Recommended immunization and immunization on personal request

In our country, the Law on Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases provides for the possibility of carrying out the recommended immunization of persons and immunization of persons on personal request. The recommended immunization of children is carried out on the basis of the recommendation of a pediatrician or a specialist in the relevant branch of medicine who performs the vaccination, with the prior written consent provided by you, as the parent/guardian of the child being vaccinated.

The recommended immunization of persons, in accordance with the applicable legal regulations, is available throughout the year. Recommended immunization can be undertaken in children: a) of a certain age, b) according to clinical indications, c) in international transport.

The recommended active immunization of children is carried out on the basis of the recommendation of a pediatrician or a specialist in the relevant branch of medicine, in accordance with the program of population immunization against infectious diseases, with the written consent of the child's parents/legal representatives. It includes the following infectious diseases: chickenpox, influenza, rotavirus, Streptococcus pneumoniae diseases, meningococcal disease, tick-borne meningoencephalitis and other diseases in accordance with the law, according to epidemiological indications, as follows:

  • Active immunization against chickenpox is carried out in children older than 12 months without previously acquired immunity, with two doses of live attenuated vaccine at intervals of not less than 6 weeks.
  • Active immunization against influenza is carried out in children older than 6 months with a dead vaccine before the start of the flu season.
  • Active immunization against rotavirus infection is carried out in children older than 2 months using oral live rotavirus (RV1 or RV5) vaccines with two or three doses, respectively.
  • Active immunization against tick-borne meningoencephalitis is recommended for people living in disease-endemic areas.  

Active and passive immunization according to clinical indications is recommended for children who may develop a more severe form of the disease or if it is estimated that the disease against which the child is being vaccinated may lead to aggravation of the underlying disease that the child already has. This group includes the following diseases: hepatitis B, influenza, Streptococcus pneumonia diseases, hepatitis A (for children older than 16 years), etc., as well as diseases against which passive immunization is recommended, i.e. giving specific antibodies: measles, chickenpox, cytomegalovirus infection.

  • Passive immunization against measles is recommended for sensitive persons who have been in contact with a person suffering from measles, within no more than 6 days, and who have a contraindication to the vaccine.
  • Passive immunization against varicella is recommended for children who have a contraindication to the vaccine and who have been in contact with a person with varicella. 
  • Passive immunization against cytomegalovirus is recommended for children who are recipients of transplanted solid organs and bone marrow and do not tolerate prophylaxis with antiviral drugs. 

The recommended active immunization of passengers in international transport refers to a larger number of vaccines. Since children already receive certain vaccines as mandatory, vaccines against typhoid fever - for children older than 2 years, influenza - for children older than 6 months, chickenpox - for children older than 12 months can be additionally recommended. 

Immunization of children against other infectious diseases can be carried out at the request of the child's parent/legal representative, which the doctor is not obliged to recommend.