Vaccination issues are acute among parents and doctors. Vaccinations can protect the body from serious diseases, which in some cases can end in failure. Every mother should be aware that she puts her baby at great risk if she refuses to vaccinate him. Next, let's try to figure out whether it is necessary to be vaccinated, whether there are contraindications to vaccination and what are the side effects.
What is a vaccine?
During the vaccination, weakened or dead pathogens are introduced into the body of a child or adult. In response, the immune system starts producing antibodies. Immunity to a specific pathogen is formed.
Infection cells found in a vaccine are not capable of provoking the development of a real disease, but the immune system learns to recognize and destroy them.
In the future, if live and active viruses or bacteria enter the body, it will already be ready to meet withthem and quickly neutralizes them.
Varieties of Vaccines
Vaccination promotes the acquisition of active immunity to certain diseases. Do I need to be vaccinated against measles and other diseases? Judge for yourself, thanks to vaccines, it was possible to significantly reduce mortality from pathologies such as whooping cough, diphtheria, and measles.
Several types of vaccines are currently in use:
1. Live. Production is carried out on the basis of weakened cells of the pathogen. This group includes:
- Vaccination against tuberculosis (BCG).
- Polio vaccine.
- Vaccination against measles.
- For mumps and rubella.
2. Dead vaccines. The causative agent is completely neutralized. These vaccines include: inactivated polio vaccine, whooping cough, which is part of DPT.
3. Vaccines obtained by genetic engineering synthesis. This is how hepatitis B vaccines are made. Do I need to do them? Everyone decides for himself.
4. Anatoxins. Vaccines are obtained by neutralizing the toxins of pathogens. In this way, the tetanus component and diphtheria, included in DTP, are obtained.
5. Polyvaccines. In their composition they have components of several pathogens at once. These include:
- DTP. At the same time, a person is vaccinated against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria.
- Tetracoccus. Helps develop immunity against whooping cough, polio, diphtheria and tetanus.
- PDA. For measles, mumps and rubella.
Vaccination for children and adults against major diseases is free of charge. Butthere is an opportunity to purchase a commercial analogue of the drug for money.
Vaccination calendar for children
There is a special vaccination schedule approved by the Ministry of He alth. But it is not always possible to follow it strictly, and this is due to objective reasons. If the child has just been ill, then vaccination is postponed until the body is fully restored.
There are vaccines that are administered more than once, there are revaccination periods, so you should not delay with such vaccinations. If the time between the introduction of the vaccine is not respected, then the effectiveness drops.
| Age of child | Vaccination name |
|
On the first day after birth Whether newborns need to be vaccinated is a moot point, but they must be given with the consent of the mother. |
Hepatitis B |
|
On 3-7 days of life |
Tuberculosis (BCG) |
| Per month | Hepatitis B booster |
| 3 months | DPT, polio and pneumococcal disease |
| At 4 months | DTP and polio again, pneumococcal disease and children at risk for Haemophilus influenzae |
| In six months | DTP, polio, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae infection in babies at risk |
| At one year old | Vaccination against measles, rubella and mumps |
| At 6 years old | Revaccination against measles, rubella and mumps, as well as tetanus and diphtheria |
| At 7 years old | BCG |
Before each vaccination, the child should be examined by a pediatrician to identify possible contraindications.
Influenza vaccination
If there are disputes about whether it is necessary to be vaccinated with DPT, then what about the flu vaccination. But every year the number of complications after a viral disease increases. Children and the elderly are at risk.
The peculiarity of the vaccine is that every year it has to be modernized, this is due to the rapid mutation of the virus.
Do I need a flu shot? The answer to this question is ambiguous and the effectiveness of vaccination depends on several factors:
- How well the vaccine was given.
- The vaccine contains one or more of the strains that caused the influenza epidemic.
- Vaccination was carried out against the background of full he alth of a person or the body was weakened by a disease.
- How quickly influenza season came after the shot.
- Whether recommendations were followed after vaccination.
During the flu season, there are many other viruses and bacteria in the environment that can cause diseases with similar symptoms. But after vaccination, the bodyis weakened and unable to withstand the attack of other pathogens, and there are complications that were tried to avoid with vaccination.
It is important to listen to the arguments for and against to decide whether to vaccinate before and after the year.
The case for vaccination
For many diseases, there are no drugs that would contribute to prevention, so only vaccination helps to escape from them. So decide whether you need to be vaccinated against rubella and other pathologies.
Many doctors are sure that even vaccination cannot protect 100% from the disease, but the risk of complications is significantly reduced, and the disease is much easier. It must also be remembered that over time, active protection against vaccination decreases. For example, immunity against whooping cough weakens as the baby grows, but it is important to protect the child from this disease until the age of 4. It is at this age that the disease can provoke the development of a severe form of pneumonia and rupture of blood vessels. Do I need to be vaccinated? Necessarily, because this is the only way to protect the child from a dangerous disease.
