Immunizations for Children
- Aspiring Doctors
- Sep 23, 2020
- 3 min read
By Athena and Anushka
What are immunizations and vaccines?
Immunization is a process wherein an individual is protected and made resistant to an infectious disease through vaccination. Vaccination is done by introducing a vaccine into the body. A vaccine is a type of medicine that, when introduced to the body, trains the immune system to fight diseases it has not come in contact with before. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), immunization is proven to help control and eliminate deadly infectious diseases. This process prevents around 2-3 million deaths every year.
What are the different types of vaccines and how are they made?
There are many things considered when creating vaccines for a certain disease. Some of the things considered are how the immune system reacts to the disease or pathogen, who the people administered with the vaccine are, and what the best technique to create the vaccine is. Based on these factors, 4 main types of vaccines have been formulated:
Live-attenuated vaccines are created by introducing a weakened form of the pathogen to the body, which will create a strong and long-lasting response. However, it is usually not the safest for people with weak immune systems. Live-attenuated vaccines are created by changing the pathogen’s genes so that it replicates poorly. This type of vaccine protects against measles, mumps, rotavirus, chickenpox, smallpox, and yellow fever.
Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the pathogen that causes the disease, and protect against Hepatitis A, flu, polio, and rabies. The vaccine is created by destroying the pathogen’s genes so that it cannot replicate at all.
Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines use specific parts of the pathogen, like its protein, sugar, or capsid (a casing around the germ). This type of vaccine protects against Hepatitis B, HPV, pneumococcal disease, and many more. Since only a part of the pathogen is used, the viral or bacterial genes are not present in the vaccine and the pathogen is unable to replicate.
Toxoid vaccines utilize toxins made by the germ or pathogen that causes the disease, creating immunity to the disease-causing part of the microorganism rather than the pathogen itself. Toxoid vaccines protect against diphtheria and tetanus. The vaccines are created by purifying the toxins and killing it with chemicals like formaldehyde.
Recommended vaccines for children
Birth to 6 months old
Shortly after birth, babies receive doses of Hepatitis B vaccine because newborn infants are susceptible to incurable chronic infections, which can result in liver damage and cancer. At 1 to 2 months of age, babies receive vaccines that protect them against: rotavirus, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, pneumococcal, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and a second dose of vaccine for Hepatitis B. At four months, the baby is vaccinated for almost the same diseases, and at 6 months old a vaccine for flu is introduced.
7 to 11 months old
Babies should receive a flu vaccination every season.
12 to 23 months old
During this time frame, a child should receive vaccinations to protect them from chickenpox and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) in addition to the ones they have been introduced to before, such as Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, DTaP (Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and others. Moreover, the flu vaccine should be administered whenever it’s flu season.
2 to 6 years old
The child should have check-ups with the doctor annually and still receive the flu vaccine between 2 and 3 years of age. By the time they are 4 years old, they should receive vaccines for DTaP, polio, MMR, chickenpox, and flu.
7 to 12 years old
By this time, children should have annual visits to the doctor for check-ups and still be vaccinated for flu every flu season. During their preteen phase (11 to 12 years of age), there are four vaccinations recommended: Meningococcal conjugate, HPV, and Tdap (combined tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis), in addition to the flu.
Conclusion
Although vaccines have their advantages, disadvantages, and limits, the process of immunization itself can help protect children, family members, and friends from being susceptible to potentially harmful diseases. It usually doesn’t require any major lifestyle changes. Many people consider it to be a cost-effective health investment that is accessible to almost everyone, especially with the help of outreach activities and health programs.
Sources:
Immunization. (2018, February 23). Retrieved September 09, 2020, from https://www.who.int/topics/immunization/en/
Immunizations: How Are Vaccines Made and Why Do They Work? PKIDs Online. Retrieved September 12, 2020, from http://www.pkids.org/immunizations/how_they_work.html#:~:text=Vaccines%20are%20made%20by%20taking,enough%20to%20make%20them%20sick.
Recommended Vaccines by Age. (2016, November 22). Retrieved September 09, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/vaccines-age.html
Vaccine Types. (2020, March). Retrieved September 09, 2020, from https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/types
What is a vaccine, and how do vaccines work? (2019, January 03). Retrieved September 09, 2020, from https://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/how-do-vaccines-work
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