When should I get my child vaccinated in the UAE? Here’s a checklist to follow

Dubai: Has your child received the necessary vaccines for their age group? The UAE has a comprehensive immunisation programme, that ensures that children are protected from communicable diseases. On January 24, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) posted a vaccine checklist on its official social media channels to guide parents on the mandatory vaccines school-going children should receive based on their age.

It is important for parents to keep their child’s vaccination record up to date, to prevent the spread of communicable diseases such as polio, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis and Hepatitis B. Here is a look at all the vaccines that children should receive, as per the announcement by SPEA.

The authority also urged parents to consult a pediatrician, in case their child has missed a dose, to implement a new vaccination schedule so that their child can catch up with the immunisation programme.

What is the National Immunisation Programme schedule?

According to UAE’s official government portal – u.ae – the UAE Government mandates vaccinations to children from the day they are born to the time they reach Grade 11. Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) issues a vaccination card for each child. The card records all the required vaccines and the date of the vaccination.

What are the mandatory vaccines for each age group?

Depending on the age of the child, these are all the necessary vaccines that they should have:

Age group: five to six years (Grade 1)

Age group: 13 to 14 years old (Grade 8)

• HPV 1, and HPV 2 for girls

Age group: 15 to 18 years (Grade 10 to 12)

• TDP/Tdap booster

• Meningococcal vaccine

However, these are not the first vaccines your child will receive. To know more about the vaccines that children receive from birth, until they are of school going age, read our detailed guide here.