After the child has been vaccinated, parents have a lot of questions about what restrictions exist in the first few days after this procedure.
Most often they are concerned about whether it is possible to bathe the child after the DTP vaccination. The body reacts particularly painfully to the introduction of this vaccine. Naturally, various factors, including water procedures, affect the baby’s well-being.
Reasons for banning swimming
Bathing poses the risk that an infection or virus may enter the injection site, which can affect your health. However, doctors prohibit water procedures for another reason. Changes such as redness, fever and irritation may occur as a result of taking a bath.
In addition, the immune system is weakened after the vaccine has been administered. Antibodies are actively produced in the body. While swimming, there is a risk of hypothermia, which can lead to a cold and the onset of an inflammatory process.
After immunization, the following body reactions are often observed:
- hyperthermia (thermometer readings exceed 39 degrees Celsius), reducing the temperature with antipyretic drugs turns out to be problematic;
- chills;
- runny nose;
- headache;
- drowsiness;
- irritability;
- tearfulness;
- weakness;
- apathy;
- gagging;
- diarrhea;
- cough;
- convulsions;
- sore throat.
Temperature changes during bathing provoke the manifestation of these symptoms. Contact with water may cause an inflammatory process. The body's response to the vaccine intensifies. The situation is getting worse.
Why you can’t get the DPT vaccine wet
Do not swim after DTP - a measure related to mandatory preventive actions. After such vaccinations, the body directs all its forces to the production of specific antibodies that fight the pathogenic pathogen. You cannot bathe a child after vaccination due to the fact that at this moment the child’s immune system is weakened and prone to the development of many infectious and viral diseases, and during water procedures it is easy to get sick in this state.
The second reason why you should not swim after a vaccine is that after contact with water, the vaccination site may swell, and this will give an incorrect diagnostic answer. The parents themselves, seeing that the injection site is very red and swollen, may get scared, thinking that something is wrong with the child after DTP if the immune system reacted to the vaccine in this way. However, they do not in any way connect this symptom with the fact that the child was swimming.
In order for a pediatrician to be able to correctly assess the body’s response to DPT, it is important to follow all preventive measures and recommendations, i.e. You can’t get not only the injection site wet, but also completely swim, given the risks of getting sick.
When is swimming allowed?
If the baby eats with appetite, plays and there is no body reaction to the vaccine, he can be bathed on the first day after immunization.
The main thing is to follow a number of rules:
- Use boiled water. Do not add herbal infusions.
- Maintain the water temperature within 36-39 degrees Celsius.
- Children are only allowed to swim for a short time. 5-10 minutes is enough.
- The grafting site may only be moistened with water, but not rubbed with a sponge.
- After leaving the bath, you should immediately dry the child with a towel and dress him, avoiding hypothermia.
- You need to make sure that there are no drafts in the room.
By complying with these requirements, negative consequences after DPT will not arise. Bathing is allowed immediately after the vaccine is administered if there are no changes in the baby’s well-being.
Considering that the reaction to the vaccine often appears on the second day, it is still recommended to postpone bathing.
If you get wet: possible consequences
Doctors warn parents not to get the injection site wet on the first day. Contact with water increases the risk of a local reaction in the body.
If you wet the affected area, the following changes are observed at the grafting site:
- redness;
- swelling;
- swelling;
- pain;
- rashes;
- compaction formation;
- lameness.
There are pathogenic microorganisms in the water that provoke the onset of the inflammatory process. When they penetrate an open wound, suppuration begins.
Surgery will be required to eliminate side effects. Local medications are ineffective when pus forms at the injection site.
Why you shouldn’t get the injection site wet: possible consequences of bathing
Almost all parents know that they should not wet the puncture after the Mantoux test, as there is a risk of distorting the test result. But not everyone understands why doctors prohibit swimming after DTP. Restrictions on water procedures during the post-vaccination period are explained by the fact that taking a shower or bath can provoke undesirable consequences.
Swimming immediately after vaccination can cause:
- injection site infection . Tap water is of poor quality. For the first couple of days, there is a wound in the puncture area, into which pathogenic microorganisms can easily penetrate. When a puncture comes into contact with water, the risk of inflammation, swelling, and suppuration increases. If an abscess forms, it will have to be removed surgically;
- cold . After vaccination, the immune system is weakened. The slightest draft and temperature difference can cause a cold. In this case, the pathology will be difficult;
- stress. Vaccination is a burden on the body. If a child does not like to swim, then water procedures will be additional stress for him;
- improper formation of specific immunity . Antibodies may be produced in insufficient quantities or not formed at all. This is explained by the fact that in the post-vaccination period the body is weakened, since all its forces are aimed at fighting antigenic material. If a child gets sick, the immune system will begin to fight the pathology and will react less to DTP.
