CH Immunisation schedule for babies?

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
Hi, Sorry I could find this through searching in here. Can anyone point us to the standard Swiss Immunisation schedule for babies and advise on our situation?

In the UK the following is recommended and we have just done the 8 weeks. We will be moving to Basel when the 16 week immunisation is due (literally same week). We are worried to do this on top of moving, looking for permanent accommodation (we will move to 3m temporary), whilst not having a GP registered and waiting for all our paperwork etc. Is it easier if family stay in UK get this 16 week immunisation (especially as these are 2nd or 3rd doses) and come out after or is this simple and quick to have done and matches the UK schedule?

Vaccination checklist

Here's a checklist of the vaccines that are routinely offered to everyone in the UK for free on the NHS, and the age at which you should ideally have them.

2 months:

Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib, a bacterial infection that can cause severe pneumonia or meningitis in young children) given as a 5-in-1 single jab known as DTaP/IPV/Hib

Pneumococcal infection

3 months:

5-in-1, second dose (DTaP/IPV/Hib)

Meningitis C

4 months:

5-in-1, third dose (DTaP/IPV/Hib)

Pneumococcal infection, second dose

Meningitis C, second dose

Between 12 and 13 months:

Meningitis C, third dose

Hib, fourth dose (Hib/MenC given as a single jab)

MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), given as a single jab

Pneumococcal infection, third dose

Thanks in advance.

2
I think the two systems are pretty much similar. My son had whatever was on offer.

My advice is to bring the paperwork with you then present it to the paediatrician when you get settled and then he or she can see what has been given, what is outstanding and chat you through the options.

Most "GPs" won't take kids under 16 so you usually have a separate doctor for them (Kinderarzt = Paediatrician).

3
Just a quick note: in case you haven't realised it, the CH health system is very different to UK. You'll have a paediatrician for your children rather than GP as "standard". In Basel, there's one on every other street corner, so as I don't know where you'll be living, I'll not make any specific recommendation - our experience is that it is useful to be within walking distance or 1-2 tram stops max.

They do of course have a vaccination programme for children and I'll see if I can get a copy of it. (EDIT: google "Impfplan kinder basel" and it'll take you to a PDF - check out Table 1 )

Do, however, bring full records of your children's vaccinations to date so that your paediatrician can work out how best "slot them in" to the CH system.

For what it is worth, I think you should talk to your GP about how best to proceed - before leaving - my rationale is simply that some vaccines need to be repeated within a certain time-frame or you have to start from scratch. Added to which, you don't know what challenges may await when you come and this may "fall off the list" in the confusion of the move. To put it another way, it is one less thing to do in a "foreign" environment.

That all being said, I'd make an educated guess that the vaccine programme for the "basics" (i.e. early childhood) are probably not that dissimilar across the whole of Europe.

Finally, there's a whole load of recommendations for paediatricians in Basel (I've posted on other threads) already, so try a search when you are settled enough to find one.

Good luck with the move and an advance welcome to Basel .

4
Thanks Carlos/Sandgrounder!

Yes we will certainly bring our red book of all our baby info. Do you know how long it takes to get registered and then be seen with a Paed once you have a visa/residence permit? We would need it to be less than a week in our situ to get the 2nd/3rd booster in appropriate window.

5
Depending on availability of the paed - minutes, AFAIK.

On immediate arrival, you should be covered for care by the NHS (the old E111, don't know what it is now). You have to set yourself up with Swiss insurance within 3 months (I think - memory getting fuzzy here), which will be back-dated to your arrival, unless you have some kind of oversease health insurance covering you here.

You can speak to these folks http://www.nvc.ch/home_en.html for insurance - ask for Beat or Karen (I am not related commercially, and have been using them since I first drove into CH 12+ years ago). They'll give you some advice and of course offer some insurance! They'll also pre-fill all the forms so you can sign on the dotted line on arrival and have immediate cover.