Child Vaccinations: Protect Your Child From Illness

Has your child been adequately immunized? This is not an alarm to you, but almost 3 million children die every year worldwide from diseases that are entirely preventable by vaccination. The importance of immunisation cannot be overemphasized: it is a way to protect your child from serious illnesses.

How does immunisation help? Babies are born with some natural immunity which they get from their mother and through breast-feeding. This gradually wears off as the baby’s own immune system starts to develop. Immunisation protects the child against infectious diseases.

Immunisation can be done through vaccines either in the form of injections, or administered orally. A vaccine stimulates the body to produce antibodies, which are protein that fight illness. The timing of the vaccination depends on the age at which the disease is anticipated, as well as on the feasibility of administering the vaccine at that time.

Here’s what you need to know about the inoculation schedule to keep your kids healthy.

• Bacillus Calmette-Gue´rin) (BCG) Vaccine:

When to be given: At Birth.

Why: Protects Against Tuberculosis.

What to watch out for:  Causes A Nodule After 3-6 Weeks And A Scar by 8-12 Weeks.

• Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV):

When to be given: At Birth, At The Age of 6 Weeks, At 10 Weeks, At 14 Weeks, Between 15 To 18 Months And At 5 Years.

Why: The Oral Vaccine Drops Protect Against Polio.

• Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV):

When to be given: At The Age of 6 Weeks, At 10 Weeks, At 14 Weeks, Between 15-18 Months.

Why: The Injectable Vaccine Is Effective In Preventing Polio.

What to watch out for: It Requires A Total of Four Doses Only. It May Cause Pain And Mild Fever.

• Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DPT) Vaccine:

When to be given: At the Age of 6 Weeks, At 10 Weeks, At 14 Weeks, Between 16-24 Months And At 5 years.

Why: The Vaccine Protects Against Diphtheria, Pertussis, And Tetanus.

What to watch out for: It May Cause Fever, Pain And Swelling At Site.

• Hemophilus Influenza B (Hib) Vaccine:

When to be given: At The Age of 6 Weeks, At 10 Weeks, At 14 Weeks And Between 15-18 Months.

Why: The vaccine Protects Against Meningitis, Pneumonia And Septicaemia Caused By The Bacteria Hemophilus Influenza B.

What to watch out for: It May cause Slight Pain And Fever.

• Hepatitis B (Hep B) Vaccine:

When to be given: There Are Three Accepted Schedules: 6, 10 And 14 Weeks of Age; At Birth, 6 And 14 Weeks of Age; At Birth, 1 And 6 Months of age.

Why: The Vaccine Protects Against Liver Diseases And Liver Cancer Caused By Hepatitis B Virus Later In life.

What to watch out for: It Sometimes Causes Pain Or Mild Fever.

• Measles Vaccine:

When to be given: At The Age of 9 Months.

Why: The Vaccine Protects Your Child Against Measles.

What to watch out for: It may cause Mild Fever And A Rash May Appear After One Week But It Will Be Cured By Itself.

• Measles, Mumps And Rubella (MMR) Vaccine:

When to be given: At The Age of 15 Months. A Second Dose Can Be Given At 5 Years of age.

Why: This Vaccine Protects Against Measles, Mumps, And Rubella.

Read:

Hepatitis B: The Silent Killer