Vaccination schedules in the EU/EEA
Each EU/EEA country is responsible for its own national public health policy, including its national immunisation programme and vaccination schedule.
The national vaccination schedules of each EU/EEA country can be found in the ECDC Vaccine Scheduler.
Vaccine schedules in each country may have some variations. They refer to:
- age of those getting vaccinated
- population groups
- the number and timing of doses
- whether vaccines are given alone or in combination with others
In several EU/EEA countries, vaccinating children against some diseases is mandatory. The differences between countries are influenced by factors such as disease burden, healthcare system structures and resources, political and cultural factors, as well as the resilience of the vaccination programme.
These differences in vaccination schedules do not mean that some are better than others, they are tailored to different circumstances and health systems. The same level of protection is ensured in each EU/EEA country.
EU/EEA countries have achieved high vaccination rates through mandatory and non-mandatory vaccination.
Vaccination schedules
Childhood vaccination schedules in all EU/EEA countries include vaccination against:
- measles
- mumps
- rubella
- diphtheria
- tetanus
- whooping cough (pertussis)
- poliomyelitis
- Haemophilus influenzae type B
- human papillomavirus (HPV)
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccination against hepatitis B as part of the universal childhood vaccination schedule, but some EU/EEA countries only vaccinate children that are at a higher risk of infection and adults in key risk groups.
Children in some EU/EEA countries are offered vaccination against:
- hepatitis A
- influenza
- invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis
- invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae
- rotavirus
- tuberculosis
- chickenpox (varicella)
In addition, all EU/EEA countries have recommendations for seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination for key risk groups.