How many months should the pentavalent vaccine be started?

Vaccine is a great invention in modern life. This medicine is a very important substance in preventive medicine and can play a good blocking effect on certain epidemic diseases. Therefore, vaccination is a good way to maintain health. There are many types of vaccines, and some vaccines can be injected together. For example, the pentavalent vaccine is a commonly used one. Let’s take a look at how many months should the pentavalent vaccine be administered?

How many months should the pentavalent vaccine be administered?

The standard vaccination schedule for the pentavalent vaccine is one dose each at 2, 3, 4, and 18 months of age. The shortest interval between the first three doses is ≥28 days (calculated in calendar months), and the shortest interval between the 3rd and 4th doses is 6 months. If a child starts receiving the pentavalent vaccine at 6 months of age, then he or she should receive one dose each at 6, 7, 8 and 18 months of age; if a child starts receiving the pentavalent vaccine at 15 months of age, then he or she should receive one dose each at 15, 16, 17 and 23 months of age (17 months + minimum interval of 6 months). If you want to get the pentavalent vaccine, you should get it as early as possible to get the best protection.

My baby has already received traditional vaccines. Can I switch to the pentavalent vaccine?

Yes, the vaccination principle in this case is to avoid exceeding the total number of doses of each traditional vaccine by administering the pentavalent vaccine. As traditional vaccines, the total number of doses for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccines, polio vaccines and Haemophilus influenzae vaccines are 4. The following is an exhaustive list of possible situations:

① The baby has received polio vaccine at 2 months old: 1 dose of pentavalent vaccine each at 3, 4 and 18 months old; and DPT vaccine and Haemophilus influenzae vaccine at 5 months old.

② The baby has received polio vaccine at 2 and 3 months of age, and DTP vaccine at 3 months of age: 1 dose of pentavalent vaccine each at 4 months and 18 months of age; DTP vaccine and Haemophilus influenzae vaccine at 5 months of age; Haemophilus influenzae vaccine at 6 months of age.

③ If the baby has received polio vaccine at 2, 3, or 4 months of age, and DTP vaccine at 3 or 4 months of age: 1 dose of pentavalent vaccine at 18 months of age; DTP vaccine at 5 months of age. If you have money, it is recommended to start vaccinating your children with Haemophilus influenzae vaccine at 5 months of age, and then give them another dose of Haemophilus influenzae vaccine at 6 and 7 months of age.