Vaccinations against the most dangerous diseases - a sure way to protect the baby from infections. The first newborn immunizations do more in the nursing home, in the first days after birth. At this time vaccination against diseases such as hepatitis B and tuberculosis. These vaccines are needed to protect the health of the baby.

Hepatitis B: the vaccination is necessary for all

Hepatitis B - serious viral disease that affects the liver. The consequences of hepatitis can be very serious: it often leads to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis B virus is very resistant to various physical and chemical factors, and is therefore very easy to get hepatitis. Very often, the infection is so-called "vertical" way - from mother to child during childbirth.

The World Health Organization recommends that children vaccinated on the first day of life, regardless of whether their mother is infected with hepatitis B or not. If a woman in labor has a positive HbsAq status or are at risk, the immunizations your child makes for a special pattern: the vaccine schedule changes Calendar of vaccinations - the rules for vaccination   and require additional booster.

Typically, a vaccine against hepatitis B are recombinant, ie not contain killed virus hepatitis, but only a part - to recreate artificially the surface protein of the virus of hepatitis B. The vaccine is injected into the anterolateral area of ​​the thigh newborn. At this point may appear seal and redness, but these symptoms usually disappear after a couple of days. It is also possible slight transient increase in temperature. In general, serious complications after vaccination against Hepatitis B usually does not happen.

In some cases, vaccination in the first days of life have to be abandoned. In particular, hepatitis B vaccinated infants, whose weight is less than two (in some countries - less than half) kilograms. Pronounced manifestation of intrauterine infections, asthma, severe disorders of the internal organs are also contraindications to vaccination. In such cases, the vaccines are only a child when his condition stabilized. In some cases (for example, if the child's mother - the carrier of the virus) in the specific immunoglobulin is administered to newborns.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is one of the ten most common causes of death in the world. In some countries, TB cases are recorded very rarely, but the complete victory over the disease say it is not necessary. Tuberculosis affects not only the lungs but other body systems. To catch this disease is very easy, but for small children TB is especially dangerous.

Vaccination against tuberculosis is on the third to fifth day of life of the baby. BCG vaccine, which provides protection against the most severe forms of tuberculosis, administered intradermally in the left shoulder. Easily tolerated grafting, raising the temperature and deterioration of the general condition in the newborn is usually not observed. At the injection site skin may be red and swollen, but it quickly passes.

Can I opt out of vaccination?

Medical workers compulsorily ask parents written consent to vaccinate children. And, of course, parents can not give their consent, taking responsibility for themselves. But is it worth doing? After all, a child is at serious risk of infection, and the newborn is too weak and defenseless, to successfully confront the serious infections.

Opponents of vaccination explain its position in different ways. Someone not sure as a vaccine. Others are afraid of complications after vaccination. Still others believe that vaccinations are ineffective. Fourth believe that vaccination has a negative impact on the immune system of the baby. According to Fifth, if the time to make a baby to her breast, precious colostrum protect it from any infections.

Doctors believe that these arguments do not stand up to scrutiny. It is enough to look at any history textbook to learn how people lived before the invention of vaccination. The infection died out whole cities, and the infant mortality rate was enormous. Only at the end of the XVIII century English physician E.Dzhenner made a real revolution in medicine, invented the first vaccine against smallpox. Over time, it developed the vaccine and other prevention, and many terrible infectious diseases receded.

Mass vaccination allows healthier society: in many countries, outbreaks occur only among migrants from other states, where there is careful monitoring of the vaccination of the entire population. Thus, the risk of infection remains, and this applies in the first place such common and dangerous diseases such as hepatitis and tuberculosis.

Not all vaccines cause complications, vaccination against tuberculosis has virtually no effect on the health of infants, and the reactions to the vaccine against Hepatitis B usually pass quickly. In addition, if the vaccinations by the rules, then the probability of complications tends to zero.

The ineffectiveness of vaccination is often exaggerated. Indeed, health is not an absolute guarantee will no vaccination. But even if the child is infected, the disease graft baby will flow much easier than that of a child who did not vaccinate.

As for the effect of vaccination on the child's immune system, this influence is certainly there. The purpose of vaccination is and is to improve the child resistance to infections. Unfortunately, breast-feeding can not replace the current vaccine, although it is, of course, very useful for the child. Not in vain before the invention of vaccination, infant mortality was shockingly high despite the fact that all of the children were breastfed Breastfeeding: notes .

Vaccinations newborns and older children protect children from the most feared infectious diseases of our time. Do not neglect this protection.

Maria Bykov

Related Articles

Calendar of vaccinations - the rules for vaccination

Vaccination of children - the success of public health