Vaccination

How Routine Vaccination can Help?

An estimated 130 million infants are born worldwide every year. A routine vaccination scheme can ensure protection for these children from diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (Pertussis), measles, polio, and many other preventable diseases and keep them alive and healthy. Ensuring routine vaccination of children is also crucial to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing deaths among children under-five by two-thirds by 2015 compared to 1990.

How vaccines work?

Infections are the most common cause of human disease.  Your immune system works because is able to tell if an invader (virus, bacteria, parasite, or other another person’s tissues) has entered it. Your body recognizes this invader and uses a number of different tactics to destroy it.

Vaccines help the body’s immune system prepare for future attacks. Vaccines consist of killed or modified microbes that trick the body into thinking an infection has occurred.  A vaccinated person’s immune system attacks the harmless vaccine and prepares for invasions against the kind of microbe the vaccine contained. In this way, the person becomes immunized against the microbe: if re-exposure to the infectious microbe occurs, the immune system will quickly recognize how to stop the infection.

Healthcare professional preparing a vaccine syringe.

Vaccines are the best defense we have against serious, preventable, and sometimes deadly contagious diseases. Vaccines are some of the safest medical products available.

DTaP vaccine

(Diphtheria, Tetanus, and acellular Pertussis)

  • Children should get five doses of the diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, one dose at each of the following ages:
    • 6 weeks
    • 10 weeks
    • 14weeks
    • 15 – 18 months
    • 4 – 6 years

Tdap should also be given to 9- 10-year-olds

What are the risks from DTaP vaccine?

Getting diphtheria, tetanus or pertussis disease is much riskier than getting DTaP vaccine.

However, a vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of DTaP vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.

Healthcare professional administering a vaccine to a young child.

Mild Problems (Common)

  • Fever (up to about 1 child in 4)
  • Redness or swelling where the shot was given (up to about 1 child in 4)
  • Soreness or tenderness where the shot was given (up to about 1 child in 4)

These problems occur more often after the 4th and 5th doses of the DTaP series than after earlier doses.

Sometimes the 4th or 5th dose of DTaP vaccine is followed by swelling of the entire arm or leg in which the shot was given, for 1 to 7 days (up to about 1 child in 30).

Other mild problems include:

  • Fussiness (up to about 1 child in 3)
  • Tiredness or poor appetite (up to about 1 child in 10)
  • Vomiting (up to about 1 child in 50)

These problems generally occur 1 to 3 days after the shot.

Moderate Problems (Uncommon)

  • Seizure (jerking or staring) (about 1 child out of 14,000)
  • Non-stop crying, for 3 hours or more (up to about 1 child out of 1,000)
  • High fever, 105 degrees Fahrenheit or higher (about 1 child out of 16,000)

Severe Problems (Very Rare)
Serious allergic reaction (less than 1 out of a million doses) Several other severe problems have been reported after DTaP vaccine. These include:

  • Long-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousness
  • Permanent brain damage.

These are so rare it is hard to tell if they are caused by the vaccine.

Controlling fever is especially important for children who have had seizures, for any reason. It is also important if another family member has had seizures.

You can reduce fever and pain by giving your child an aspirin-free pain reliever when the shot is given, and for the next 24 hours, following the package instructions.

Chickenpox (Varicella)

Chickenpox is usually mild, but it can lead to complications such as severe skin infection, scars, pneumonia, brain damage, or death. It is not possible to predict who will have a mild case of chickenpox and who will have a serious or even deadly case of disease. 

After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body and can re-emerge years later to cause a painful condition called shingles.

Vaccine Basics

Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent chickenpox. Currently, two doses of vaccine are recommended for children, adolescents, and adults.

While no vaccine is 100% effective in preventing disease, the chickenpox vaccine is very effective: about 8 to 9 out of every 10 people who are vaccinated are completely protected from chickenpox. In addition, the vaccine almost always prevents severe disease. If a vaccinated person does get chickenpox, it is usually a very mild case lasting only a few days and involving fewer skin blisters (usually less than 50), mild or no fever, and few other symptoms.

  • Children who have never had chickenpox should get 2 doses of the chickenpox vaccine at these ages:
    • 1st Dose: 12-15 months of age
  • 2nd Dose: 3 months after the 1st dose)
  • People 13 years of age and older (who have never had chickenpox or received chickenpox vaccine) should get two doses at least 28 days apart

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis A virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. Hepatitis A is usually spread when a person ingests fecal matter — even in microscopic amounts — from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces, or stool, of an infected person.

Vaccination is recommended for all children age 12 months and older, for travelers to certain countries, and for people at high risk for infection with the virus.

The hepatitis A vaccine is given as two shots, six months apart. Children who are not vaccinated by two years of age can be vaccinated at later visits.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a contagious liver disease that ranges in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness. It results from infection with the hepatitis B virus. All children should get their first dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth and complete the vaccine series by 6–18 months of age. Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all babies so that they will be protected from a serious but preventable disease. Babies and young children are at much greater risk for developing a chronic infection if infected, but the vaccine can prevent this.

