2.6 What vaccination schedules are used in other countries?
Description
This article is from the Childhood Vaccinations FAQ, by Lynn Gazis-Sax lynng@alsirat.com with numerous contributions by others.
2.6 What vaccination schedules are used in other countries?
Routine vaccination is practiced in many countries, but specific
schedules vary from country to country. The vaccine for tuberculosis
is given in some countries where tuberculosis is common, but is not
given in the US. Tetanus toxoid is given to pregnant women in
countries where neonatal tetanus is common. Some countries, like the
US, vaccinate all infants against rubella, while others choose instead
to vaccinate adolescent girls (as of 1992 - I am not sure whether this
is still true, as I know that the UK, at least, has switched to infant
vaccination since then). (Galazka). When this FAQ was first written,
there were significant differences between countries in requirements
and coverage for the pertussis vaccine, but, with the introduction of
the new acellular pertussis vaccine, countries which had increased the
age of pertussis vaccination or made it optional have returned it to
their schedules.
There is also some variation in the schedules at which vaccines are
given. For example, schedules for DTP vaccine include 2, 3, and 4
months, or 3, 4, and 5 months, or 3, 5-6, and 7-15 months, and booster
doses are given in some countries at 12-14 months, and in some
countries at 3-6 years (Galazka - two charts in this article give DTP
schedules for various countries in Europe and percentages of countries
following different schedules in different regions of the world).
People outside the US are advised to consult their doctors about the
specifics of vaccination schedules in their countries (keeping
vaccination schedules for all the countries represented in misc.kids
current is probably too big a job for one FAQ
maintainer). http://www.who.org is also a good source for vaccination
schedules in various countries.
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