Expanded programme on immunization (EPI) immunization schedules in the WHO Western Pacific Region, 1995.

There are 36 countries/areas in this Region; Mongolia was transferred to the Western Pacific Region in 1995. No data are available from the Cook Islands, Nauru, and New Caledonia (Tables 1-3). BCG is used in all but 6 countries/areas (American Samoa, Australia, Guam, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands and Palau). Most countries/areas give BCG at birth; Japan gives it at 3 months, the Republic of Korea at 4 weeks, and Samoa at 5 years of age. Nine countries give 2 doses of BCG and 4 give 3 doses, up to 15 years of age. Mongolia gives 4 doses up to 18 years of age. Diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine is used as a primary series of 3 doses in all countries/areas; 17 countries give 1 to 3 booster doses of DPT vaccine in the first year of life or later. Diphtheria-tetanus (DT) booster doses are given in Brunei Darussalam, Mongolia and New Zealand. Td is also given in New Zealand. Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) is used in a primary series of 3 doses simultaneously with DPT vaccine in all countries/areas. Eight countries/areas use an additional dose of OPV at birth (Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu). A booster dose of OPV in the second year of life is used in 9 countries/areas and a booster dose of OPV is given to schoolchildren in 16 countries/areas. Measles vaccine is given in all countries/areas from 8-15 months of age usually in the form of monovalent measles vaccine, except in Macau. In 4 countries/areas, it is given in the form of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine (Guam, Hong Kong, Palau and Singapore). The 2-dose policy is implemented in 4 countries/areas (American Samoa, New Zealand, Palau, and Samoa). In Australia and Palau, the second dose is given as MMR vaccine. The age at the second dose varies from 4 to 13 years of age. Rubella vaccine is given in 4 countries/areas to girls between 10 and 14 years of age (Fiji, French Polynesia, Japan and Macau). In Hong Kong, it is not specified if only girls receive rubella vaccine. In Australia and New Zealand, rubella vaccine is given to seronegative women immediately after delivery. Hepatitis B is used in all but 7 countries/areas (Cambodia, China, Guam, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Tokelau and Viet Nam). All countries which give hepatitis B vaccine use 3 primary doses in infancy, the first dose being given at birth in 23 countries/areas. In Australia and Japan, this vaccine is given to groups at risk. Tetanus toxoid (TT) is used for pregnant or nonpregnant women of childbearing age. It is used in 14 countries/areas, but in Australia and Palau the target group is schoolchildren. The schedules include 2-5 doses of TT.