I. Why do children need vaccination?
Simply put, vaccination means that pathogenic microorganisms (such as bacteria and viruses) and their metabolites (proteins, polysaccharides and nucleic acids) are inoculated into the human body by suitable methods such as artificial attenuation, detoxification and inactivation, so that we can develop immunity against certain diseases.
However, as the baby grows up day by day, the resistance transmitted by the mother gradually weakens or disappears, and the chance and possibility of the baby contracting infectious diseases increases, especially after the child is born for 6 months, the resistance against external diseases transmitted by the mother’s fetus is almost gone, so it is important to inoculate your child with vaccines that can prevent the corresponding diseases in a timely manner. Therefore, it is important to provide your child with vaccines that can prevent these diseases as soon as possible, so that your child can develop specific resistance to these diseases as soon as possible.
How are vaccines classified?
According to the Regulations of the State Council on the Administration of Vaccine Circulation and Vaccination, vaccines are divided into Class I and Class II vaccines. Class I vaccines are provided by the government to citizens free of charge, and citizens should be vaccinated according to the government’s regulations. Class II vaccines are other vaccines that citizens receive at their own expense and voluntarily. In addition, the number of Class I vaccines included in the program has been increased from 7 to 11.
III. What is the difference between Class I and Class II vaccines?
The second vaccine is an important supplement to the first vaccine, but it does not mean that the second vaccine is not necessary. In fact, some of the second vaccines are for infectious diseases that pose a great threat to people. Diseases such as influenza, chickenpox, and pneumonia are not only very dangerous to an individual’s health when they become ill, but also add to the financial burden. The public can choose second vaccines for children, the elderly, and themselves based on the risk of contracting the disease, family affordability, and the physical quality of the individual child. In addition, the production process of some class II vaccines is different from that of class I vaccines. Some class I vaccines are made by attenuated methods (e.g., live attenuated polio vaccine, live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine), while class II vaccines are made by completely inactivating the virus, which is relatively safe. If some children fall into the contraindicated category for a certain type of vaccine due to immune insufficiency, immunodeficiency, congenital diseases, etc., they can choose to receive a second vaccine instead of a first vaccine. Before choosing a self-funded vaccine, one should also understand the characteristics, indications and contraindications of the vaccine.
What preparations should parents make before vaccination of children?
Parents should make adequate preparations before vaccination, including the following
1. Bring your child’s vaccination certificate, do not fold it or damage it, so that the vaccination clinic can print or register the vaccination information;
2. Pay attention to whether the child has symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, cough, convulsions, etc. in recent days. If the child has these symptoms or has heart, liver or kidney diseases, he or she must tell the doctor so that he or she can decide whether the child can be vaccinated;
3. If your child has reactions such as high fever, convulsions and hives after the previous vaccination, tell your doctor;
4. Take the vaccination notification letter with you, read it carefully, understand the vaccines and diseases to be vaccinated, make sure that your child has no contraindications to vaccination, voluntarily choose to receive the first or second type of vaccine, and sign on the corresponding return receipt;
5. Keep the skin of the vaccination site clean. It is best to take a bath and change into soft and loose clothes before vaccination in winter;
6. Let the child eat well and rest well, because vaccination is easy to occur when hungry and overly tired.
V. What should I pay attention to after vaccination of children?
After vaccination, parents should not rush to leave the vaccination unit and make sure to keep the child under observation in the observation area for 30 minutes to avoid acute severe allergic reactions and to be able to rescue the child in time. During the 30 minutes of observation, if the child is 1 month old to 12 months old, please pay attention to the change of breathing, color of lips, pale face and cold limbs; for children over 12 months old, please observe whether their behavior is abnormal such as abnormal crying, color of face and lips, etc. If the above situation occurs, please inform the vaccination personnel on site in time.
VI. What is the matter with fever or local swelling and pain after vaccination? What should I do?
Fever (generally axillary temperature <38.5℃ or oral temperature <39℃) or local redness and swelling are common adverse reactions after vaccination, which can be relieved by drinking more water and applying local heat (hard knots caused by BCG vaccine cannot be applied with heat), and usually recover on their own after 1-2 days. The red and swollen area can also be treated with thinly sliced potatoes. If the child keeps crying, has a high fever for more than 3 days, or has a poor appetite, he/she should be sent to the hospital for treatment and the vaccination unit should be notified.
My child missed the scheduled vaccination date due to illness, can I postpone the vaccination?
Yes. Postponing the vaccination itself will not reduce the effect of human response to the vaccine, but the human body may not have enough immunity during the postponement period, which will increase the risk of disease. Therefore, vaccination should be given on the scheduled date as much as possible, but can be postponed in special cases, but not in advance (advancement will affect the effect). There is no limit to the period of postponement of vaccination, and there is no need to revaccinate the doses previously vaccinated due to postponement. For details, consult your vaccination doctor.