Proper immunisation means initial vaccination and subsequent booster doses over a set period of time – see the easy-to-follow guide below.

Age	BCG	OPV	DPT	Hib	Hep BV	Measles/MMR	DT	Td
Birth	BCG	OPV 0
6 weeks		OPV 1	DPT 1	Hib 1	Hep BV 1
10 weeks		OPV 2	DPT 2	Hib 2	Hep BV 2
14 weeks		OPV 3	DPT 3	Hib 3	Hep BV 3
9 months						Measles 1
15 months						MMR (optional)
18 months		OPV 4	DPT 4			Measles 2 (or MMR)
5 years		OPV 5					DT
6 years								Td
12 years								Td booster

BCG = bacillus Calmette-Guérin (tuberculosis) vaccine
OPV = oral polio vaccine
DTP = diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine
DT = diphtheria, tetanus vaccine
HBV = hepatitis B vaccine
Hib = Haemophilus influenza group b (meningitis) vaccine
Td = Tetanus and diptheria vaccine 6 and 12 years old

Over the last few years there has been a fair amount of controversy regarding vaccinations, but the latest research shows that they do not cause serious harm. There can be mild side-effects such as headaches, muscle aches and fevers, which usually last for only a few hours, and the temporary side-effects that may be suffered are minimal in comparison to the sometimes-fatal diseases.

Learn more:
All you need to know about vaccines and vaccination.

Reviewed by Dr Diana Hardie, Clinical Virologist, employed jointly by University of Cape Town and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS)

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