Baby Vaccines

Baby Vaccines

Becoming a mother seems like winning the world. A baby makes your life even more enjoyable and exciting. But there lies some added responsibilities for the parents to give their newborn complete protection against all odds. When it comes to protect your baby against serious diseases, vaccines plays a vital role. Health advisors and doctors recommend vaccines including measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP), hepatitis and others.

Vaccines undoubtedly give protection to your child. But some parents feel worried to give their babies the recommended vaccines after coming across some scary reports of immunization to autism and prefer to delay or even avoid them.

Recommended Vaccines:

Chicken pox vaccine
DTaP vaccine (for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis)
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
MMR vaccine
Hib vaccine
Pneumococcal vaccine
Polio vaccine
Flu shot

Chicken Pox Vaccine:

Childhood chicken pox is also known as Vericella which is only relatively mild illness. But you should not avoid giving your baby this chicken pox vaccine which is recommended by most of the experts.
Benefits of Chicken Pox Vaccine:

1. Chicken pox should not be treated lightly. Chicken pox may make your baby suffer from an itchy rash, painful blisters along with fever and fatigue. In case blisters get infected, your baby may need antibiotics. Chicken pox may also leave permanent scars all over the body, possibly on face. If your child has chicken pox, and he goes to day care or school, he’ll have to stay home at least for eight or nine days.

2. Chicken pox can turn into a serious illness or may even prove fatal. So mere callousness may take away your baby’s life. Before this vaccine was introduced, an average of 10,600 case of hospitalizations and 100 to 150 deaths caused by chicken pox occurred annually in the USA. Most of the complications and deaths were seen in previously healthy people.

3. Although the vaccine does not give your baby 100% protection against chicken pox as about 15% of the vaccinated children still suffer from the disease, it can protect your child from the worst illness and the symptoms will be very mild which denotes fewer than 50 blisters, no fever, and less suffering.

4. The vaccine can also provide protection to your child against related disease called shingles. About 10% of adults who have chicken pox earlier in life get this extremely painful rash and disfiguring blisters that can be inches across. Shingles appears when the chicken pox virus, which lives forever in the central nervous system, recurs and becomes active again. People who have been vaccinated against chicken pox may still get shingles but its effect will be mild in your health with much less pain.

Witnessing its severity both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have included this chicken pox vaccine in the schedule of recommended immunizations.
Recommended schedule:
Recommended number of doses:

Two shots at least three months apart.
When should you vaccinate your baby?
Between 12 and 15 months
Between 4 and 6 years

Frequently asked questions:
Who shouldn\’t get the chicken pox vaccine?
A child who has ever had a severe allergic reaction to gelatin or the antibiotic called neomycin. If he is severely allergic to his first vaccination, he shouldn\’t receive a second.

If your child has cancer or any disease affecting his immune system, has recently had a blood transfusion, or is taking high doses of oral steroids especially for asthma or poison ivy, his doctor should evaluate whether receiving the vaccine is a good for him.

what are the possible side effects?

About 20% of children will experience some soreness at the site of the injection. About 10% may have a low-grade fever. About 4% will have a mild rash (more or less 10 chicken pox—like blisters).

Fewer than one in a thousand will have a seizure owing to high fever. Though these febrile seizures may initially seem scary, they\’re mostly harmless for the child. But you better consult your doctor.

DTaP Vaccine:

This Vaccine is also highly recommended by the doctors.

Benefits of DTap vaccine:
The DTaP vaccine helps protecting your baby against three diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough).

Diptheria:
It is a bacterial infection. In this disease a thick gray coating develops at the back of the throat that makes breathing difficult and even obstructs swallowing which can result in suffocation. If the infection is not treated at once, toxins produced by the bacteria may affect other tissues and organs of the body, which can even lead to heart failure or paralysis.

20% of the death cases are traced in people under age 5 and over age 40. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), these numbers have changed little in the last 50 years.
Before the vaccine was invented in the 1920s, there were more than 175,000 cases of diptheria in a year on average in the United States. But since the year 2000, only 5 cases have been recorded. But every year there are outbreaks of diphtheria in Eastern Europe, Russia, Brazil, Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Tetanus:
Tetanus is also known as lockjaw. It is a bacterial infection that causes severe and painful muscle spasms, seizures, and even paralysis. It\’s not infectious. The bacteria, living in soil and dust enter the body through a pore in the skin. People can get afflicted by tetanus from any kind of puncture wound, or from other types of injuries. Even a tiny scratch may cause tetanus if they\’re not cleaned and treated properly. 10% to 20% of reported cases cause death.
Since the vaccine is used extensively since 1940s, the number of tetanus cases in the United States has fallen from about 500 to about 50 a year.

