Routine vaccinations of children are regulated by the national calendar of preventive vaccinations. Children should be vaccinated against dangerous diseases in order to protect them from possible complications or mortal danger. At three months, the baby is vaccinated against several infections at once, thereby increasing immunity and providing reliable protection to the body.
What diseases are vaccinated against?
As children grow up and have more contact with the outside world, the risk of infection increases significantly.
At the age of three months, the baby will have to undergo a complex and responsible preventive measure: vaccination against several types of infectious diseases.
- Whooping cough is characterized by damage to the respiratory tract, intractable coughing attacks and spasms. It occurs in an acute form and is fraught with numerous complications.
- Diphtheria affects the upper respiratory tract and is highly toxic. Negatively affects the cardiovascular and nervous systems, kidneys. Diphtheria toxins pose a major threat to life.
- Tetanus is transmitted when the tetanus bacillus gets from the ground onto damaged skin. Characteristic symptoms are convulsions, suffocation, and central nervous system damage. Infection is fatal.
- Poliomyelitis, which causes viral damage to the spinal cord. The resulting pathologies lead to irreversible paralysis of varying severity, the patient becomes deeply disabled.
- Hepatitis B affects the liver, has a long course and is transmitted through contact with blood. The advanced stage of the disease leads to cirrhosis of the liver. In the absence of contraindications, the first stage of vaccination is carried out in the maternity hospital.
- Haemophilus influenzae (HIB) is a group of viruses caused by Pfeiffer's bacillus. Inflammations are localized in the respiratory regions and central nervous system and are characteristic of childhood. With severe damage, purulent foci and sepsis of internal organs may occur.
Haemophilus influenzae infection was recently included in the list of vaccinations and is not considered mandatory. Your pediatrician may recommend vaccinations to boost your body's immune defenses.
Why children should be vaccinated
Vaccination of children under one year of age is under the special control of the local pediatrician. After vaccinations, the baby becomes protected from dangerous pathologies; his life is not in danger. For example, whooping cough and diphtheria, which previously claimed many infant lives, will no longer lead to death. Even with possible infection, the disease will be much milder and will not cause serious complications. An individual vaccination schedule is drawn up for children, taking into account their well-being.
Modern vaccines are much easier for children to tolerate, which makes it possible to vaccinate against several ailments at the same time, without fear for their well-being.
Vaccination calendar for children with various diseases
If a child has diseases that are currently not getting worse, and the vaccination period has approached, then preliminary examinations are added to the preventive measures that are carried out in healthy children. It is also necessary to resolve the issue of the need to use certain drugs before vaccination (3-4 days) and 3-5 days after chemical, non-live vaccines were administered and 14 days when live vaccines were administered.
To prevent post-vaccination complications, a set of measures is used, including compliance with the vaccination technique, a certain diet and regimen for the child, the prescription of medications in some cases (before or after vaccination), and special observation (patronage) after the vaccine is administered. Health workers pay a vaccinated child a visit at home or inquire about his health status by telephone in order to exclude the possibility of developing any complications.
What vaccines are used
During a planned procedure, the child receives the following vaccinations:
- DPT vaccine;
- live polio vaccine;
- recombinant vaccine against hepatitis B.
Toxoid (weakened pathogen) of whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus (DTP) is a mandatory vaccination, without which the baby will not be accepted into a child care facility. The vaccination is repeated three times a year to develop lasting immunity. As a rule, a visit to the clinic is combined with vaccination against polio (Imovax Polio) in order to simultaneously carry out revaccination in the future.
Complex vaccination can be performed with imported, multi-component drugs, which are approved by the Ministry of Health for vaccinations as early as 3 months:
- Vaccine "Infanrix" - includes DPT and inactivated polio virus (England, Belgium);
- "Pentaxim" is a five-component vaccine against DPT, polio and Haemophilus influenzae. Well tolerated, virtually no side effects (France).
For vaccination against hepatitis B, the domestically produced drug “VKV” is used. Parents, in agreement with the pediatrician, can choose the Belgian analogue of Engerix.
What to do if after vaccination the child’s condition worsens and the body temperature rises
Be sure to report that the baby’s condition has worsened to the nurse, who will find out about his condition by phone or provide patronage. Refrain from walking and swimming at this time. Give your baby one of the antipyretic drugs in an age-appropriate dosage: if he previously had seizures - immediately as soon as the body temperature rises, regardless of its value (even at 37.1 ° C), for the rest - when the temperature rises more than 38.5 degrees.
