# Immunisation Schedule

> Nursing notes on the immunisation schedule for nursing exams: India NIS vaccines by age, routes and doses, contraindications and cold chain points.

- Canonical URL: https://prepelephant.com/topics/allied/nursing/immunisation-schedule
- Exam / course: Allied Health · Subject: Nursing
- Publisher: PrepElephant (https://prepelephant.com) — Prepared and reviewed by the PrepElephant Academic Review Team
- First published: 2026-10-02
- Last updated: 2026-10-02
- How to cite: "Immunisation Schedule", PrepElephant, https://prepelephant.com/topics/allied/nursing/immunisation-schedule

## Direct answer

India's National Immunisation Schedule under the Universal Immunisation Programme gives BCG, bOPV-0 and the hepatitis B birth dose at birth; pentavalent (DPT, hepatitis B, Hib) with bOPV at 6, 10 and 14 weeks, plus fractional IPV at 6 and 14 weeks; rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines in the first months; MR-1 at 9–12 months and MR-2 with the first DPT booster at 16–24 months; a second DPT booster at 5–6 years; and TT/Td at 10 and 16 years, with Td for pregnant women. JE vaccine is added in endemic districts, and state variations exist, so confirm the current official schedule.

## What you must remember

- At birth: BCG 0.1 mL intradermally over the left deltoid, bOPV-0 within the first 15 days, and hepatitis B birth dose within 24 hours.
- 6, 10 and 14 weeks: pentavalent-1, 2 and 3 intramuscularly in the anterolateral thigh with bOPV-1, 2 and 3 orally; fIPV (fractional intradermal IPV) at 6 and 14 weeks; rotavirus orally at 6, 10 and 14 weeks; PCV-1 at 6 weeks with PCV-2 at 14 weeks and a booster at 9–12 months.
- 9–12 completed months: MR-1 subcutaneously with the PCV booster and JE-1 in endemic districts; 16–24 months: MR-2, DPT booster-1 and bOPV booster (JE-2 in endemic districts).
- Older children: DPT booster-2 at 5–6 years, then TT/Td at 10 and 16 years; pregnant women receive two Td doses at least four weeks apart if unimmunised, the last at least two weeks before delivery.
- Minor illness, malnutrition and mild diarrhoea are not contraindications; genuine ones include severe allergy to a previous dose, progressive neurological disease for pertussis vaccines and significant immunodeficiency for live vaccines (BCG is withheld in symptomatic HIV infection).
- The cold chain keeps vaccines at 2–8 degrees C; frozen DPT must be discarded, detected by the shake test.
- Record every dose in the immunisation card and tally sheet, report adverse events through AEFI surveillance, and catch up missed doses without restarting.

## Common confusion

Routes are endlessly swapped: BCG is strictly intradermal at the left deltoid, MR and JE subcutaneous, and pentavalent, full-dose IPV and PCV intramuscular — only fractional IPV is intradermal. Doses confuse too: BCG and fIPV use 0.1 mL while most injectables use 0.5 mL. Remember also that the hepatitis B birth dose sits outside the pentavalent series.

## Exam-focused takeaway

Age-to-vaccine matching dominates: learn birth, 6-10-14 weeks, 9–12 months, 16–24 months, 5–6 years and 10 and 16 years as fixed rungs. Add the route and dose table, the two-dose Td rule in pregnancy, the 2–8 degrees C cold chain and AEFI reporting. Contraindication stems test that a runny nose or mild fever never postpones immunisation while symptomatic HIV or prior anaphylaxis does. Mission Indradhanush, the drive to reach the partially immunised, earns marks.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which vaccines are given at birth under the NIS?

BCG intradermally over the left deltoid, bOPV-0 within the first 15 days and the hepatitis B birth dose within 24 hours.

### What is the pentavalent vaccine and when is it given?

A single injection of DPT, hepatitis B and Hib vaccines given intramuscularly in the anterolateral thigh at 6, 10 and 14 weeks.

### When are MR vaccine doses administered?

MR-1 at 9–12 completed months and MR-2 at 16–24 months, both subcutaneously, with JE added at the same ages in endemic districts.

### Is minor illness a reason to postpone vaccination?

No — mild fever, cough, diarrhoea or malnutrition does not contraindicate immunisation; anaphylaxis to a prior dose or significant immunodeficiency does.

### What immunisation is given to pregnant women?

Two Td doses at least four weeks apart if unimmunised, the last at least two weeks before delivery, with a single booster in later pregnancies.