Pertussis:
Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a very infectious bacterial disease and one of the most common vaccine-preventable childhood diseases. Whooping cough causes coughing spells so severe almost giving serious trouble to eat, drink, or breathe. It can cause pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and even death.
Before the vaccine was introduced in the 1940s, about 147,000 U.S. children used to get whooping cough every year.

Now an additional shot called the Tdap is recommended at age 11 or 12 to avoid any side effects. And one Tdap shot is also recommended for adults who didn\’t have one during adolescence. It is important to note that getting yourself vaccinated helps to protect your infant and other infants around you.

Still Whooping cough remains a major health problem among children in other parts of the world.
Recommended schedule:
Recommended number of doses:
6 shots between birth and age 12; one in adulthood.
When should you vaccinate your baby?

At 2 months
At 4 months
At 6 months
Between 15 and 18 months
Between 4 and 6 years old
A booster shot at 11 or 12 years of age (called the Tdap)
For adults: a Tdap (for adults who\’ve never had one) or Tdap booster every ten years.
Frequently asked questions:
Who shouldn\’t get the DTaP vaccine?
Children younger than 6 weeks old.

A child who has had a severe reaction to a previous DTaP shot or faced any difficulties including breathing, hives, fainting, high fever, seizure, or relentless crying for 3 or more hours. If this happens to your child, consult your doctor before giving her another dose of the vaccine.

Consult your pediatric about other possible situations in which your child shouldn\’t get the vaccine. If the pertussis part of the shot causes any of these reaction mentioned before, then a DT (diptheria tetanus) shot may prove suitable.

Are there any precautions I should take?
According to the CDC, keeping fever under control is very important for children who have had any type of seizure. Children who have had a seizure are recommended to take an aspirin-free pain reliever at the time of the shot and for the next 24 hours (Acetaminophen only for babies younger than 6 months; acetaminophen or ibuprofen for kids 6 months and older). Consult your doctor to be sure.

What are the possible side effects?
Most severe side effects are associated with the pertussis part of the DTaP vaccine. Relatively common side effects generally occur after the fourth and fifth doses of the vaccine. These include mild fever and redness, swelling and soreness. If it is noticed, ask the doctor whether acetaminophen or ibuprofen (for age 6 months and older) can be given to ease discomfort. Apart from this fussiness, tiredness, and (more rarely) vomiting can also occur.

Hib Vaccine:

Hib vaccine is known as Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine. It is a conjugate vaccine useful for the prevention of persistent disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria.

Benefits of the Hib vaccine:
The Hib vaccine protects your child from getting afflicted by Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria. These bacteria may cause epiglottises characterized by severe swelling in the throat that makes it hard to breathe, serious form of pneumonia and a disease called bacterial meningitis.

Meningitis is an infection of the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord. It may lead to long term brain damage and deafness in young children, and can sometimes be fatal. Haemophilus influenzae can also cause serious joint and skin infections and other rare infections.

Before the Hib vaccine was suggested by physicians for young children in the late 1980s, Hib was the principal cause of bacterial meningitis in U.S. children below 5 years. About 20,000 children in the United States under 5 years old were reported to develop severe Hib disease each year and nearly 1,000 people died.
But the whole scenario changed as the number of cases in kids under 5 had dropped to 259 by 2003 — a decline of more than 98%. The cases that still occur are mostly in children who haven\’t got complete doses or are too young to have been immunized.

Recommended schedule:
Recommended number of doses:
Three or four doses.
When should you vaccinate your baby?
At 2 months
At 4 monthsbr
At 6 months (not required if the PedvaxHIB or ComVax brand of vaccine was given at 2 and 4 months)
Between 12 and 15 months

It\’s really important for the kids to get them vaccinated on schedule, because the diseases it protects against are likely to strike children between the ages of 2 months and 2 years.
Frequently asked questions:
Who shouldn\’t get the Hib vaccine?

Children age below 6 weeks.
Any child who has had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose.

Are there any precautions I should take?
Children, moderately to severely ill should probably wait till their recovery before getting vaccinated. This will help them to tolerate the trouble if they do have any side effects.

What are the possible side effects?
Up to 30% of children may suffer from redness, warmth, or swelling at the site of the injection. Fever and irritability happen occasionally. These symptoms may turn up within a day of vaccination and can last two to three days.

Hepatitis A Vaccine:

Hepatitis A (previously known as infectious hepatitis), is a severe contagious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV), which is commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water. Every year, about 10 million people worldwide are infected with this virus. The virus may show symptoms including fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, and sometimes jaundice. There\’s no suitable treatment for this disease, but most children recover on their own within two months.

