Immunization schedule for babies and children in the Philippines

Vaccines teach your child's body to fight certain germs before they meet them. This is much safer than getting protection by catching the disease.

These diseases are not things of the past. In 2019, the Department of Health (DOH) declared measles outbreaks in five regions, and 203 people had died of measles by late February. About 6 in 10 people with measles had not been vaccinated. The same year, Lanao del Sur had outbreaks of both measles and polio.

Vaccines also protect babies too young for some vaccines, because germs spread less when most children in a barangay are vaccinated. For measles, about 95 out of 100 children need to be vaccinated to stop it spreading. Partial DOH data for 2024 (as of January 2025) counted only about 61% of eligible babies as fully immunized, not counting vaccines given in private clinics. In 2025, WHO still listed the Philippines among the 10 countries with the most unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children.

The DOH National Immunization Program (NIP) gives these basic vaccines free at public health centers. The usual schedule is:

• At birth: BCG, which protects against severe forms of tuberculosis (TB), and the first hepatitis B vaccine. WHO advises giving hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth.
• At 6 weeks: pentavalent vaccine (dose 1), oral polio vaccine (OPV) (dose 1) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) (dose 1).
• At 10 weeks: pentavalent, OPV and PCV (dose 2).
• At 14 weeks: pentavalent, OPV and PCV (dose 3), plus the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) injection.
• At 9 months: the first measles-containing vaccine, such as MMR (measles, mumps and rubella).
• At 12 months: the second measles-containing vaccine.

What the names mean:

• Pentavalent ("5-in-1") protects against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough, or ubong-dalahit), tetanus, hepatitis B and Hib, a germ that causes meningitis and pneumonia.
• PCV protects against pneumococcus, a common cause of pneumonia, ear infections and meningitis.
• OPV is given as drops in the mouth. IPV is an injection. Using both gives stronger protection against polio. WHO now advises a second IPV dose, so your health center may give one more later, often with the measles vaccine.

The DOH counts a child as fully immunized after one BCG, three pentavalent, three OPV and two measles-containing doses by the first birthday.

The Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) also lists the rotavirus vaccine among the free program vaccines. It protects against a common cause of severe diarrhea in babies. Supply differs between areas, so ask your health center at the 6-week visit.

After the baby years, the DOH school program Bakuna Eskwela, brought back in 2024, gives measles-rubella (MR), tetanus-diphtheria (Td) and HPV vaccines to selected grades in public schools. HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV most often linked to cervical cancer.

Schedules change from time to time: follow your health center's schedule.

1. Go to your barangay health station, rural health unit (RHU) or city health center. Vaccines for the NIP are free. Many centers have a set immunization day each week or month, so ask which day.
2. Bring your baby's vaccination record (baby book or health center card) every time. The health worker writes each vaccine and the next due date there.
3. Start at birth. If your baby is born in a hospital or lying-in clinic, BCG and hepatitis B are usually given before you go home.
4. Come back on the due date. A study in three regions found many Filipino babies got vaccines weeks late, leaving them unprotected when youngest.
5. Watch for outreach visits. Through DOH strategies such as Reaching Every Purok, health workers bring vaccines to remote communities, and in some areas they go house to house to find children who missed doses.
6. Ask about digital records. Since July 2025, some local governments use DigiVacc. Its VaccCheck app lets parents see their child's record and get reminders.

If the center runs out of a vaccine, ask when to come back.

Not sure where your nearest public health center is? Use our Find care page.

PhilHealth Newborn Care Package: for babies born in PhilHealth-accredited hospitals, birthing homes and lying-in clinics, this package pays for essential newborn care, including the BCG and hepatitis B vaccines, newborn screening and the hearing test. As of the 2019 update, the newborn needed to stay in the facility for at least 24 hours to qualify, unless referred. Ask the facility's PhilHealth desk what is covered now.

Private pediatricians and clinics: you pay for each vaccine and the visit. Many families use the free health center vaccines and add extra ones privately.

The PPS and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines recommend more vaccines than the free program covers. Their 2020 list includes:

• boosters for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, polio, Hib, hepatitis B and pneumococcus
• influenza (flu), once a year after the first doses
• chickenpox (varicella) and hepatitis A
• Japanese encephalitis, a serious brain infection
• HPV, if your child does not get it in school

Prices differ between clinics, so ask the cost of each dose and how many are needed. If you can't afford extras, make sure your child at least finishes the free NIP vaccines on time.

