To vaccinate or not to vaccinate a child? This question is now relevant for young mothers. There are many both proponents of vaccines and opponents of this preventive practice. And not always a newly minted mother has someone to turn to for advice on this matter. Let's talk about what vaccinations a child under one year old does in Russia.
It should be clarified right away: the quantity and choice of vaccines is always at the discretion of the mother. She can refuse those vaccinations that are planned by the Ministry of Health for the first year of life. What kind of vaccination are these?
Everyone knows that vaccines are an introduction to the human body of weakened viruses, dead bacteria or their proteins to develop immunity to the effects of such microorganisms. As a result, a person gains resistance to the disease spread by this virus. Why, then, are there opponents of this method of preserving the health of the nation? The fact is that such a manipulation is far from being as harmless as it seems at first glance. Each type of vaccination has side effects - fever, lethargy, and in severe cases - allergic reactions, up to Quincke's edema. In addition, parents fear the improper storage of the vaccine, because some species contain the toxic substance thiomersal, which is harmful to the child, as a preservative.
What is the
vaccination schedule for children under one year old? In our country, in the very first place, even in the hospital,
vaccination against tuberculosis is carried out.
The BCG vaccine is administered to the child on the third day of life, and you certainly should not refuse this vaccine. The fact is that
this vaccine is not included in the
list of vaccines all over the world, but in Russia there is a very difficult situation with the incidence of tuberculosis, and a newborn baby can easily be infected with this disease even on the street.
In addition to BCG, what vaccinations are given to a child up to a year? Another “maternity hospital” is vaccination against hepatitis B. It is also carried out until the mother and baby are discharged from the walls of the maternity hospital, usually in the first 24 hours of the baby’s life. According to doctors, this vaccine should be given first of all to those children in whose families there are people suffering from this disease, as well as to those who live in unfavorable areas and in poor social conditions. This vaccine is repeated for children at the clinic at the age of one month, and then at 2 months. Sometimes hepatitis B revaccination is carried out in six months.
After the baby reaches the age of three months, the pediatrician prescribes a whole complex of vaccines immediately. What vaccinations are given to a child up to a year old at this stage? Vaccinations against
measles, rubella, pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria will be mandatory - at such a tender age, such diseases can significantly undermine the health of the child, and therefore doctors recommend being safe. Then they are repeated at 4.5 and at 6 months. Those children who are at risk, that is, those born with hematologic diseases, anatomical defects, undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, and those born to HIV-infected mothers, are vaccinated against
hemophilic infection. The Ministry of Health is currently considering a project to introduce this vaccine as mandatory, but so far it is not mandatory.
But vaccinations for a child in 1 year already consolidate the previously obtained immunity. At this age, they re-vaccinate against measles, rubella, and mumps, as well as give the fourth hepatitis B vaccine. Thus, knowing what vaccinations a child is up to a year old, mothers themselves can adjust the calendar for their baby to the needs of each particular family, depending from living conditions.