By consulting a doctor in a timely manner, you can find out why your body temperature has risen - an accidental illness, a reaction to a vaccine, or something else. An accurately established diagnosis is the key to the safety of vaccination in the future.
Do not forget that induration and redness may occur at the injection site of all vaccine preparations, which, as a rule, should disappear after 1-3 days. If the lump persists for more than 4 days and its size exceeds 5-8 cm, be sure to consult a doctor.
Before vaccination, the nurse is obliged to:
- check whether there is a pediatrician’s conclusion about the health status of the child being vaccinated and the absence of contraindications to vaccination;
- wash your hands well;
- check whether the name of the vaccine on the bottle (ampoule) matches the doctor’s prescription;
- check the integrity of the bottle (ampoule) and its labeling, and the absence of foreign inclusions in the vaccine;
- check the expiration date of the drug and disposable instruments;
- prepare the drug according to the instructions for its use;
- check whether there are anti-shock therapy products on the treatment table.
How to choose a vaccine
In the vaccination office of the clinic, children are vaccinated with domestic drugs and free of charge. The local pediatrician can recommend and prescribe an expensive imported analogue. This option is possible if the baby has a weakened immune system, there is a fear of significant negative reactions, and also at the request of the parent.
The latest generation of imported drugs (vaccines) can be purchased with a doctor’s prescription or you can contact a paid vaccination center with a referral and tests.
The second option is preferable, since vaccines lose their effectiveness if the temperature is violated or storage errors occur.
The drug DPT is produced by various pharmaceutical companies and has distinctive features. For example, the domestic vaccine is produced on the basis of mercury salts, which increases the toxicity of the product. The best option is vaccination with the drug Pentaxim, which does not cause adverse reactions and is easily tolerated by children. One injection allows the body to produce five types of antibodies at once, which is the least traumatic for children.
What should you tell your doctor before vaccination?
Before vaccination, be sure to tell your doctor the following information:
- Does the baby have any chronic pathology, and does he take medications because of this? Which ones exactly, if so?
- Was there any increase in body temperature in the days leading up to vaccination? Perhaps there were other signs of ill health, for example, sneezing, coughing, runny nose, indicating the onset of the disease.
- Does the child have any severe allergic reactions to medications, food, etc.
- Do you have a history of seizures?
- You need to ask how the baby tolerated previous vaccinations, whether his health worsened, whether there was an increase in body temperature, etc.
- It is not advisable to vaccinate immediately after returning from a long trip, especially if there was a sharp change in climate, because this creates conditions for the occurrence of diseases.
- Ask if the baby has received blood-based medications in the last 3 months. Did he have a blood transfusion? This is important, because if this happened, then the time frame for subsequent vaccination against diseases such as rubella, measles and mumps increases. This is because blood products contain protective specific blood proteins against the listed infections (ready-made antibodies), which prevent the child from actively developing immunity.
If, after examining the child, the doctor can conclude that he is healthy, then the vaccine is allowed to be administered.
Possible reactions
Vaccination is essentially the introduction of pathogenic microbes into the body, albeit in extremely small quantities. Each child will have an individual reaction to the vaccine, which should be monitored by the doctor and parents.
The body’s reaction to vaccination at 3 months can be different:
- calm, without pronounced painful syndromes;
- acceptable when deviations in the injection site and general condition are noticeable;
- non-portable when the selected circuit needs to be replaced.
It is necessary to carefully monitor the child’s well-being for at least three days, even in the absence of warning symptoms. If the baby tolerated the vaccination well, then mild symptoms of illness will go away on their own and will not require treatment.
More worrying signs may appear. The baby may experience:
- elevated temperature up to 39-40 degrees;
- moodiness, restlessness, prolonged crying;
- gastrointestinal disorders, possible regurgitation, diarrhea, colic;
- redness, swelling and hardness at the injection site.
It is recommended that children be given antipyretic syrup with ibuprofen components. Induration and pain on the leg disappear within two weeks; you can use Troxevasin ointment.
Vaccination against infection in a child should be carried out no earlier than 3 months. The injection should be administered to the baby by an experienced doctor.
It is extremely rare that life-threatening reactions such as convulsions, body rash, encephalopathy, and numbness of the extremities are observed after vaccinations. Such symptoms require urgent hospitalization.
