girls, and boys where programmes include them) | HPV — one or two doses | Prevents cervical and other HPV-related cancers; WHO accepts a single-dose schedule |
| 9–15 years | Td booster-3 | Lifelong tetanus and diphtheria protection |
Vaccines WHO recommends only in some places
Several vaccines are recommended by WHO but only where the disease is common or for particular groups, so they don't appear in every country's schedule. These are the ones parents most often ask about:
- Typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) — a single dose from 6 months in countries where typhoid is endemic. Highly relevant in most of South Asia, including India.
- Japanese encephalitis — in endemic regions of Asia, typically from 9 months.
- Yellow fever — at 9–12 months in endemic countries of Africa and South America.
- Malaria (RTS,S or R21) — four doses from about 5 months in areas with moderate to high transmission.
- Influenza, varicella, mumps and hepatitis A — recommended where programmes can deliver them well; many richer countries include them routinely.
- RSV protection — either a maternal vaccine in late pregnancy or a long-acting antibody (nirsevimab) for the baby, so newborns are protected through their first RSV season.
Follow the WHO schedule in AraiaChoose WHO as your baby's schedule and Araia turns every dose into a real date from your baby's birthday, reminds you before each one is due, and keeps a photo of the vaccination card next to it. Switch to IAP or CDC at any time.
Get Araia freeWHO vs IAP vs the government UIP schedule
If you live in India, you'll meet three schedules at once. Here is how they relate:
| WHO | UIP (India, free) | IAP (India, private) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Global baseline that countries adapt | India's national programme, built on WHO | Indian Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation |
| Primary doses | 6, 10, 14 weeks | 6, 10, 14 weeks | 6, 10, 14 weeks |
| Measles | Measles-rubella (MR) | MR | MMR — adds mumps |
| Polio | Oral drops + 2 IPV | Oral drops + fractional IPV | IPV injections, plus OPV on national days |
| Typhoid | Where endemic | Not routine | Routine (TCV) |
| Hep A, varicella, flu | Optional, by programme | Not routine | Routine |
In short: the UIP is essentially the WHO schedule adapted for India, and the IAP schedule is the UIP plus extras. If you're following a private paediatrician in India, our full IAP vaccination chart is the one they're working from. If you're in the United States, see the CDC vaccine schedule instead.
Your country's national schedule — and your paediatrician — decide the exact timing for your baby. Preterm birth, illness, travel and local outbreaks can all change it. Confirm every dose with them.
Late, missed or moving countries
WHO's guidance on interrupted schedules is the same as everyone else's: resume, don't restart. A dose given late still counts; you simply give the next one in the series. What matters is respecting the minimum gap between doses (usually four weeks for the infant series) and the few age limits, of which rotavirus is the important one.
If you move between countries mid-schedule, bring the written record and let the new clinic map what's been given onto their schedule. Most doses translate directly — a pentavalent dose given at 6 weeks in India counts as a DTaP, Hib and hepatitis B dose in the UK or US. Expect a few differences, such as BCG (not routine in the US or UK) or MMR instead of MR.
Photograph every vaccination card entry the day it's written. A single place for your baby's health records saves a lot of guesswork at a new clinic.
Frequently asked questions
What vaccines does WHO recommend at birth?
Is the WHO vaccination schedule the same in every country?
What is the difference between the WHO and IAP vaccination schedules?
Does WHO recommend the MMR vaccine?
Can I follow the WHO vaccine schedule in an app?
This guide is general information for parents, written from published paediatric guidance (WHO, AAP, CDC, IAP). It is not medical advice and cannot account for your baby specifically. Anything that worries you — feeding, breathing, fever, weight, a rash — is a call to your paediatrician, not a search. In an emergency, go to a hospital.
Stop keeping it all in your head
Araia logs feeds, nappies, sleep and weight in one tap, tracks the IAP vaccination schedule for you, and answers questions using your own baby's history.