Optional vaccines for children in Thailand: what they are and which to get first

The free national schedule (so you can see what is already covered)

The Ministry of Public Health's Expanded Programme on Immunization gives every Thai child, free of charge: BCG, hepatitis B, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, polio, Hib, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), Japanese encephalitis, rotavirus, and HPV for girls in Grade 5, plus influenza for children aged 6 months to 2 years during the annual campaign.

A child who has had all of these is protected against most serious diseases. Optional vaccines cover the remaining gaps, and several of those are diseases that are common in Thai children.

Optional vaccines in recommended order

The order reflects disease severity, how common each is in Thai children, and the recommendations of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of Thailand. The doctor may reorder for an individual child. A child starting nursery early, for instance, should have IPD and flu before anything else.

Why IPD comes first

Pneumococcus is the main cause of severe pneumonia, meningitis and bloodstream infection in children under 2, an age at which the immune system cannot yet make its own antibodies to this bacterium. Conjugate vaccines are on the routine schedule in more than 150 countries, and severe disease in children fell by more than 80% after introduction. Thailand is gradually adding it to the national programme; until then it is paid for privately.

The number of doses depends on the starting age: starting early takes more doses but covers the riskiest period, while starting after age 2 needs only one. See pneumococcal vaccine, 20-valent.

Chickenpox: often mild, still worth preventing

Most children recover from chickenpox on their own, but a minority develop bacterial skin infection, pneumonia or encephalitis, and every child misses at least a week of school with a parent off work. The virus also stays in the body and can return as shingles in adulthood, so childhood vaccination reduces both chickenpox now and shingles later. Two doses: the first at age 1, the second at 4–6 years or earlier, at least 3 months after the first. See chickenpox vaccine.

Flu and dengue: two diseases that arrive with every rainy season

Young children are the group most often ill with flu and most likely to bring it home. Vaccination starts at 6 months, with 2 doses in the first year. Read flu vaccine for children: how many doses. For dengue, school-age children of 5–14 have the highest case rates in Thailand. The vaccine starts at age 4, 2 doses 3 months apart, no blood test first. Read dengue vaccine: from what age can children have it.

Can optional vaccines be given with routine ones

• Yes. All non-live vaccines can be given on the same day in different sites, for example IPD with the 5-in-1 at 2, 4 and 6 months
• Live injectable vaccines (MMR, chickenpox, live Japanese encephalitis, dengue) should be given on the same day, or at least 4 weeks apart if not
• Several injections in one visit do not 'overload' a child's immune system, which handles thousands of times more antigens in everyday life
• Bring the vaccination book every time so the doctor can see what is complete, what is due, and fit the plan around existing appointments

Good to know: Prices are as published by the clinic until 31 December 2026; vaccine types and stock can change. Message us on LINE with your child's age and vaccines already given and the team will plan the schedule and check stock before you travel. See all children's vaccines on the vaccines page.