In developing countries, and in regions with poor hygiene standards, the rate of infection with this virus is high.

Hepatitis A vaccine is a vaccine against the hepatitis A virus which protects against the virus in more than 95% of cases and provides protection from the virus for at least 10 years. The vaccine contains inactivated Hepatitis A virus that boosts your baby with active immunity against a future infection.

The vaccine was first introduced in around 1996 for children who lived in high-risk areas.

Benefits of the hepatitis A vaccine:
It protects your child against the hepatitis A virus, which causes a liver disease.

It\’s estimated that in 2007, there were 25,000 new hepatitis A virus infections in United States. As in many cases the symptoms remain latent, it\’s hard to count exactly how many people are infected each year.

The hepatitis A virus is carried in feces and may be transmitted by unwashed hands and it spreads easily in daycare centers and other places where children play together.

Hepatitis A can also be transmitted through contaminated food and water. The virus is very strong and can stay alive for a long time on exposed surfaces, in raw foods, and in sewage.

For all these reasons, the hepatitis A vaccine has now become a part of the recommended vaccine schedule in the United States.

For all these reasons, the hepatitis A vaccine has now become a part of the recommended vaccine schedule in the United States.
Recommended schedule:
Recommended number of doses:
Two shots, at least 6 months apart.

When should you vaccinate your baby?

Between the first and second birthdays (ages 12 to 23 months).

If your child is 2 or older, consult your doctor before vaccination. Young children who aren\’t vaccinated by 23 months can be vaccinated. Vaccinations are also recommended for older kids who belong to the high-risk groups.
Frequently asked questions

Who should not get the hepatitis A vaccine?
A child, allergic to the vaccine, after the first shot should not receive another. Any child who is hypersensitive to alum, a metal used in many vaccines to ensure a better immune response, or to 2-phenoxyethanol, a preservative that protects the vaccine vial from contamination should not be vaccinated.

Are there any precautions I should take?
This vaccine is so mild that it can be given to your child even if he\’s slightly ill. But if your child is suffering from a moderate to severe illness, wait until his health improves.

What are the possible side effects?
About 15% of the vaccinated children get sore at the site of the injection. A few may experience a headache, fatigue, or loss of appetite.

Hepatitis B Vaccine:

Hepatitis B vaccine is developed for the prevention of hepatitis B virus infection. It contains one of the viral envelope proteins, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). It is produced by yeast cells, where the genetic code for HBsAg has been inserted.

Benefits of the hepatitis B vaccine:The hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) prevents hepatitis B virus, which may cause liver damage and even death.

Hepatitis B is generally found in adults because its virus is known to be transmitted through unsafe sex and shared needles. But people, who get it, might not be engaged in these ‘High-risk’ activities. So they are either infected at birth or they contract the disease from close contact during childhood with others who are infected.

Hepatitis B is highly infectious. About 800,000 to 1.4 million people in the United States have hepatitis B virus, and 20 to 30% of them got the disease in childhood. Many of them never feel ill and don\’t even know that they have this disease, but those who become infected in their childhood experience long-term health problems such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. It is recorded that about 2,000 to 4,000 Americans die from hepatitis B-related disease every year.
Recommended schedule:
Recommended number of doses:
Three shots.When should you vaccinate your baby?

At birth
Between 1 and 2 months
Between 6 and 18 months

Women in the United States are screened to check if they acquired hepatitis B during pregnancy. If the result is positive, your baby must get an injection of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG), which provides temporary protection, within 12 hours of birth.

Frequently asked questions:
Who shouldn\’t get the hepatitis B vaccine?
A child gone through a life-threatening allergic reaction to a previous dose of hepatitis B vaccine should not be vaccinated again.

If your child didn\’t get hepatitis B shots as a baby and you know that she\’s had a life-threatening allergic reaction to baker\’s yeast (the kind used in baking bread), you should avoid giving her the hepatitis B vaccine because it\’s made with that type of yeast.

Are there any precautions I should take?
Children who are fairly or severely ill surely wait until they recover before getting the hepatitis B vaccine. Now, if they do have any side effects, they are capable of putting up with them.

What are the possible side effects?
Some children usually feel soreness where the shot was given and a few may suffer from low-grade fever.

MMR Vaccine:

It is usually considered a childhood vaccination but also recommended for the adults with HIV. These days, many parents choose the MMRV vaccine instead of the MMR. MMRV is similar to MMR, except it protects against Varicella virus which causes chicken pox.

