Childhood vaccination is the top concern of parents. In fact, the proportion of children who are fully vaccinated as recommended only accounts for a part, because there exists a parallel opinion "when needed, then vaccinate".
Most vaccines available today are very safe for babies
Recent measles outbreaks have sparked controversy around vaccination. Here are some opinions of pediatricians on this matter.
- If parents have been vaccinated , their children no longer need the vaccine? If all family members get vaccinated, are they sure they can be prevented?
Expert : Infectious diseases are considered to be a public health problem, especially when there is a risk of an outbreak. This is because a small number of children, even though vaccinated, can still become infected (in either severe or mild) after contact with an infected person. In addition, many families also worry that only older children are fully vaccinated, while younger children are not.
- Pharmaceutical companies make profits from vaccines so they care about getting as many children as possible to use their products. Will the doctors work for the pharmaceutical company?
Professionals: Most doctors and nurses do not have any financial relationship with the vaccine pharmaceutical company, and they do not share the profits with the company from immunizing children. The vaccination activity is guided by empirical studies and recommendations from the Pediatric Society, the preventive medicine - hygiene and epidemiological agency and the Ministry of Health.
Why are there so many vaccines for my baby? Some vaccines that should be vaccinated for your baby are those against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, flu, hepatitis B, polio ... Vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis should be vaccinated. Five doses: at 2, 4, and 6 months, between 15 to 18 months of age and between 4 to 6 years of age.
- Children often sick, some of which simply cause a rash or sore throat ... may not need the vaccine?
Expert: When most people are vaccinated, the disease is rare and becomes increasingly rare. However, community immunity only provides one-way protection, meaning that when an unvaccinated child arrives in an infected area, or there is a carrier in the community, those who are not vaccinated are at risk. muscle infection. Some illnesses that manifest as a common cold at first (for example, measles also has the first symptoms of a cold, such as fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and then a rash), but then they rapidly progresses into serious infectious complications (such as encephalitis, which is a complication of measles, swelling of the brain, seizures, permanent brain damage, even death).
Many diseases are contagious and kill many people before they can be vaccinated. It is possible that people are not fully aware of the dangers of vaccinated diseases. Before vaccination, for example, mumps was the most common cause of inflammation and meningitis, deafness and infertility in men. Polio can cause spinal inflammation in young children leading to permanent paralysis, even quadriplegic limbs. Tetanus (usually caused by a wound or wound infection that produces nerve toxins) causes severe muscle spasms with many life-threatening complications.
- How many% of children have serious reactions to standard vaccines?
Specialist: Immunization is one of the safest advances in modern medicine. Measles and other diseases vaccinations have been carried out and proven safe for decades so we can count on them. Common side effects from the shot are soreness around the injection site, redness and mild fever. Less than 1 person out of every million doses of vaccine given will experience serious side effects. Also, the vaccination has no lasting side effects. The likelihood of having an adverse side effect is very rare, compared with a high risk of developing an infectious disease if the child is not immunized.
Parents are often advised to change food combinations when preparing food for children with allergies. Can we do the same with vaccines?
Expert: A dose of a vaccine is usually very small, inducing pharmacological reactions that help the person to build immunity to the disease. Several diseases are combined with a combination of vaccinations in the same dose of vaccine. However, some parents wonder if they can choose to have separate immunizations. This is not recommended for many reasons. Studies have shown that the combination of vaccines is safe and effective, helping children get vaccinated early against many diseases, reducing the number of shots and the number of times they have to visit the clinic - where many people are sick. Infectious.
- Will vaccines increase childhood autism, diabetes, asthma, allergies, and cancer?
Specialist: Child diseases such as diabetes, cancer, asthma and autism have clear symptoms with very different underlying development. None of the diseases mentioned above are caused by vaccinations. Studies have shown that vaccination does not increase the incidence of allergies, asthma, sudden death syndrome in infants or autism. Many vaccines, such as the measles vaccine, have been widely and consistently used over the past decades; therefore, it is not possible to cause recent special disorders in children. Currently, 1 in 68 children has autism, an increase of 30% compared to 2012, while the proportion of children vaccinated has not changed much.
Did you know about Hib vaccination? Hib is not a disease but the short name for the bacteria Heamophilus influenzae group b. This group of bacteria is the culprit of many diseases such as epiglottitis (severe swelling in the throat that causes difficulty breathing), severe pneumonia and meningitis that usually occur in infants and children under 5
- Why do children get more vaccines today than we did in the past?
Expert: This is mainly because there weren't as many new vaccines in the past. We now have vaccines for meningococcal disease (swelling and meningococcal infection) and meningococcal infection. Or the Gardasil vaccine helps prevent strains that cause human tumors such as cancers of the cervix, vagina, penis, anus, and genital herpes.
How long are vaccines tested before they are put into use?
Professionals: The vaccines always go through a rigorous testing process before being put into use. Furthermore, the safety of vaccines continues to be monitored and tested around the world. Health authorities have a duty to oversee all stages of vaccine production in order to maintain the highest level of safety, and guide the required testing quality of pre-release batches of vaccines. . There is also an on-site immunization monitoring system in pediatric hospitals dedicated to recording adverse reactions to complete the trial process.
- Are chemicals in vaccines such as mercury harmful for children?
Expert: Under medical regulations and through rigorous testing, vaccines do not contain chemicals to levels that could be harmful. The two commonly controversial preservatives are Thimerosal and Formaldehyde.
Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative that has been used in a number of vaccines manufactured before 2001. Although believed to be safe in small doses and is not harmful to health, since 2001 it is This is no longer allowed in the scheduled childhood vaccines.
Formaldehyde, a naturally occurring substance through metabolism by organisms, is used to make vaccines, but is mostly eliminated during immunization purification. It should be noted that formaldehyde also plays a role in human metabolism, and the amount of natural formaldehyde in a newborn is much greater than the amount in one dose of a vaccine.
Immunization for children: How does vaccines work? The mechanism of how the child's vaccination vaccine will work and how to create immunity for your baby, let's refer.
- My child was not vaccinated when I was a child, is it okay now?
Expert: With the recent outbreaks, many parents are starting to find out about their child's immunization information. Even if your child misses a previous vaccination schedule, it is okay to get vaccinated now. Parents should consult a doctor to have an appropriate vaccination plan to help children catch up. Do not wait until an outbreak or a child develops an illness to think about getting vaccinated, as a contagious disease spreads quickly because infected people often infect before symptoms appear. Then you will not be able to protect the child in time, for example measles, if you do not get vaccinated and come into contact with a sick person, 90% of you will be infected!