It is better to refrain from swimming for a couple of days. During this period, it is allowed to wipe the child’s body with a damp towel or napkins without touching the puncture area.
The injection site is wet: what to do
You cannot get the DTP vaccine wet, but if this happens, there is no need to panic. You need to blot the injection site with a towel. Rubbing it is strictly prohibited. Such actions will worsen the situation.
If a local reaction occurs, the affected area is treated with Troxevasin ointment.
The drug helps improve blood circulation and the seal begins to dissolve. The pain syndrome is relieved, itching and inflammation are eliminated.
Compresses cannot be applied to the injection site. It is also prohibited to use antiseptics and traditional medicine. All actions are coordinated with the doctor. Self-medication is unacceptable.
When can you bathe your child after DTP vaccination?
Because Maintaining hygiene is the most important measure; it is important to find out when you are allowed to swim after vaccination without the risk of harming the child’s health. You can bathe your child after a DTP vaccination in a couple of days. It is especially important to avoid water procedures on the first day.
You should not wash after DPT if the injection has caused a reaction such as increased body temperature, deterioration in general condition, or rapid development of swelling at the site of vaccine administration. In this case, the issue of bathing should be discussed with your doctor on an individual basis.
If all these signs are absent and the child tolerated the vaccine well, you can administer the DPT vaccine after 2-3 days.
The vaccine site cannot be steamed; this means that bathing is best done in the shower or limited to local washing of the genitals. You can leave the rest of your body without water for a day to reduce the risks of infectious and viral diseases.
Consequences of bathing: when you need a doctor's help
A reaction to the DPT vaccine is normal. Such changes do not cause concern. This is the body's immune response, in which the synthesis of antibodies begins and the creation of a protective barrier to infections. Feeling worse after swimming is not a reason to see a doctor.
There are a number of warning signs that occur as a result of contact with water.
If you experience the following symptoms, you should not hesitate to contact a medical facility:
- the child cries continuously for three hours;
- the injection site is very swollen, a red spot or lump in diameter exceeds 8 centimeters;
- a purulent abscess appeared in the injection area;
- after each meal, vomiting is noted;
- the temperature exceeds 39 degrees Celsius and does not subside even with the use of antipyretics;
- the skin becomes bluish or yellow;
- there is a temporary cessation of breathing;
- loss of consciousness occurs;
- a severe form of allergy appears (anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema);
- convulsions appear in the absence of hyperthermia.
If these symptoms occur, parents should consult a doctor and tell them about the actions taken during the post-vaccination period. Not only bathing can lead to the development of dangerous complications. This information will help the pediatrician assess the situation and select treatment tactics.
The Ministry of Health explained the dangers of going to the bathhouse after vaccination
Photo: portal of the mayor and government of Moscow/Yulia Ivanko
Visiting a bathhouse or sauna within three days after vaccination against coronavirus can affect the severity of the immune reaction and lead to more severe subjective tolerability of the drug. Olga Tkacheva, chief geriatrician of the Ministry of Health, stated this in a dialogue with Moscow 24
The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has sent recommendations to the regions on vaccination against coronavirus. According to the document, it is not recommended to get the injection site wet for three days after vaccination, and you should also avoid visiting the sauna and bathhouse. In addition, after vaccination you should not engage in heavy physical activity or drink alcohol.
Olga Tkacheva reported that in the clinical study there were no cases where patients went to a bathhouse or sauna. However, such a warning is associated with the biochemical reactions of the body, certain metabolism.
This may affect the severity of the immune response. May lead to fever, short-term increase in temperature, more severe subjective tolerability of this drug. It is better to avoid any stressful situations after vaccination, including those associated with temperature changes. Olga Tkacheva
Chief geriatrician of the Ministry of Health Olga Tkacheva
Tkacheva recalled that with any type of vaccination it is always not recommended to wet the injection site. “These are ordinary precautions; after all, a “virus” was introduced there. In order not to cause inflammation, you do not need to introduce any infection, you do not need to rub or wet the area. This is a warning of some possible unpleasant sensations,” the specialist emphasized.
If water gets into the injection site, it’s okay, Tkacheva believes. “You just need to remove the water and not touch the injection site, wet it again and rub something in there. All this will pass,” she said.
In older people, the immune response is formed in the same time frame as in young people, so the recommendations are the same. Three days is enough. Olga Tkacheva
chief geriatrician of the Ministry of Health
“There are no special precautions for the elderly either in the instructions, or in our vaccine, or in other vaccines that are currently used. If you have any complaints or questions, you should consult a doctor,” the specialist emphasized.
Earlier, a virologist spoke about a new way the coronavirus gets into the lungs. COVID-19 can enter the body not only through the ACE protein, as previously thought, but also through other proteins.
