Children Vaccination Importance Precautions Schedules

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Children Vaccination - Every parent wants to know what is best for children and how to protect children from various diseases. Vaccination is the best way for the purpose of protecting children from various preventable diseases. Getting your child vaccinated on time will protect him or her against preventable diseases. It is essential for every parent to have an idea about vaccination.

What Is Vaccine?

Immune system in our body fights against various germs and prevents various common and uncommon diseases. When germs invade the body immune system recognizes them as foreign substances (antigens). The immune system sends special cells to fight the antigens. But sometimes immune system is not strong enough to fight against the germs to prevent diseases from seriously harming or even killing children. However, scientists found out a way to stimulate the immune system. It is known as a vaccine.

Why Is Vaccination Important For Children?

Vaccines are important to protect children from critical diseases leading to fever, paralysis of limbs, convulsions, brain damage, hearing loss, measles, mumps, whooping cough, polio, amputation of an arm or leg, or even death.

What Are Side Effects Of Vaccination?

Of course vaccines sometimes may cause side effects like pain, redness or tenderness at the site of injection but that is ignorable compared to the pain, discomfort and trauma of the diseases. Benefits of vaccines overweigh the possible minor side effects for almost all children.

Vaccination For Infants And Children-Time Lines And Schedules:

5-in-1 Vaccine (DTaP/IPV/Hib):

DTaP means Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis. IPV means Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine. Hib means Haemophilus Influenzae Type B. This vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib.

Scheduled Time: 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age

Hepatitis B Vaccination:

This vaccine protects against the hepatitis B virus, which is a major cause of serious liver disease, including scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.

Scheduled Time: all babies at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV):

This vaccine protects against serious and potentially fatal pneumococcal infections

Scheduled Time: 8 weeks, 16 weeks and one year of age

Rotavirus Vaccine:

This vaccine protects against the rotavirus infections, a common cause of childhood diarrhea and sickness.

Scheduled Time: 8 and 12 weeks of age

Men B (Meningococcal B) Vaccine:

This vaccine protects against the meningitis caused by meningococcal type B bacteria

Scheduled Time: 8 weeks, 16 weeks and one year of age

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Hib/Men C Vaccine:

Hib/Men C means Haemophilus Influenzae type b / Meningococcal C. This vaccine protects against the Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib) and meningitis C caused by meningococcal group C bacteria.

Scheduled Time: one year of age

MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) Vaccine:

This vaccine protects against the measles, mumps and rubella.

Scheduled Time: One year and at three years and four months of age

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Children's Flu Vaccine:

This vaccine protects against the flu

Scheduled Time: annually as a nasal spray in Sept/Oct for ages of two, three and four and children in primary school years one, two and three

4-in-1 Pre-school Booster:

This vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio.

Scheduled Time: three years and four months of age

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HPV (Human Papillomavirus) Vaccine (only for girls):

This vaccine protects against cervical cancer.

Scheduled Time: 12-13 years as two injections at least six months apart

3-in-1 Teenage Booster:

This vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria and polio.

Scheduled Time: 14 years

Chicken Pox Vaccine:

It is also called as varicella vaccine, because chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.

Scheduled Time: from one year of age upwards. Children should receive two doses of chickenpox vaccine. The first dose is given at 12–15 months and the second at 4–6 years.