If your child missed a vaccine, it is not too late for most of them. Bring your child to the health center or doctor. They will give the missed vaccines based on your child's present age. Your child usually does not need to start the whole series again.

• Lost the baby book? If the record can't be found, the PPS says the missed vaccines can simply be given again based on age and history. Extra doses do not cause harm. Missing vaccines is the bigger danger.
• Some vaccines have age limits. Rotavirus vaccine is only for young babies. WHO advises starting it soon after 6 weeks of age and never after 24 months, and some brands must be finished much earlier, by 24 weeks (about 6 months). Hib vaccine is not needed for healthy children after age 5. Ask early, before your child gets too old for them.
• During outbreaks, the DOH runs catch-up campaigns, such as Chikiting Ligtas in 2023 and a measles-rubella campaign in Mindanao in early 2026. These free campaigns help children catch up. Still keep to the routine schedule in the baby book.

Most side effects are mild and go away in a few days:

• crying for a short time, then settling with a hug or breastfeeding
• redness, swelling or soreness where the needle went in, for 2 to 3 days
• feeling fussy, sleepy or unwell, or a mild fever for 1 or 2 days

How to help your child:

• Breastfeed or give fluids as usual, and cuddle your child.
• Use a cold compress on a sore, swollen injection site.
• Dress your child lightly. Don't wrap them in thick blankets.
• If your child has a fever and is uncomfortable, paracetamol may help. Use the dose printed on the label for your child's age or weight. Ask a doctor first for a baby under 3 months. Do not give aspirin to children under 16 unless a doctor prescribes it.

BCG: a small bump appears and then usually turns into a blister or small sore after about 2 weeks. It forms a scab and heals over weeks to months, leaving a small flat scar. Leave it uncovered, and don't put a plaster (band-aid) on it. If it oozes, cover it loosely with a dry dressing until a scab forms.

MMR: some children get a rash, fever and feel unwell around 7 to 11 days after the shot, or mild swelling of the cheeks or neck about 2 to 3 weeks later. These pass in a few days.

Rotavirus: watch for the rare bowel blockage in the week after the vaccine (see the warning signs on this page).

Serious allergic reactions are very rare. They usually start within minutes, most within 30 minutes, so don't rush home right after the shot. Health workers are trained to treat them.

Very few children can't have vaccines. A mild illness is usually not a reason to skip a visit.

• Mild cold, cough or runny nose without a high fever: your child can usually still be vaccinated.
• High fever or very unwell: the health worker may ask you to come back once your child is better.
• A severe allergic reaction to an earlier dose or to a vaccine ingredient: tell the health worker before any vaccine.
• Weak immune system, for example from HIV, cancer treatment or long-term steroid medicines, or a mother who took medicines that weaken the immune system during pregnancy: some live vaccines (such as BCG, MMR, oral polio and rotavirus) may not be safe. Your doctor will advise which ones your child can have.
• Past bowel blockage (intussusception) or some rare bowel conditions: tell the health worker before rotavirus vaccine.

If you are not sure, go anyway and ask. The health worker will check first.

• "Too many shots at once will weaken my baby." Giving several vaccines in one visit is safe. It does not overload the immune system, and it means fewer visits.
• "Vaccines cause autism." Large studies have found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
• "After Dengvaxia, I don't trust vaccines." Trust in vaccines dropped in the Philippines after the dengue vaccine issue. The routine baby vaccines are different and have been used for decades. The measles vaccine has been in the Philippine program since the 1960s.
• "Catching the disease gives better immunity." Measles, whooping cough and tetanus can kill or disable a child. For tetanus and diphtheria, even surviving the disease does not protect you.
• "It is up to fate." In Bangsamoro, Muslim religious leaders have explained that vaccines are not haram. As one imam said, you do your part first by getting vaccinated.
• "The vaccine will give my child the disease." Vaccines contain germs that have been weakened or killed, or only parts of them. The risk of a healthy child catching the disease from a vaccine is very low.

Be careful with vaccine stories shared on social media. Ask your health worker or pediatrician, and see our guide on reliable health information. You can also ask our AI child health guide or talk to a nurse.