Doctor: Immunization Should Start Early

Immunization for children can start even when they are one month old, with shots for tuberculosis, followed by dphtheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough, a doctor said Thursday.

Shots for these diseases should be received three times the first year, once in the second year and once in the fifth year, said Dr. Lor Kim Song, a Cambodian physician in France who spoke as a guest on "Hello VOA."

Hepatitis B immunization should take place at two months, and, he said, at nine months: measles, mumps and rubella inoculation.

The vaccinations for meningococcal meningitis, which are only available in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, are legitimate inoculations and not experimentation, as is sometimes rumored, he said.

This disease requires three vaccinations, or it can recur and kill a child quickly, he said.