Modern medicine offers a wide range of fight against various diseases. However, it is always better to prevent a disease than to treat an ailment that has already begun. One of the most effective ways to prevent disease is vaccination, or vaccination.
Most often this procedure is done to children. But the maximum intervals between vaccinations for some diseases are ten years, and then adults also undergo this procedure.
The essence of vaccination is as follows: a he althy person is injected with a small amount of infectious material. The body's immune system recognizes the material and joins the fight. Since the amount is small, it does not cause harm to the body, and the disease does not go into a dangerous stage. And a person after vaccination develops immunity to infection.
History of Appearance
For several centuries, epidemics of smallpox, plague, cholera and other infectious diseases claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Even in ancient times, it was noticed that people who had had smallpox become immune to this disease. The same was true of milkmaids who milked sick cows. Experiments have shown that if a small amount of the virus is introduced into the wound, then the person experiences a slight malaise, incomparable with the full form of the disease and subsequently acquires immunity. This is what started the phenomenon of vaccination.
In modern medicine, the method of inoculation has been brought to perfection. Be sure to adhere to certain vaccination requirements, observe the intervals between vaccinations and follow the recommendations of doctors.
Classification of vaccines
- Live vaccines. A person is injected with live viral microorganisms. They are able to live and multiply in the human body, causing a natural immune response. This type of vaccination is most often used for mumps, measles, rubella, and tuberculosis. It is important to keep in mind that immunocompromised people may experience unpredictable reactions to the vaccine.
- Dead vaccines. In this case, organisms killed using temperature, radiation or ultraviolet radiation are used. Used against rabies, whooping cough.
- Chemical vaccines. Contain part of a pathogen.
- Synthetic vaccines. Artificially grown elements of microorganisms.
- Associated vaccines. These vaccines contain components of several diseases. An example of such a drug is DTP. Vaccination intervals with this vaccine will be discussed in the next section.
DTP
This is an associative vaccine for whooping cough, diphtheria andtetanus. This method of vaccination is an effective means of preventing these diseases and is widely used throughout the world. Mortality from these diseases is extremely high, especially among children, so it is advisable to give the child this vaccine in the first year of life.
Vaccination occurs in several stages. The minimum age for the first DTP vaccination is four weeks. A month later, you can appoint a second, after another 30 days - a third. The minimum interval between the third and fourth DPT vaccination is 12 months. The intervals between vaccinations may vary slightly due to the he alth of the child. In case of illness, the terms can be extended.
Hepatitis vaccine
Hepatitis is a serious infectious disease that causes many complications. There are three forms of this virus - hepatitis A, B and C. The first type is transmitted by household means. It does not pose a serious threat to he alth and is easily treatable. Hepatitis B is transmitted through the blood. This is a rather dangerous form of the disease that causes serious damage to the liver. Hepatitis C is the most severe form of the disease. It is also transmitted exclusively through the blood.
Currently, there are only vaccines for hepatitis A and B.
Vaccination against this disease is not mandatory, but many people choose to get this vaccine in order not to risk their he alth.
The interval between hepatitis vaccinations is as follows. Vaccination takes place three times, the difference between vaccinations should be a month. It is recommended to get vaccinated against hepatitis B in the first yearchild's life, you can immediately after birth.
What is the interval between vaccinations against measles, smallpox, influenza, encephalitis?
Vaccination has its own requirements and deadlines.
| 1-2 vaccinations | 2-3 vaccinations | 3-4 vaccination | |
| Measles | 6 months | ||
| Chickenpox | 6-10 weeks | ||
| Flu | 4 weeks | once a year | |
| Tick-borne encephalitis | 2 months | 1 year |
every 3 years |
Vaccination intervals may vary on a case-by-case basis.
Vaccination rules
- Children are vaccinated strictly with parental consent.
- Vaccinations are given only to a he althy child.
- Children with chronic diseases are recommended to be vaccinated no earlier than their second year of life.
- Frequently ill children should be tested before vaccination to avoid serious pathologies.
- Vaccination intervals must be consistent with vaccination requirements. It is especially undesirable to vaccinate ahead of schedule.
- Vaccination is carried out only in a medical facility by a qualified worker.
- It is important to follow the rules for storing and transporting the vaccine.
- After vaccination, it is undesirable to immediately leave the medical facility, it is recommended to stay for 10-15 minutes tomake sure there are no unexpected reactions.
- Often after vaccination, there may be such sensations as pain at the vaccination site, weakness, slight fever. These symptoms are normal and should resolve within 2-3 days. If this does not happen, you should consult a doctor.
Whether or not to get vaccinated is an individual's choice, but it is important to remember that vaccination is an effective and necessary means of preventing a large number of diseases, especially in children.