You can also make the following arguments in favor of vaccination:
- Immunity against dangerous diseases is formed.
- Vaccination helps to suppress outbreaks of infections and prevent epidemics.
- Officially, vaccinations are optional and parents have the right to write a refusal, but when entering kindergarten, traveling to the camp, a vaccination card is always required.
- Vaccinations for babies under one year old and older children are done only under the supervision of a doctor who bears for thisresponsibility.
To avoid complications, it is important that the vaccination is given when the child or adult is perfectly he althy.
Arguments against vaccinations
There is an opinion among parents that a newborn baby has innate immunity, which vaccination only destroys. But you need to know that vaccinations develop and strengthen adaptive immunity and do not affect innate immunity. Knowing how the immune system works automatically eliminates the question of whether you need to be vaccinated in the hospital.
Proponents of devaccination cite serious complications that can be caused by vaccinations, but here one can object. Redness and sometimes even suppuration appear at the injection site, the temperature rises, but these are quite natural reactions to the vaccine. Serious complications develop extremely rarely and most often due to violated vaccination rules or an expired drug.
The most serious thing is when an individual intolerance to the drug develops, but this is almost impossible to predict. Those who answer the question of whether it is necessary to be vaccinated against measles and other diseases, answer in the negative, give the following arguments:
- Vaccines are not 100% effective.
- Newborn babies have not yet had a full medical examination.
- The immune system response in newborn babies is weak, so there will be no desired effect from BCG vaccination and hepatitis.
- Some parents think thatbabies easily tolerate diseases and many pathologies are called children's for a reason, for example, such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella, so the answer to the question of whether it is necessary to be vaccinated is answered in the negative.
- Vaccination does not involve an individual approach to each child, which is fraught with complications.
- The quality of vaccines leaves much to be desired, many manufacturers save on raw materials, which affects not only efficiency, but also leads to complications.
- Medical staff is not always conscientious about the storage of drugs.
When there is a choice whether adults should be vaccinated against measles, then everyone has the right to make an independent decision, if it concerns a child, then the entire responsibility for making a decision falls on the shoulders of the parents.
Vaccination contraindications
Before any vaccination, a pediatrician must examine the child, if it concerns an adult, then it is necessary to visit a therapist. During a conversation with parents, the doctor finds out how the baby survived the previous vaccination, whether there were allergic reactions and temperature. During the examination, the pediatrician finds out how he althy the child's body is. If there are symptoms of any infectious diseases, then the vaccine is not given, a delay is given.
Medical withdrawal can take several days, and sometimes months in the presence of serious pathologies. This is quite serious as it disrupts the natural immunization process, especially when a booster is given.
Should I doDTP vaccination for a 3 month old baby? Depends on the presence of contraindications, and they are relative and absolute. The second category includes:
- Serious complications from a previous vaccination.
- If the vaccine is live, then it should not be administered in the presence of neoplasms, immunodeficiency, as well as women bearing a baby.
- If the baby weighs less than 2 kilograms, then you can not be vaccinated with BCG.
- Contraindication for pertussis vaccine is the presence of febrile convulsions, diseases of the nervous system.
- An anaphylactic reaction to aminoglycosides is a contraindication for rubella vaccination.
- If allergic to yeast, do not get vaccinated against hepatitis B.
There are time limits for vaccination, these include:
- Viral or bacterial infection at time of vaccination.
- Intestinal infections.
- Chronic disease in the acute stage.
Children who have:
- Hereditary malformations.
- Anemia.
- Encephalopathy.
- Allergy.
- Dysbacteriosis.
Doctors always treat such children with increased attention, and parents are informed how to properly prepare the child for vaccination.
How to prepare for vaccination?
To reduce the likelihood of complications after vaccination, you must follow a number of recommendations before visiting the clinic:
- The child must becompletely he althy. In the absence of visible diseases, but if the mother believes that the baby is unwell, vaccination should be abandoned. It is not necessary to be vaccinated if the child has a slight fever, there are rashes on the skin.
- If your child has allergies, start taking antihistamines a few days before vaccination.
- Before visiting the clinic, do not feed the baby heavily.
- Don't plan to visit all the doctors in the hospital on vaccination day. Go home immediately after vaccination to reduce the chance of catching the infection from sick children and adults visiting the hospital.
- After the vaccination, you should wait a little before the office, so that in case of an allergic reaction to the drug, immediately seek medical help.
- At home, do not immediately feed the child, it is better to give clean water or fruit drink to drink.