Benefits of the MMR vaccine:The MMR vaccine is an immunization shot that protects against measles, mumps and rubella, known as German measles.

Measles
Measles is a highly infectious disease that was once most common in children. Its symptoms include a rash, fever, runny nose, cough, and eye irritation.

Possible complications related to measles are: ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, seizures, encephalitis, brain damage, and death.

Mumps
Mumps is a viral infection characterized by fever, headache, and inflammation of the glands under the jaw.

Mumps can also cause meningitis, encephalitis, and seldom deafness. It can also cause painful swelling of the testicles or ovaries. 20 to 50% of males infected with mumps after puberty develop orchitis which an inflammation of one or both testicles. Orchitis can also lead to sterility. Mumps vaccine is now used worldwide after being approved by US in 1967.

Rubella or German measles
Rubella, also known as German measles, is characterized by a pinkish red rash that starts on the face, mild fever, and swollen lymph nodes. It may not show any symptom.

Rubella is a mild sickness that continues for about three days. If a woman gets it during her pregnancy period, it can cause miscarriage or birth defects in her baby, including deafness, eye problems, heart defects, and mental retardation.
Recommended schedule:
Recommended number of doses:

Two doses.

When should you vaccinate your baby?

Between 12 and 15 months
Between 4 and 6 years old — although the second dose can be given at any time, at least 28 days after the first.

Frequently asked questions:
who shouldn\’t get the MMR vaccine?

A child, allergic to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or a previous dose of the MMR vaccine should not be vaccinated again.

Consult your doctor if your child:

is taking steroids
has a disease affecting his immune system, like HIV/AIDS or leukemia
has cancer
has a blood disorder or has recently received a blood transfusion.

The measles vaccine is made by growing the virus in the cells of chicken embryos. Therefore, children allergic to egg were advised not to get the MMR vaccine. However, studies have found that even children with severe egg allergies can receive this vaccine without a higher risk of side effects.

What are the possible side effects?
Mild reactions are quite common. While one in 6 children gets a little fever, 1 in 20 develops a mild rash. Rarely, a child experiences swelling in the glands of his neck or cheeks. A child generally develops these symptoms after the first dose.

Moderate reactions are uncommon. About 1 in 3,000 children gets seizure caused by high fever. Though these febrile seizures may seem frightening, they\’re almost always not detrimental for the child. About 1 child in 30,000 will have a temporarily low platelet count that may cause bleeding problems.

Is there any link between the MMR vaccine and autism?
Although CDC says that there\’s no scientific evidence to link the MMR vaccine with autism this still proves to be a hot topic of discussion and debate. A number studies have compared the incidence of autism among children who received the MMR vaccine and those who didn\’t, and they have also come to the conclusion that autism isn\’t so common in vaccinated children. Numerous reputable scientific studies found no connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Pneumococcal Vaccine:

A pneumococcal vaccine is a vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae which live in the mucous lining of the nose and in the back of the throat, and when the number increase it can cause an infection in the respiratory tract, middle ear, or sinus cavities.

Types include:

Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Benefits of the pneumococcal vaccine:
This vaccine protects against pneumococcal infections, which generally strike children under age 5 and can cause some of the most terrible childhood diseases. Kids below the age 2 years are most at risk. Pneumococcal infections are one of the most common causes of death in the United States from a disease that can be prevented through a vaccine.

Pneumococcal bacteria are spread by intimacy and through coughing and sneezing. Diseases such as meningitis and pneumonia can occur within days of infection.

Symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia usually include fever and shivering as well as chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, fatigue, and weakness. Nausea, vomiting, and headaches are also linked with pneumococcal pneumonia, but these are less common symptoms.

Antibiotics such as penicillin can kill the offending bacteria, but up to 40% of the strains are resistant to antibiotics. So experts highly prefer vaccine, which is effective in up to 90% of people who get it. The vaccine also helps prevent some of the most serious ear infections among children.

Recommended schedule:
Recommended number of doses:
Four doses.
When should you vaccinate your baby?

At 2 months
At 4 months
At 6 months
Between 12 and 15 months

Frequently asked questions:
Are there any precautions I should take?

Mildly ill children can be vaccinated but if your child has a high fever or a severe illness, like pneumonia it is better to wait until his health improves. A healthy child will be better able to handle the immunization.

What are the possible side effects?
About a quarter of vaccinated children experience redness, discomfort, or swelling at the site of the injection. Up to a third may have a fever of over 100.4 degrees. One in 50 can have a higher fever of over 102.2 degrees.

