The Pakistani EPI vaccination schedule — what your child should have, and when

The Government of Pakistan's Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) is one of the country's strongest public-health programmes. The schedule covers eleven diseases and is offered free at government EPI centres and partner clinics. Here is the full schedule, plus the private additions we routinely recommend.

The free EPI schedule

At birth

• BCG (tuberculosis) — left upper arm, single dose
• OPV-0 (oral polio vaccine, birth dose)
• Hepatitis B (birth dose) — within 24 hours of birth

6 weeks

• Penta-1 (DTwP-HepB-Hib — diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b)
• OPV-1 (oral polio)
• PCV-1 (pneumococcal conjugate)
• IPV (injectable polio)
• Rota-1 (rotavirus, oral)

10 weeks

• Penta-2
• OPV-2
• PCV-2
• Rota-2

14 weeks

• Penta-3
• OPV-3
• PCV-3
• Rota-3
• IPV-2

9 months

• Measles-1

15 months

• Measles-2
• TCV (typhoid conjugate vaccine, added to EPI in 2019)

Privately recommended additions

These are not in the free EPI schedule but are routinely recommended by Pakistani paediatricians and are available at our clinic.

12 months

• MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) — broader coverage than the EPI measles dose alone

12–15 months

• Varicella (chickenpox) — 2-dose schedule with second dose at 4–6 years

12 months

• Hepatitis A — 2-dose schedule, second dose 6 months later

6 months (annually)

• Influenza vaccine — yearly, especially for asthmatic children

9 years (girls), 11–12 years (boys + girls)

• HPV (human papillomavirus) — 2-dose schedule before age 14, 3-dose after

Common questions

"My child missed a dose — do we restart?"

No. Resume from where you left off; do not restart the series. The immune system remembers prior doses even years later.

"Are the EPI vaccines safe? I read on WhatsApp..."

The EPI vaccines are quality-assured by the WHO, supplied through UNICEF, and stored in a monitored cold chain. The "WhatsApp forwards" you've seen are not a substitute for the millions of doses safely administered every year. **The risk of the diseases — polio, measles, whooping cough — vastly exceeds the risk of the vaccines.**

"Should we use the EPI centres or come to your clinic?"

Both are fine. The free EPI centres administer the core schedule reliably; come to us for the privately-recommended additions (MMR, varicella, Hep A, flu) and for any child with complex medical history or recent illness. Many of our patients use a combination.

"What records should we keep?"

Use the **EPI yellow card** issued at the first visit. Bring it every time. We also keep an electronic copy on our system from any vaccination administered with us. The yellow card is required for school admissions and for travel applications.

Book a paediatric vaccination visit

Routine vaccinations at our clinic happen **Saturdays 10 AM – 1 PM** with the paediatric nursing team. Walk-in is fine but a WhatsApp 30 minutes ahead means no wait. Visit fees and vaccine costs are itemised separately at reception.

If your child is overdue on the schedule — bring them in regardless. Catch-up is straightforward and never as bad as you fear.