Do I need to do preventive vaccinations for children?

At present, many decided to refuse to vaccinate a child, deciding that this is not necessary. And in fact, the question of whether it is necessary to do preventive vaccinations for children is rather controversial. Many believe that the only inconvenience of not having vaccinated is the problem with the kindergarten and the school, because despite the current legislation, most parents are denied admission to these institutions without the necessary vaccinations. Millions of parents are now asking themselves about the advisability of vaccines for their babies, knowing that no vaccine passes without side effects.

It is better to get sick than to get vaccinated.

Sometimes it may seem that vaccinations to children are put on diseases that they are unlikely to encounter, for example, from a disease such as polio. And it is worth noting that the baby, while still in the womb, gets antibodies to the diseases that the mother once had after the placenta, and after the birth - through breast milk. So, with breastfeeding for the first six months, the child is protected by natural immunity, while the infant does not have such immunity for artificial feeding. Moreover, few mothers are ill with various infectious diseases for their lives, so they have no antibodies to these diseases. But, still most of them collided in childhood with many diseases and successfully recovered. Due to the fact that the diseases can easily bypass the child, many believe that it is better to have an illness than to get involved with side effects after the vaccination.

It is easier to get sick in childhood.

There is an opinion that some children even need to have some illnesses, because they are easier to transfer in childhood. And this is true, but there are diseases that can lead to complications at an early age. For example, out of a thousand cases of measles diseases, three end in a lethal outcome. Moreover, in cases where measles affects the brain, the disease entails a lifelong disability, as well as deafness or blindness (when the cornea is affected). But, nevertheless, the main reason for parents to refuse vaccinations is distrust of official medicine and fear of complications arising after vaccination. In our country it has become traditional to start vaccination from the very first day of life of the child, so most diseases are not common.

Oh, those side effects.

It can be noted that in connection with mass preventive injections, the incidence of vaccinated people falls, but the number of side effects after injections is increasing. In connection with these paradoxical observations, the number of people doubting the appropriateness of vaccinations increases, believing that if there are so few people who are ill, then this is hardly likely to affect them either. It turns out that the number of sick children is much less than that of children suffering from side effects of injections. But these side effects are in no way comparable to the consequences that some diseases entail. In most cases, side effects occur in the form of a slight increase in temperature and local redness. Of course, they can also take place in a more complicated form: headache, vomiting, cough and high fever, but they can not even be compared with the consequences that can be after the transferred infectious diseases.

Now in the world there are about 14 million cases of lethal outcomes associated with vaccination, and 3 million of them are associated with diseases that could be prevented by a timely vaccine delivered. But, despite these facts, there are still parents who try to protect their children from vaccinations and their possible side effects, hoping that the diseases will bypass them. This position entailed a considerable number of tragic outcomes among adults and children in the epidemic of diphtheria.

The reaction of the body to the vaccine.

Absolutely safe vaccinations do not exist, because the introduction of any vaccine entails a response. Such reactions of the body are divided into general and local.

The normal reaction (local) is reduced to a slight soreness, reddening and condensation of the place of injection, and the diameter of redness should not exceed 8 centimeters. Such reactions lead to mild ailments in the form of headaches, loss of appetite and fever. They appear almost immediately after the injection and go through a maximum of four days. At an early age after the injection, you can observe the weak effects of the disease, but all these phenomena are short-lived, last for five days and are caused by some additional substances that are in the preparation.

The general reaction of the body in response to the vaccine is much stronger than the local ones, and are most often manifested after injections of pertussis, tetanus, measles and diphtheria (tetracoccus and DTP). In general reactions, such clinical manifestations as sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, a sharp rise in body temperature above 39 degrees are observed. Allergic reactions in the form of reddening and condensation of injection sites reach a diameter of over 8 centimeters. To general, but rather rare allergic reactions to preventive vaccinations, one can also relate anaphylactic shock (a sharp decrease in blood pressure due to the introduction of any drug in the body).

In just one case, out of a million, the body's allergic reaction to injection may require resuscitation. In more frequent cases, the general reactions are manifested in the form of various skin rashes, hives and Quincke edema. Such "inconveniences" will not drag on for more than a few days.

Fortunately, severe forms of post-vaccination reactions are rare, and if properly and timely prepared for injections, they can be prevented altogether. Children, especially those who are young, can not decide for themselves whether to vaccinate or not; therefore, it is the parents who are responsible for the health and well-being of the child. And they need to make the right decision.