+ 1 more offer it outside the routine schedule
What the Hepatitis A vaccine protects against
A liver infection spread through contaminated food and water, causing weeks of jaundice, nausea and fatigue. Rarely fatal but very unpleasant and disruptive.
Also known as: Havrix, Vaqta
Why children are given it
Routine in the US, parts of Canada, Brazil and countries where the virus is common. Two doses give long-lasting protection.
From each country's official schedule, checked against its sources (last full check 2026-09-16). Tap a country for its whole schedule and a personalised timeline.
| Country | Routine doses |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 12 to 15 months (1st of 2) Hepatitis A (HepA) 15 to 18 months (2nd of 2)
Hepatitis A (HepA) |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Not on the routine schedule
Also offered: Hepatitis A, extra pneumococcal and other vaccines - Infancy and childhood. Recommended for children with certain medical conditions, and routinely in some northern and Indigenous communities. |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇮🇳 India | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇫🇷 France | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 15 months (1 dose)
Hepatitis A |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | Not on the routine schedule |
Good to know
- Hepatitis A spreads through contaminated food and water. In young children it is often mild, but older children and adults can be unwell for weeks.
- It is routine in some countries and mainly a travel vaccine in others.
- Two doses give long-lasting protection.
Side effects: what is normal
- Soreness or redness where the injection was given.
- Headache, tiredness or loss of appetite for a day or so.
Most side effects are mild and pass within a day or two. Get medical advice straight away if your child has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or mouth, a fit, a temperature of 38°C or more in a baby under 3 months, or you are worried in any way. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Your doctor, nurse, health visitor or pharmacist can advise on your own child.
It depends on the country. Across the 2 countries that include it on their routine schedule, the first dose is given from 12 to 15 months to 15 months. In the US it is given at 12 to 15 months, 15 to 18 months. The table on this page shows every country.
Routine schedules give 1 to 2 doses in childhood, depending on the country and the product used. Combination vaccines can mean one injection counts towards several diseases.
It is routine in 2 of the 14 countries on this site. Canada offers it to particular groups of children (for example by season, health condition or risk). We do not currently list it on the childhood schedule for United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India, Russia, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Netherlands and Singapore - some countries run separate regional, seasonal or risk-group programmes, so ask your local clinic.
Yes. Vaccines on the childhood schedule are given by age, not by sex - girls and boys receive the same doses at the same ages.
It is almost never too late to catch up, and a missed dose rarely means starting again - your doctor or nurse will continue from where your child left off. A few vaccines (such as rotavirus) have upper age limits. Contact your clinic to book a catch-up appointment.
- United States - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / ACIP
- Brazil - Ministerio da Saude - Programa Nacional de Imunizacoes (PNI)
- United Kingdom - NHS / UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) / National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)
- Australia - Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care - National Immunisation Program (NIP)
- South Africa - National Department of Health - Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI-SA)
- India - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)
- Russia - Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation - National Preventive Vaccination Calendar
- Germany - Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute / ECDC
- Ireland - Health Service Executive (HSE) / National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC)
- New Zealand - Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora / Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC)
- France - Ministere de la Sante / Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) - calendrier vaccinal
- Netherlands - RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma)
- Singapore - Ministry of Health (MOH) / Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) - National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS)
- NHS - NHS vaccinations and when to have them
- CDC - Possible side effects from vaccines
- WHO - Vaccines and immunization
How we research and check this information: our editorial policy.
More vaccine guides
MMR vaccine · Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine · 6-in-1 vaccine · Whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine · Polio vaccine · Hib vaccine · Hepatitis B vaccine · Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) · Rotavirus vaccine · MenB vaccine · MenACWY and MenC vaccines · HPV vaccine · Children's flu vaccine · BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine · RSV protection for babies
All vaccines A to Z · Compare two countries · Moving country with a child