- After vaccination, it is necessary to limit the contact of the baby with other children and non-family members, but this does not mean that it is necessary to stay at home and refuse to go out.
- Every day you need to ventilate the children's room well and do wet cleaning.
Normally, the next day after vaccination, the local doctor should call and inquire about the baby's condition.
How might the body react?
Whether adults or children should be vaccinated is one question, and parents should know what to expect after vaccination.
Among the acceptable reactions are the following:
- Redness and swelling at the injection site.
- Slight increase in body temperature.
- Child can act up, eat badly.
- There is general malaise.
Such symptoms are most often observed in the first two days after vaccination. The most difficult thing for children to tolerate is the complex vaccine, so whether it is necessary to vaccinate DPT at this point in time should be discussed with the doctor. When a temperature appears, the child should be given an antipyretic drug: Nurofen, you can put a candle of Cefekon.
If a local allergic reaction occurs in the form of redness or swelling, give the baby Zyrtec or Fenistil.
Komarovsky's opinion
Do I need to be vaccinated? The pediatrician is sure yes. He believes that the likelihood of getting sick remains, but the prognosis for the child will be more favorable. Against the background of vaccination, the disease is tolerated more easily, the likelihood of complications is reduced.
Komarovsky believes that each child should have their own vaccination schedule, taking into account existing pathologies and characteristics of the body.
In order to ensure an adequate response of the immune system to the vaccine, pediatrician Komarovsky gives the following advice:
- If a small child is supposed to be vaccinated, then a few days before vaccination, no new foods or milk formula should be introduced into the diet.
- The day before the vaccination, keep the child on a diet so as not to overload the digestive tract.
- Immediately before the vaccination, it is better not to feed the child.
- After visitingvaccination room to ensure the correct drinking regimen, the body must receive plenty of fluids to ensure the elimination of toxins from the vaccine.
- Walking is not prohibited, but it is better to avoid direct sunlight, drafts.
Komarovsky is trying to convince parents that refusing to vaccinate can be costly for their baby's he alth, but it's up to them to decide whether their child should be vaccinated against diphtheria or another disease.
Possible Complications
If we talk about the test (it is sometimes called a vaccination) Mantoux, is it necessary to do it? Many parents doubt, because it does not always show the correct result. But experienced specialists assure that this is possible if the doctor's recommendations are not followed after vaccination or if there is a causative agent of tuberculosis in the body.
After other vaccinations, unwanted manifestations are possible and the following are most often noted:
- Local complications in the form of an inflammatory process at the injection site. The skin swells, redness appears, soreness when touched. Without medical intervention, there is a danger of developing an abscess or erysipelas. Often a complication occurs against the background of a violation of the technique of drug administration and asepsis rules.
- Serious allergic reactions. They rarely develop, but require immediate attention. Without medical assistance, there is a danger of developing anaphylactic shock. To avoid complications, it is important to monitor the condition of the baby after vaccination. If the child begins to complain of itchy skin, difficulty breathing,there is severe swelling, you need to urgently consult a doctor.
- Convulsions and lesions of the nervous system. Most often observed after DPT vaccination, but doctors are sure that such complications do not occur with the absolute he alth of the child.
- Vaccine-associated poliomyelitis. Observed after the introduction of a live vaccine, but now most countries do not use this form.
- Generalized infection after BCG develops in the form of osteomyelitis and osteitis.
Many mothers refuse follow-up vaccinations if their baby suffers from fever for several days after DTP, and then what about more serious complications.
Consequences of not vaccinating
Whether adults should be vaccinated against measles is a personal matter, but when it comes to children, parents should weigh everything and realize that the responsibility for the he alth of the baby lies on their shoulders.
In the absence of vaccinations, the child's body remains defenseless against the army of pathogenic organisms. Who will emerge victorious from the duel is a matter of chance. The danger is not even the diseases themselves, from which vaccination is carried out, but their complications.
Children's body has an unstable immune system, so it is even more difficult for her to cope with viruses and bacteria. For moms who are still undecided about whether to get vaccinated against meningitis and other diseases, the table provides information about possible complications after past illnesses.
| Vaccination name | Complication of the disease |
| Whooping cough | Brain damage and death |
| Diphtheria | Brain cell damage and death |
| Tetanus | Nervous system damage and death |
| Measles | Thrombocytopenia, loss of vision and hearing, inflammation of the meninges, pneumonia, death |
| Mumps | Boys will have future infertility, deafness |
| Rubella | Meningitis, encephalitis, in pregnant women the disease provokes fetal malformations |
| Hepatitis B | Cirrhosis and liver cancer |
| Polio | Paralysis of limbs |
Are not the listed complications a reason to visit the clinic and give your baby all the necessary vaccinations?
