Bhubaneswar, Sept 26: Vaccination is not a choice but a boon to boost up infant’s immunity for a better growth, unstinted development of body and mind that leads to a healthier life, said Paediatrician Dr Braja Kishore Behera of IMS & SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Underlining the significance of Vaccination and Immunization, Dr Behera said that vaccines are the simplest preventive jabs for the infants against a number of serious ailments, prevalent among the newborns and children within the age group of 1 day- 12 years.
While providing tips on On ‘Doctor’s Tips’ encapsulating free vaccination campaign and Mission Indradhanush,meant for healthy kids across the nation Dr Behera said vaccines really save lives. Vaccines mean protection. Vaccines give protection for children against all preventable diseases. If a kid has been vaccinated in time he is a part of the chain that keeps all humanity safe and healthy. Thanks to vaccines and with dedication, care and love, we can secure a long life for every child.
BCG Vaccine
Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of human disease and death, particularly in developing countries. The bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has existed for 80 years and is one of the most widely used of all current vaccines, in countries, including India, where it is part of the Universal Immunization Program (UIP).
The BCG vaccine has a documented protective effect against meningitis and disseminated TB in children.
Hepatitis B Vaccine
Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It can cause chronic infection and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that all infants receive the Hepatitis B vaccine as soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours, followed by two or three doses of hepatitis B vaccine at least 4 weeks apart to complete the vaccination series.With this jabs in time, the protection lasts at least 20 years and is probably lifelong.
Oral Polio Vaccine
Poliomyelitis is a crippling disease that results from infection with any one of the three related poliovirus types (referred to as types P1, P2, and P3), members of the enterovirus (picornavirus) family.The oral polio vaccine (OPV) is given to help prevent polio.
Pentavalent Vaccine
The pentavalent vaccine provides protection to a child from five life-threatening diseases – Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and Hib. Giving pentavalent vaccine reduces the number of pricks to a child, and provides protection from all five diseases.
Rotavirus Vaccine
Rotaviruses are the most common cause of severe diarrhoeal disease in infants and young children worldwide. Primarily transmitted by the faecal-oral route, rotaviruses affect most children worldwide before three years and in most developing countries before the first birthday.
The Rotavirus vaccine protects against rotavirus infections, which are the leading cause of severe diarrhoea among young children. (Source: WHO).
Know your child's vaccination schedule - fIPV
Polio can be prevented through immunization. The Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life.
The development of effective vaccines to prevent paralytic polio was one of the major medical breakthroughs of the 20th century.
Measles Rubella Vaccine
Measles is an acute viral infection that spreads via respiratory secretions. Symptoms include fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis. Complications and mortality are highest in children < 2 years. and in adults. Rubella is a contagious, generally mild viral infection that occurs most often in children and young adults.
Rubella infection in pregnant women may cause foetal death or congenital defects known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). There is no specific treatment for rubella, but the disease is preventable by vaccination. CRS during pregnancy may result in spontaneous abortion, stillbirth and serious birth defects.
A combined live vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (UIP) is used widely for the immunization of children in certain regions of the world, including India because of its advantages over individual vaccines.
The vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles). The first dose is generally given to children around 9 months to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to six years of age, with at least four weeks between the doses.
DPT Vaccine
The DPT vaccine or DTP vaccine is a class of combination vaccines against three infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus.
The vaccine components include diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and either killed whole cells of the bacterium that causes pertussis or pertussis antigens.
The primary dose of DPT provided as part of pentavalent vaccine and 2 booster doses are given at 16 -24 months and 5-6 years, respectively.
Td Vaccine
Td vaccine is a combination of tetanus and diphtheria with lower concentration of diphtheria antigen (d). The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommends the replacement of the TT vaccine with the Td vaccine for all age groups, including pregnant women, across the country.
PCV Vaccine
Pneumococcal diseases are a common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, more severely affecting young children and the elderly.
The pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) are included in the childhood immunization programmes, particularly in countries with high childhood mortality.
JE VACCINE
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, and is spread by mosquitoes. JEV is the main cause of viral encephalitis in many countries of Asia with an estimated 68 000 clinical cases every year.
Safe and effective vaccines are available to prevent the JE infections. The WHO recommends that the JE vaccination be integrated into national immunization schedules in all areas where JE disease is recognized as a public health issue. In India, JE vaccine is provided sub nationally in select JE endemic districts, added Dr Behera.
