Your child's vaccines in South Africa: the schedule explained

South Africa's public vaccine programme protects children against around a dozen diseases, from tuberculosis and polio to measles and whooping cough. The vaccines are free at public clinics. Private practices give the same vaccines, plus a few extras, for a fee that most medical aids cover from your benefits.

The schedule, age by age

• At birth: BCG (tuberculosis) and the first oral polio drops, usually before you leave the maternity unit
• 6 weeks: the 6-in-1 combination vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib and hepatitis B), pneumococcal (PCV), rotavirus and oral polio
• 10 weeks: the second 6-in-1
• 14 weeks: the third 6-in-1, the second PCV and the second rotavirus
• 6 months: measles and rubella (MR), first dose
• 9 months: the third PCV
• 12 months: measles and rubella, second dose
• 18 months: the 6-in-1 booster
• 6 years and 12 years: tetanus and diphtheria boosters
• Grade 5: a single dose of HPV vaccine for girls, given at public schools

Our vaccine planner works out the exact dates from your child's date of birth and lets you add reminders to your phone's calendar.

What changed recently

In 2024 rubella was added to the measles vaccine, so children now get a combined measles and rubella (MR) vaccine at 6 and 12 months. Rubella is usually mild in children, but infection in pregnancy can cause serious birth defects, so protecting children also protects pregnant women around them.

Since 2023, babies whose mothers have hepatitis B get an extra hepatitis B dose at birth. All babies are protected against hepatitis B from 6 weeks through the 6-in-1 vaccine.

Optional vaccines

These are not on the public schedule but are available privately. Your doctor can help you decide which make sense for your child:

• Chickenpox (varicella), from 12 months
• Hepatitis A, two doses from 12 months
• Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), which adds mumps protection
• Meningococcal vaccines
• Flu, every autumn from 6 months
• HPV for boys, and for girls who missed the school dose

Missed a dose?

It happens, and it is rarely too late. Most vaccines can be caught up without starting again. Bring the Road to Health booklet and we will check it with you and plan the catch-up doses.

After the injection

A sore leg or arm, a mild fever and a grumpy day or two are common and pass quickly. Call us if your child seems very unwell, and go to an emergency unit if you are worried and we are closed.

This guide is general information, not medical advice for your situation. Please speak to a doctor about your own health.