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16th March was observed as National Vaccination Day (also known as National Immunisation Day) in our country. This day is celebrated every year to emphasize the importance of vaccination to the entire nation. The day was first observed in the year 1995, the year on which India started Pulse Polio Programme.
Vaccination is the most cost effective strategy in protecting Newborn and Children from diseases. Vaccination is safe and effective. Vaccination works wonders. It is one of the greatest gifts of science. Apart from Children, Vaccination is for adolescents and adults too.
Vaccinating every kid is a crucial step towards prosperous and healthy India. To make sure that your child isn’t at the risk of serious childhood diseases, it’s important to give him/her all the IAP recommended vaccines. Here, we’ve shared 5 important reasons to vaccinate your child:
1) Vaccination protects your child from serious diseases:
Making sure that your child gets regular vaccination is the single-best way to protect him/her from serious diseases before age 2. Vaccines protect babies against measles, diphtheria, mumps, rotavirus, tetanus, polio, hepatitis A and B, pneumococcal disease, influenza and several other diseases.
2) Vaccines are safe:
Vaccines are designed to be safe for children. Vaccines contain antigens (or parts of antigens) that cause the disease in question. When the antigens are exposed to the body, the immune system produces antibodies to fight them. The antigens in vaccines are weakened to the point that they do not cause the disease. However, they are powerful enough to prompt the immune system to produce the antibodies. This way, the immune system remembers what antibodies to make whenever exposed to the antigens later in life.
3) Vaccines ensure proper growth of your child:
There are several diseases such as tetanus and polio that can have lifelong consequences. Polio is a viral infection that can cause permanent paralysis and even death. Tetanus is a bacterial infection that causes painful muscle spasms and can even cause death. Vaccines for polio & tetanus have made the diseases preventable.
4) Vaccines protect other children as well:
By regularly vaccinating your child, you protect others from serious diseases as well. Many children have health conditions such as weakened immune system and severe allergies. To ensure their safety, it’s important to vaccinate your child so that he/she isn’t carrying any serious disease and isn’t spreading any either. In other words, vaccinations help improve the overall health of the community.
5) Vaccines can eradicate diseases:
Vaccines help prevent diseases from spreading. With proper community-based vaccination programs, it’s possible to eradicate diseases. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared eradication of a fatal viral disease known as smallpox in 1980 with its global immunization campaign. (Source: https://www.who.int/csr/disease/smallpox/en/). To know more about the recommended vaccinations for your kid, get in touch with our paediatricians.
Know some of the important Vaccines for your Child:
1. BCG , OPV , Hepatitis B vaccine should be given on the day of birth.
2. At 6 weeks , 10 weeks , 14 weeks – Hexavalent ( DPT, IPV , Hib , HepB ) , Rotavirus vaccine , Pneumococcal vaccine should be given .
3. At 6 months, Typhoid Conjugate vaccine and Flu vaccine are given followed by flu vaccine booster at 7 months of age .
4. At 9 months, MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) is very important
5. At 1 year of age , Hepatitis A vaccine and JE vaccine are given followed by JE vaccine booster at 13 months
6. At 15 months of age , child is vaccinated with MMR , Varicella vaccine , Pneumococcal vaccine
7. Varicella vaccine booster may be given after 3 months
8. At 16 to 18 months – DPT, Hib , IPV vaccines are administered
9. At 18 months of age , Hepatitis A vaccine booster is given
10. Between 4 to 6 years , we have boosters for DPT , MMR , Varicella vaccine .
11. At 10 years of age , TdaP (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis ) and HPV vaccine are to be given .
12. Flu vaccination is done annually (every year)
13. Meningococcal vaccine is also important (consult paediatrician)
14. COVID vaccine for age group of 12 to 14 years is a welcome step by the Government
To know more about the recommended vaccinations for your kid, get in touch with your paediatricians.
Visit Neotia Getwel Healthcare Centre for ensuring holistic care of your child
At Neotia Getwel Healthcare Centre, we provide comprehensive paediatric & neonatal care in Siliguri. Our paediatric and neonatal department comprises of world-class fully-equipped care units. With regular check-ups, our paediatricians and neonatologists can help you ensure the best health of your child. Learn more
Disclaimer
Though all attempts are made to provide correct information on the subject, inadvertent & typographical errors arising out of manual intervention cannot be ruled out. It is requested to bring any such discrepancies to the notice of the blogger for correction.
Author-
Dr. Prince Parakh
MD (Paediatrics), FISPN
Consultant – Paediatrics & Neonatology
