Why you should complete your child's vaccines

With the advent of vaccination in the 20th century, the practice has saved millions of lives. However, many people are still unaware of the benefits of vaccination, and thus do not complete their child’s vaccination.

When you give a vaccine to a person, you are giving them a weakened or dead infectious organism in order to stimulate the person’s immune system to form antibodies against the disease. Hence, when the real disease comes, the body is now adequately prepared to defeat the incoming threat. Sad to say, those who are not vaccinated will most likely develop the disease.

Benefits of childhood vaccination

To protect your child’s health. Young children below five years old are more likely to get sick because their immune systems are not fully developed yet. Thus, by immunizing the child completely by age two, you can help increase your child’s protection against these deadly diseases. In fact, even if the child is malnourished, he or she will still benefit from vaccines. Make sure you keep your child’s vaccination record to avoid duplications.

To protect the health of others. Vaccination prevents outbreaks and epidemics. History shows that past epidemics, which killed thousands of people, do not occur as often anymore. This came about because of vaccination and other public health efforts. If we stop vaccinating, then these past epidemics may make a comeback.

To save future generations, including our grandchildren. The benefits of vaccinating your child are not limited to the child. If your child does not get sick from the disease, then he or she will not be able to infect other children in the community. Hence, the health of one child affects the health of others. By getting more and more people fully vaccinated, then we can stop the disease in its tracks. In the case of polio and diphtheria, these diseases are becoming rarer through the global efforts in vaccination. Let us continue to vaccinate our kids until we eliminate these diseases completely.

More vaccines for children

The lack of knowledge on the part of the parents is one obstacle that must be addressed if we want to reduce the burden of the vaccine-preventable diseases. A second obstacle is the cost of the vaccine, which the government must shoulder if it wants to vaccinate the whole country.

In a related article, I wrote that the Department of Health gives several free vaccinations for children below six years old. These are the vaccines against tuberculosis (the BCG vaccine), diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, hepatitis B and recently rotavirus. We are glad that the DOH has included the rotavirus vaccine against diarrhea in its regular program.

However, international agencies like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends several other vaccines that will benefit the children. I have listed here additional vaccines the government can consider if it wants to give the best preventive care to the Filipino children, especially the poor.

Haemophilus influenza or Hib vaccine. Haemophilus influenza type B is a dangerous bacterial disease that causes serious complications in children. This condition can lead to meningitis (infection of the brain), pneumonia and severe throat infection. Before the vaccine was discovered, this disease killed thousands of children every year. According to DOH experts, a few areas are already receiving the Hib vaccine as part of the program.

Pneumococcal vaccine. Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria, and may lead to pneumonia, ear infection, brain infection and blood infection. Children below two years old are at highest risk to get these complications. Recently, this disease has been difficult to treat even with the antibiotics. Hence, experts recommend that the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine be given four times to children between the ages of two months to 15 months.

Varicella or chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox is a common childhood infection caused by the varicella zoster virus. Patients develop fever and the characteristic fluid-filled blisters all over the body. Studies show that the vaccine can reduce the number of chickenpox cases by around tenfold. Children are usually given one dose after 12 months of age. For children 13 years and older who have not previously received the vaccine, two doses are given.

Flu vaccine. The flu vaccine injection (also called influenza vaccine) is safe to be given to children starting at six months old. This vaccine offers some protection against getting the flu. Take note that children are more prone to develop flu complications than adults. Two doses are usually given between six months to eight years of age.

Meningococcal vaccine. Meningococcal disease is a serious brain infection caused by the meningococcus bacteria. It usually occurs in children below one year old and in the later teen years. The infection can lead to seizures, brain damage and blindness. The meningococcal conjugate vaccine protects against several types of bacteria, and is recommended for children between two to 10 years old. 

Hepatitis A vaccine. Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver caused by consuming contaminated food or water. In areas where Hepatitis A is commonly seen (like the Philippines), this vaccine can be recommended for children. Two vaccine doses are given, first at one year old, then another at two years old. The vaccine offers protection for at least 10 years.

When to delay Immunization

There are instances when we should delay or avoid vaccination. If the child is currently sick, taking steroids or undergoing cancer therapy, then vaccination should be delayed. After the child gets well, then he or she can be vaccinated. Those with a past history of severe allergy to vaccines should not be vaccinated.

After vaccination, the child may develop a low-grade fever and soreness at the injection site. This is generally harmless. Paracetamol may be given for the fever, and to be safe, the child is brought to see a doctor.

In summary, experts agree that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the minimal risk involved. For examples, if the child gets Hemophilus influenza disease, the risk of the child dying is very high at one for every 20 cases. However, if we give Hemophilus vaccination, the risk for side effects is almost zero. And on top of that, your child will be protected from getting the deadly disease. Therefore, as good parents, we should faithfully and completely immunize our children.