Recommended vaccination schedule

Getting vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your children from harmful diseases. Use this page to understand which vaccines are recommended for you and your family members at every stage of life. 

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Baby's first year

Vaccines, also called immunizations, help protect your baby from serious diseases. 

  • Hepatitis B (1st dose of 3)
  • Respiratory syncytial virus antibody(RSV) (1 dose)
    • Administer shortly before RSV season or within 1 week of birth if born during RSV season (Oct–Mar in most of the U.S.)
    • Not needed if the baby’s mother received the RSV vaccine 14 days or more before delivery

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress.

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress. 

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress. 

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress. 

Parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of COVID vaccination with a healthcare provider.

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Before age 2

By following the recommended schedule and fully immunizing your child by 2 years of age, your child should be protected against 16 vaccine preventable diseases.

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress. 

Parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of COVID vaccination with a healthcare provider. 

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress. 

Parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of COVID vaccination with a healthcare provider. 

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Children

Your child should visit the doctor once a year for check-ups. During this time, your child receives the following vaccines.

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress. 

Parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of COVID vaccination with a healthcare provider. 

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress. 

Parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of COVID vaccination with a healthcare provider. 

Note: many vaccines may be combined into a single shot as a safe effective way to lessen pokes and stress. 

Parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of COVID vaccination with a healthcare provider. 

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Adults

Immunizations are not just for children. Adults also are at risk for some vaccine-preventable diseases. Find out which vaccines are recommended for you based on your age.

  • COVID-19
  • Flu
  • Pneumococcal (for adults age 50 or older who never received a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine)
  • Shingles (2 doses, if not already received)
  • Td: tetanus, diphtheria (booster every 10 years)
  • RSV (For ages 75 and older, or adults ages 50-74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV) 
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 Immunizations at-a-glance

The Centers for Disease Control recommends the following vaccinations.  This is not a comprehensive list of all vaccines available to you and your family. Please talk to your provider regarding specific circumstances, such as international travel.

 
Birth

2
months

 4
months		 6
months		 12-15
months		 15-18 months Age
4-6		 Age
9-13		 Age
16-18		 Age
19-49		 Age
50-64		 Age
65+
Chickenpox          ✓     ✓           
COVID-19‡                     ✓    ✓    ✓  
DTaP/Td     ✓   ✓   ✓      ✓   ✓   ✓     ✓   ✓   ✓ 
 Flu         ✓    ✓    ✓    ✓    ✓    ✓    ✓    ✓    ✓  
Hepatitis A           ✓    ✓             
Hepatitis B  ✓   ✓     ✓             ✓     
Hib    ✓   ✓   ✓   ✓ **               
HPV                ✓         
MenACWY                 ✓   ✓       
Meningitis B                   ✓       
MMR           ✓      ✓           
PCV/Pneumococcal       ✓    ✓    ✓    ✓             ✓   ✓ 
Polio    ✓   ✓   ✓   ✓     ✓             
Rotavirus    ✓   ✓   ✓*                 
RSV   ✓                     ✓***   ✓ 
Shingles                      ✓   ✓†

*Only necessary for products that require a 3-dose schedule (rather than 2-dose)
**Only necessary for products that require a 4-dose schedule (rather than 3-dose)
***Only for adults ages 50-74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV
†If not already received
 ‡ Parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of COVID vaccination with a healthcare provider.  

 

Vaccines prevent against harmful diseases

  • Chickenpox (Varicella) Contagious viral infection that causes fever, headache, and an itchy, blistering rash; spread through air and direct contact. Complications include infected sores, brain swelling, infection of the lungs (pneumonia), death.
  • COVID-19 Contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, or lungs; may feel like a cold or flu. Complications include pneumonia, blood clots, liver, heart, or kidney damage, long COVID, death.
  • Diphtheria Illness caused by a toxin produced by bacteria that infects the nose, throat, and sometimes skin. Complications include swelling of the heart muscle, heart failure, coma, paralysis, death.
  • Flu Contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, and sometimes lungs. Complications include pneumonia, sinus and ear infections, worsening of underlying health conditions like heart and lung disease, death.
  • Hepatitis A Contagious viral infection of the liver; spread by contaminated food or drink or close contact with an infected person. Complications include liver failure, death.
  • Hepatitis B Contagious viral infection of the liver; spread through contact with infected body fluids such as blood or semen. Complications include chronic liver infection, liver failure, liver cancer, death
  • Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) Contagious bacterial infection of the lungs, brain and spinal cord, or bloodstream; spread through air and direct contact. Complications include brain damage, hearing loss, loss of arm or leg, death.
  • HPV (Human papillomavirus) Contagious viral infection spread by close skin-to-skin touching, including during sex. Complications include genital warts and many types of cancers later in life, including cancers of the cervix, vagina, penis, anus, and throat.
  • Measles (rubeola) Contagious viral infection that causes high fever, cough, red eyes, runny nose, and rash; spread through air and direct contact. Complications include brain swelling, infection of the lungs (pneumonia), death.
  • Meningococcal Contagious bacterial infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord or the bloodstream; spread through air and direct contact. Complications include loss of arm or leg, deafness, seizures, death.
  • Mumps Contagious viral infection that causes fever, tiredness, swollen cheeks, and tender swollen jaw; spread through air and direct contact. Complications include brain swelling, painful and swollen testicles or ovaries, deafness, death.
  • Pertussis (whooping cough) Contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airway; spread through air and direct contact. Complications include infection of the lungs (pneumonia), death; especially dangerous for babies.
  • Pneumococcal Bacterial infections of ears, sinuses, lungs, or bloodstream; spread through direct contact with respiratory droplets like saliva or mucus. Complications include infection of the lungs (pneumonia), blood poisoning, infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, death.
  • Polio Contagious viral infection of nerves and brain; spread through the mouth from stool on contaminated hands, food or liquid, and by air and direct contact. Complications include paralysis, death.
  • Rotavirus Contagious viral infection of the gut; spread through the mouth from hands and food contaminated with stool. Complications include severe diarrhea, dehydration, death .
  • RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) Contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, and sometimes lungs; spread through air and direct contact. Complications include infection of the lungs (pneumonia) and small airways of the lungs; especially dangerous for infants, young children under age 12 months and older adults.
  • Rubella Contagious viral infection that causes low-grade fever, sore throat, and rash; spread through air and direct contact. Very dangerous in pregnant women; can cause miscarriage or stillbirth, premature delivery, severe birth defects.
  • Tetanus (lockjaw) Bacterial infection of brain and nerves caused by spores found in soil and dust everywhere; spores enter the body through wounds or broken skin. Complications include seizures, broken bones, difficulty breathing, death.

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