Vaccination: Your questions answered
- By Team TDO
- What are various vaccines recommended for babies?Hepatitis B, DTP, Hib, Polio (IPV), Pneumococcal (PCV), Rotavirus, Influenza (seasonal and H1N1 flu), Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), Varicella (chicken pox), Hepatitis A, Meningococcal (MCV4), and HPV.
- Can my baby handle so many shots?Vaccines are very safe. They are made up of inactive or much weakened form of bacteria or viruses. They enter the body on injecting and create protective antibodies, which live in the body and protects against disease.
- What are the side effects of vaccination in babies?Vaccination side effects are very mild. The most common side effects are pain or swelling at the injected area, fussiness or mild fever. These last not more than few days at the maximum and are curable.
- Do the diseases still occur after vaccinations?When the immune system becomes weak, these diseases can reappear. That is why booster doses are given. One might develop disease if one has not received all the doses required for full protection or body has not developed complete immunity against disease. Vaccines provides 95% of protection, rest comes from living in a safe and clean environment.
- Does vaccination causes autism?Many people presume that vaccination might be a cause of autism in babies. However, researchers and scientists have concluded that there is no link between vaccination and autism.
- Why are so many doses given for each vaccine?More than one dose is needed to build enough immunity to prevent diseases. Vaccination given at regular interval charges and boosts immunity system with time.
- Why are vaccines given to such small babies?The vaccination schedule is so designed to provide immunity in the early years, before children are even exposed to diseases. Small babies are vulnerable to the risks of getting infected by diseases. Hence, vaccination protects such infants by providing them immunity.
- What are combination vaccines?Combination vaccines are designed to protect the baby against more than one disease with a single shot. They help in reducing the number of vaccines and pain caused by injections. Some common combination vaccines that are currently used are: DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis), PCV(Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine), and MMR (measles-mumps-rubella).
- Is it okay for the babies to get shots if he/she is sick?Babies can get vaccinated if they have mild sickness, like cold, earache, fever or diarrhea. But still, consulting with the doctor would be better.
- Do babies have natural immunity?Natural immunity develops when the baby is exposed to any disease and becomes immune to it. Babies may also inherit immunity from the mother during the last few months of from diseases to which the mother is also immune. But these antibodies do not last for long. Immunization is a must.
