Baby Immunizations and Costs

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," says a popular line from Benjamin Franklin.  This is very true especially when we're talking about preventing diseases in babies who are very fragile and delicate.  Thank God for vaccines, ailments that used to claim countless lives can now be prevented!  We can all have peace of mind knowing that our frail babies are not at risk of infectious illnesses once they've received immunization.

Of course, prevention has a price.  In my baby's immunization record, not a single vaccine was worth less than a thousand pesos.  It could be less (or more) with other pedias or clinics, but I don't think the price difference would be significant.  Listing down below the vaccines Lia has received so far, the cost of each, and the dates when she got them.  Her pedia is Dr. Trinidad 'Nik' Lombos and her clinic that we go to is the one at Asian Hospital.

BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin)

• What it does:  protects babies from serious forms of Tuberculosis (TB) such as TB Meningitis (an infection of the brain) and Miliary TB (wide spread infection)
• Cost:  PhP 1,400
• Given on:  March 28, 2015 (the day she was born)

Hep B

• What it does: protects against the hepatitis B virus 
• Cost:  PhP 1,400
• Given on:  March 28 (the day she was born), June 11 (at 2.5 mos), October 03, 2015 (at 6.5 mos), and July 10, 2020 (5 years and 3 months)

Rotavirus

• What it does:  protects against Rotavirus which causes severe acute gastroenteritis with diarrhea and vomiting
• Cost:  PhP 3,200
• Given on:  May 09 (at 1.5 mos) and July 11, 2015 (at 3.5 mos)

6 in 1

• What it does:  protects against Hep B, DPT (bacterial infection affecting the nose and throat, and sometimes the skin), OPV/IPV (polio), and H. Influenza (bacterial infections including meningitis, septicaemia, pneumonia, etc.)
• Cost:  PhP 3,500
• Given on:  June 11 (at 2.5 mos) and October 03, 2015 (at 6.5 mos)

DPT, OPV/IPV, H. Influenza

• What it does:  similiar to the 6-in-1 vaccine but doesn't include Hep B
• Cost:  PhP 3,000
• Given on:  June 11 (at 2.5 mos) and August 15 (at 5 mos) and October 3, 2015 (at 6.5 mos); October 15 (at 1.5 years old), December 10, 2016 (at 1 year & 8 mos), and June 04, 2020 (at 5 years & 2 mos)

Measles

• What it does:  protects against the virus that causes measles
• Cost:  PhP 1,300
• Given on:  November 21, 2015 (at 8 mos)

Varicella

• What it does:  protects against chickenpox 
• Cost:  PhP 3,600 in 2016; PhP 3,900 in 2019
• Given on:  April 02, 2016 (at 1 year old); April 13, 2019 (at 4 years old)

MMR

• What it does:  protects against measles, mumps, and rubella (similar to measles)
• Cost:  PhP 1,500, booster shot PhP 1,600
• Given on:  May 07, 2016 (at 1 year & 1 mo); booster shot on March 16, 2019 (3 years and 11mos)

Hep A

• What it does: protects against the hepatitis A virus 
• Cost:  PhP 2,200
• Given on:  June 11 (at 1 year & 2.5 mos) and December 10, 2016 (at 1 year & 8.5 mos)

Flu Shot

• What it does: protects kids from the flu and the problems that come along with it
• Cost: PhP 1,500
• Given on: July 16 (at 1 year & 4 mos) and August 20, 2016 (at 1 year & 5 mos) and September 9, 2017 (at 2 years & 5.5 mos) July 7, 2018 (at 3 years & 3 mos), and June 04, 2020 (at 5 years & 2 mos)

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)

• What it does: protects against diseases caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae that can lead to infections in the lungs, blood, and brain
• Cost: PhP 5,000
• Given on: November 18, 2016 (at 1 year & 8 mos) and February 18, 2017 (at 1 year & 11 mos)

Imojev

• What it does:  protects against Japanese encephalitis, a disease spread through mosquito bites
• Cost: PhP 3,100
• Given on: May 6, 2017 (at 2 years & 1 mo)

Pneumo23

• What it does: prevents pneumonia caused by the 23 different types of pneumococci bacteria 
• Cost: PhP 2,600
• Given on: June 3, 2017 (at 2 years & 2 mos)

Menactra

• What it does:  prevents invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135
• Cost: PhP 3,900
• Given on: July 8, 2017 (at 2 years & 3 mos)

For sure, the schedule and costs may not be the same for all pedias. but this is how it is for my Lia. :) As of this update (15 Sept 2017), Lia is done! We will just go back to the doctor next year, after she turns three, then again after she turns four.  I'll still keep on updating this post as we go along.

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UPDATE as of November 2018: I am now a mother of two! This section below will state the costs and dates of my second baby's shots so that our list is more recent. :)  Like what I did above, I will keep on updating this as my baby and I go along.

• Hep B (P1,400) - given on the day he was born, 13 October 2018. 
• BCG (P1,400) - typically given on the day the baby is born, but in my son's case, this was given 2 weeks after, 26 October 2018.
• Rotavirus (P3,300) - given at one month, 23 November 2018.
• 6-in-1 (P3,650) - given at 3 months, 19 January 2019 (but this can be given earlier, Rocco just had colds the previous month so this shot was delayed)
• Rotavirus (P3,300) -  the second dose was given at 3 months, 16 Feb 2019.
• 5-in-1 (P3,200) - given at 4 months, 16 March 2019
• 6-in-1 (P3,650) - second dose given at 6 months, 13 April 2019.
• MMR (P1,600) - given at almost 7 months, 04 May 2019 (this was only given due to the measles outbreak; this is usually given past one year)
• Flu (P1,600) - given at 8 months, 15 June 2019.
• Imojev (P3,500) - given at 9.5 months, 03 August 2019.
• Flu (P1,600) - second dose given at almost 11 months, 08 September 2019.
• Varicella (P3,900)- given at 15 months, 18 January 2020 (but this can be given as soon as the baby turns 12 months, Rocco just had colds last October, and everyone was busy the past two months)
• Hep A (2,200) - given at 16 months, 22 February 2020
• MMR (1,600) - given at 1 year and 7 months, 04 June 2020
• PCV (5,100) - given at 1 year and 8 months, 10 July 2020

To fellow moms asking about baby immunizations and costs in the Philippines, hope this helps! :)