Polio Vaccine:

Two polio vaccines are used throughout the world to prevent poliomyelitis (or polio). The first vaccine was discovered by Jonas Salk and first tested in 1952. It consists of inactivated poliovirus.

An oral vaccine was invented by Albert Sabin. It consists of attenuated poliovirus. It was licensed, after several trials in 1962. These two vaccines have eradicated polio from most countries in the world and effectively reduced the worldwide incidence from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to 1,652 cases in 2007.

Benefits of polio vaccine:
It protects against the poliovirus.
Up to 95% of people infected with the virus generally have no symptoms, and many may have only mild symptoms including cough, fever, and stomach pain, or a stiff neck and headache. About 1 in 200 people afflicted by polio become paralyzed.

Outbreaks of polio are still prevalent in the continents such as Africa and Asia.

Recommended Schedule:
Recommended number of doses:
Four doses.

When should you vaccinate your baby?

At 2 months
At 4 months
Between 6 and 18 months
Between 4 and 6 years old

Frequently asked questions:
Who shouldn\’t get the polio vaccine?
A child ever prone to serious allergic reaction to the antibiotics neomycin, streptomycin, or polymyxin B, or had reaction to a previous dose of vaccine, should not be vaccinated.

Is the vaccine given orally or in a shot?
All four doses of the IPV, or inactivated polio vaccine, are given by injection. Even though the OPV was regarded more effective, unfortunately, it had a very rare but dangerous side effect and it was discarded by the U.S Government. The IPV given today has been improved a lot to protect children from polio just as effectively as the OPV.

Are there any precautions I should take?
Children, moderately to severely ill should wait until they recover before getting the polio vaccine.

What are the possible side effects?
Many children have a little sore at the site of the injection. Apart from this no serious side effects from the IPV have been reported.

Flu Shot:

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is caused by a virus that infects the respiratory system, including the nose, throat, and lungs. It\’s highly transmittable. As it has one- to four-day incubation period, people often spread the virus before they show any symptoms.

The flu may make people suffer from aches and pains, extreme fatigue, chills and sweats, and a loss of appetite. The flu symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and headache are similar to those of a cold but flu is likely to be accompanied by a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or even higher.

Children with the flu may also have nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Most cases of the flu are found during the winter months. But the CDC comments, flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May.

Benefits of flu shot:
In order to protect children from the flu and its related complications, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu shot for kids 6 months to 18 years of age.

Children ages under 5 are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications like pneumonia.

Kids under 2 who fall ill with the flu need to be hospitalized. Others above this age group should be taken to the doctors.

The flu vaccine is especially important for those who:
Have diabetes, a suppressed immune system, or sickle-cell anemia

Have chronic heart, kidney, or any lung disease such as asthma

Are on long-term aspirin therapy for diseases such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Live with very young children or adults who have a compromised immune system, diabetes, severe anemia, or certain diseases of the heart, lungs, or kidneys.

Recommended Schedule:
When should you vaccinate your baby?

The CDC recommends yearly flu shot for children between 6 months to 18 years of age.
The first shot is given once a year, preferably in October or November.

Frequently asked questions?
Who shouldn\’t get a flu shot?
It is better to ask your doctor if your baby can receive the flu shot. But some cases when you should avoid a vaccination dose are listed below:

Kids under 6 months of age
Kids, severely allergic to eggs
Kids who has had a severe reaction to a flu shot in the past.
Kids having moderate or severe illness with a fever.

What are the possible side effects?
The most common side effect of the flu shot in children and adults include sorenessat the vaccination site. Children, especially those who haven\’t been exposed to the flu virus, may develop a fever and feel achy and tired. These symptoms can remain for up to two days.

In children, the side effects from the nasal spray vaccine are runny nose, wheezing, headache, vomiting, muscle aches, and fever

Though severe allergic reactions are rare these are possible with any vaccine

AGE	RECOMMENDED VACCINES
Birth	Hepatitis B
1-2 months	Hepatitis B
2 months	DTaP, Hib, Polio (IPV), Pneumococcal (PCV), Rotavirus
4 months	DTaP, Hib, Polio (IPV), Pneumococcal (PCV), Rotavirus
6 months	DTaP, Hib, Pneumococcal (PCV), Rotavirus
6-18 months	Hepatitis B, Polio (IPV)
12-15 months	Hib, MMR, Pneumococcal (PCV), Varicella
12-23 months	Hepatitis A
15-18 months	DTaP
4-6 years	Varicella, DTap, Polio (IPV), MMR
11-12 years	Tdap (DTaP Booster), Meningococcal (MCV4), HPV (Girls)

[Seasonal flu and H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines are also recommended once a year for children 6 months and older.]