Preparing a child for vaccination
To decide on the need for vaccination, determine which vaccine a child needs, the process of preparing for vaccination and monitoring after vaccination, you need to consult a doctor.
If you have a certificate of preventive vaccinations (a special book for recording vaccinations given to your child, the form of the certificate is approved by order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation dated September 17, 1993 N220 “On measures to develop and improve the infectious diseases service in the Russian Federation “Certificate of preventive vaccinations, form No. 156/u-93), take it with you so that the doctor can enter information about the new vaccination there. If you have not been vaccinated before or do not have such a certificate, ask your doctor to issue one.
These records may be useful later to show that your child has the required vaccinations before entering kindergarten or school, or in case of a move or change of doctor.
Can I get vaccinated?
Indications and contraindications for vaccination are determined by the doctor.
Before immunization, the doctor (paramedic) conducts a thorough survey in order to identify previous diseases, including chronic ones, the presence of reactions or complications to the previous administration of the drug, allergic reactions to medications, products; identifies individual characteristics of the body (prematurity, birth trauma, convulsions), and clarifies whether there are contacts with infectious patients, as well as the timing of previous vaccinations.
Remember that in case of acute illnesses accompanied by fever (colds, sore throat, bronchitis, flu, pneumonia, etc.), vaccination, as a rule, will need to be postponed until recovery.
Does your child have a confirmed severe allergic reaction to anything?
If a child has allergic disorders, then the need for additional measures should be discussed with the attending physician in advance.
Remember that you should not introduce new types of food a few days before and in the first days after vaccination. If your baby is breastfed, do not include new foods in your diet.
Tests and additional permissions from doctors
Your healthcare provider may determine that tests or recommendations from other specialists may be needed before vaccination.
For example, if the pediatrician is unclear about the nature of changes in the nervous system, he can refer the child to a neurologist, after which he will decide on vaccination and the choice of vaccines.
On the day of vaccination
You have the right to obtain information from your doctor about the vaccine, the need for vaccination, possible reactions to vaccination and the consequences of refusing vaccination.
The doctor will ask you the questions mentioned in the previous section to determine if your child has any contraindications and if special precautions are needed for vaccination.
Don't be shy to ask your doctor questions. You can clarify, for example, what vaccine the child will be vaccinated with, when and what reactions may occur, and in what cases to seek medical help. In order not to forget all the questions to the doctor, you can use the BABY GUIDE application and include them there.
You should not scare your baby with injections and doctors. This can leave a negative imprint for life. If the child is already an adult, it is better to explain to him what the doctors will do, and most importantly, why. During the injection, you can hold the baby in your arms to prevent unexpected movements of the child. The health worker providing immunization should not restrain the child himself. You should not rush to leave the clinic; usually the doctor or nurse asks the parents to sit for about 30 minutes near the office. This will help calm your child and help him if he has any reactions to the vaccine.
Discuss with your doctor the use and dosage of a child's fever reducer, as well as symptoms that warrant calling your doctor.
After vaccination, you can also set the date of vaccination in the “Vaccination Calendar” section in the BABY GUIDE program.
Day after vaccination
Ask your doctor how you can bathe your child after vaccination.
Your doctor may recommend monitoring your baby’s body temperature in the first days after vaccination. Discuss with your doctor the use and dosage of a pediatric fever reducer, if necessary.
If you are concerned about how your child looks or behaves after vaccination, consult your doctor.
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Contraindications
A waiver from vaccination may be temporary and may be associated with a history of acute respiratory viral infection or other diseases. A month must pass for the child’s body to fully recover.
But there are congenital abnormalities in which children are absolutely prohibited from undergoing immunization, especially at 3 months:
- diagnosed defects and deviations of the nervous system;
- the presence of convulsive syndrome at normal temperature;
- severe allergies during previous procedures.
How to prepare a child?
Competently preparing a child for vaccination at 3 months plays an important role, especially at such a young age. The slightest suspicion of poor health should alert you, it is better to get tested and make sure there are no abnormalities.
Before vaccination you must follow these instructions:
- do not give new products;
- avoid unnecessary contacts;
- stop taking vitamins;
- slightly reduce food portions;
- do not overheat or overcool.
With the right approach and attention to the baby’s well-being, the vaccination procedure will take place without deviations.