All children and adolescents younger than 19 years of age who have not yet gotten the vaccine should also be vaccinated. "Catch-up" vaccination is recommended for children and adolescents who were never vaccinated or who did not get the entire vaccine series

Pneumococcal

Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by a type of bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). There are different types of pneumococcal disease, such as pneumococcal pneumonia, blood infections (bacteremia), brain infections (pneumoccocal meningitis), and middle ear infections (otitis media). Pneumococcal disease is a leading cause of vaccine-preventable illness and death.

For Infants and Young Children

There are many types of pneumococcal bacteria. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) protects against 13 of them. These bacteria types are responsible for most common severe pneumococcal infections among children.

PCV13 is recommended as a series of four doses, one dose at each of these ages:

  • 2 months
  • 3 months
  • 4 months and
  • 12- 15 months

Children who miss their shots at these ages should still get the vaccine. The number of doses and the intervals between doses will depend on the child’s age.

Meningococcal meningitis

A common outcome of meningococcus infection is meningitis. When caused by Neisseria meningitidis it is known as meningococcal meningitis or bacterial meningitis. When someone has meningococcal meningitis, the protective membranes covering their brain and spinal cord, known as the meninges, become infected and swell.  This is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, headache, and stiff neck. The symptoms of meningococcal meningitis can appear quickly or over several days. Meningococcal meningitis can be fatal and should always be viewed as a medical emergency. About ten percent of infected people die from the disease. In non-fatal cases, those affected experience long-term disabilities, such as brain damage or deafness. Preventing the disease through the use of meningococcal vaccine is important.

Meningococcal septicemia

Another common outcome of meningococcus infection is meningococcemia, also known as meningococcal septicemia. When Neisseria meningitidis bacteria enter the bloodstream and multiply, they damage the walls of the blood vessels and cause bleeding into the skin and organs.

Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, vomiting, cold hands and feet, cold chills, severe aches or pain in the muscles, joints, chest or abdomen, rapid breathing, diarrhea — and, in the later stages, a puerperal rash or a petechial rash. Even with antibiotic treatment, people die in about 10-15 percent of cases. Preventing the disease through the use of meningococcal vaccine is important.

Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) is recommended for children 24 months through 55 years of age.

Rotavirus

Rotavirus is a virus that causes gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines). The rotavirus disease causes severe watery diarrhea, often with vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. In babies and young children, it can lead to dehydration (loss of body fluids). Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Globally, it causes more than a half a million deaths each year in children younger than five years of age

There are two brands of rotavirus vaccine. A baby should get either two or three doses, depending on which brand is used. Two different rotavirus vaccines are currently licensed for use in infants are RotaTeq® (RV5) and Rotarix® (RV1). Both vaccines are oral (taken by mouth and swallowed), not a shot.

The doses are recommended at these ages:

  • First Dose: 6weeks of age
  • Second Dose: 10 weeks of age
  • Third Dose: 14weeks of age (if needed)

Typhoid Fever

Typhoid (typhoid fever) is a serious disease. If it is not treated, it can kill up to 30 percent of people who get it. Some people who get typhoid become “carriers,” who can spread the disease to others. Typhoid vaccine can prevent typhoid.

Conjugated Typhoid Vaccine

  • Should be given to children older than 6months of age
  • A booster dose is needed at two years
  • Older age groups require two shots 1year apart

HPV (Human Papillomavirus)

HPV can cause cervical cancer in women. HPV is also associated with several less common cancers, such as vaginal and vulvar cancers in women and other types of cancer in both men and women. It can also cause genital warts and warts in the throat

HPV vaccine is important because it is an anti-cancer vaccine. Both of the HPV vaccines, Cervarix and Gardasil, can prevent most cases of cervical cancer in females, if given before a person is exposed to the virus. One HPV vaccine, Gardasil, can prevent many cases of anal cancer, as well as most genital warts in both females and males. Protection from HPV vaccine is expected to be long-lasting. The best way a person can be sure to get the most benefit from HPV vaccination is to complete all three doses before beginning sexual activity.  

HPV vaccine is given as a three-dose series starting at the age of 9 years and can be taken till 46 years:

1st Dose

Now

2nd Dose

1 to 2 months after Dose 1

3rd Dose

6 months after Dose 1

Sometimes mild to moderate problems are known to occur with this HPV vaccine. These do not last long and go away on their own.

  • Reactions where the shot was given
    • Pain (about 9 people in 10)
    • Redness or swelling (about 1 person in 2)
  • Other mild reactions
    • Fever of 99.5 or higher degrees Fahrenheit (about 1 person in 8)
    • Headache or fatigue (about 1 person in 2)
    • Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain (about 1 person in 4)
    • Muscle or joint pain (up to 1 person in 2)
  • Fainting
    Brief fainting spells and related symptoms (such as jerking movements) can happen after any medical procedure, including vaccination. Sitting or lying down for about 15 minutes after a vaccination can help prevent fainting and injuries caused by falls. Tell your doctor if the patient feels dizzy or light-headed, or has vision changes or ringing in the ears.