A child is due for a vaccine catch-up when their vaccination record shows that one or more doses of the recommended schedule have been missed or delayed beyond the recommended timeframe. This is more common than many families realise - missed doses during illness, delayed starts, or simply incomplete records are all frequent presentations in my Bangalore practice. The catch-up process begins by reviewing the child's vaccination history against the current Indian Academy of Paediatrics schedule to identify exactly which doses are outstanding. For most vaccines, a completed series does not need to be restarted - only the missing doses need to be given, with minimum intervals between doses observed to ensure adequate immunogenicity. The catch-up programme is sequenced to prioritise the vaccines with the greatest disease burden risk for the child's current age, and most children complete catch-up efficiently over a few visits. No vaccine in the recommended schedule is too late to give simply because the ideal age has passed - partial protection is better than no protection, and completing the schedule at any age is the right clinical decision.
Written by Dr. Bharat Mehra, MBBS, MD Paediatrics, FPECC (Fellowship in Paediatric Emergency and Critical Care), IFPCCM (Indian Fellowship in Paediatric Critical Care Medicine), DPAA (Diploma in Paediatric Allergy and Asthma), AAAIC (Advanced Allergy and Asthma in Clinical Immunology), Consultant Paediatrician, Paediatric Intensivist and Allergy Specialist, Bangalore. Phone: +91 9999538720.
