Vaccinations

vaccinations

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Introduction Human bodies are equipped with their own kind of immunity

system to counteract the attack of different infectious viruses, bacteria and fungi.

However, sometimes this immunity system is not strong enough to face certain attacks especially when the attack from external sources is more severe.

This is truer in cases of young children, patients and old people who have low immunity.

That is why; medical science has developed vaccines to protect your body from certain diseases that can make you disable, sick or even can kill you.

Boosting Defence System

Vaccines work by boosting the defence system of your body. They protect your body from infection without letting you

suffer any symptoms related to that particular disease. For different reasons, the vaccines are sometimes also termed

as shots, needles or immunizations. During the process, a bacteria or virus is deliberately injected

into your body so that your immune system prepares antibodies to fight against such infections in the future.

Babies and Passive Immunity

Nature has its own way of immunizing newborns from specific diseases.

The infants are naturally protected from several diseases such as rubella, mumps and measles as the antibodies required to counteract these diseases are already passed on to them through the placenta of the mother.

Immunity developed in this way against a particular disease is known as passive immunity.

Diseases with No Vaccine Protection

The immune system of human body comprises of two units- cell-mediated immunity and antibody mediated immunity.

The major development in the field of vaccination has been made in the last five decades.

Most of these vaccination processes protect your body by stimulating the potent antibody response within the body.

Diseases that are caused due to such hiding pathogens include HIV, TB and malaria.

Since no effective vaccine has yet been developed to prevent these diseases millions of people globally succumb to each year to either of these diseases.

What is the Ideal Vaccine?

Ideally a vaccine should have following features: It should be absolutely safe causing no side-effects It must be easily available and can be manufactured cheaply It should be stable for transport or storage It should be easily administered It is available for the infants alongside several other childhood

vaccines It should offer long-term protection against the disease

Making of Vaccines The first step in the preparation of a vaccine is making of an

organism or pathogen that causes the disease Usually this organism is a bacterium or a virus These are mass produced in a laboratory by infecting the cells

that are grown in the tissue culture It is very important to alter the pathogen so that it does not

cause the disease. The alteration process can be carried out either by attenuating

or weakening the pathogen by making it grow repeatedly so that a strain that is produced is less dangerous

Other alteration methods include using the only part of the pathogen that triggers off immune response or making use of the toxin that creates these pathogen and inactivating it

How Does Vaccination Works?

Vaccines carry a small amount of the germ that causes disease and usually this germ is dead or weak.

Hence, such germs cannot make you sick. There are certain vaccines that do not contain any germ at all.

Presence of this little bit of germ in the vaccine stimulate your immune system to build up antibodies so that when similar kind of germ attacks your body, the antibodies can fight against them and protect you.

Your body prepares antibodies in two conditions: when you get the disease or through vaccine. The best way is to get vaccinated and stay protected without having to go through the painful experience of the disease.

Antibodies last long and also have a memory and hence they remember when and how to fight when the germs attack.

In some cases your body may need a booster dose to remind it about how to ward off those disease causing germs.

Some vaccines offer protection against only one disease whereas some vaccines offer combined protection against two to three diseases such as the MMR vaccine that offers protection against Mumps, Measles and Rubella.

How Long the Effect of Vaccination Does Lasts?

There are several vaccines that offer protection against a particular disease for life.

But the effect of the vaccine also depends upon the person to whom it is given.

Similarly, how long the effect will last depend upon the type of disease, the effectiveness of the vaccine and also the person vaccinated.

There are certain vaccines that provide protection of high levels such as the MMR vaccine that offers 90 percent protection.

On the other hand some vaccines such as the typhoid vaccine offer only 70 percent protections and are effective only for three years.

What are the Side Effects of Vaccination?

Fatigue Headache Tenderness, redness, pain or swelling at the site of injection Nausea Fever Mild rash Fainting or dizziness Mild rash In some cases, there can be certain unusual side effects such as

weakness, high fever or changes in behavior. Especially in infants and small children serious allergic

reactions such as hives, breathing difficulty, wheezing, hoarseness, fast heartbeat or paleness can be observed

Vaccination Schedule for ChildrenVaccination Name Age in

weeks/months/years

Disease Remarks

HEP B Vaccine-I At the time of birth Hepatitis B

Oral PV 0 Dose At the time of birth Polio

PCV, Hib, Rota 2nd month Influenza Type B, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Rotavirus

BCG From birth to six months

Tuberculosis

HEP B Vaccine-II 4 to 6 weeks Hepatitis B

DPT-I OPV-I 6 weeks Diphtheria, Polio, PertusisTetanus

DPT-II OPV –II HEP B

10 weeks Diphtheria Special recommendation by Delhi Govt.

DPT-III OPV-III HEP B Vaccine IV

14 weeks Diphtheria, Polio, Pertusis Tetanus

Special recommendation by Delhi Govt.

PCV, Hib, Rota 4th month Influenza Type B, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Rotavirus

HEP B Vaccine III, PCV, Hib, Rota

24 weeks Hepatitis B, Influenza Type B, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Rotavirus

Recommendation by IAP

OPV-IV Measles 9 to 12 months Polio, Measles

MMR, Hib, Varicella, PCV

15 to 18 months Mumps, Measles, Rubella

DPT-Booster I OPV-V 18 months Diphtheria, Pertusis Tetanus, Polio

Recommended by IAP and Delhi Govt.

Typhoid 24 months Typhoid Recommendation by IAP

DPT Booster-II OPV-VI

4 to 5 years Diphtheria, Polio, Pertusis Tetanus

Vaccination Schedule for Adolescents

Name of the Vaccine Age for which vaccination recommended

Human Papillomarvirus (HPV) 11 to 12 years

Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertusis (Tdap) 11 to 12 years

Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4)

11 to 12 years (first dose), 13 to 18 years (second dose)

Influenza Yearly

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Only on recommendation

Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Inactivated PolioVaccine (IPV), MMR, Varicella

12 to 18 years

Vaccination Schedule for Adults

Name of the Vaccine Age for which vaccine recommended

Influenza (flu) Every year

Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertusis ( Tdap) or Diphtheria, Tetanus (Td)

Tdap-once on reaching adulthoodTd-once in every 10 years

Varicella (Chickenpox) Two doses if not immunized during adolescenceOtherwise One dose

HPV-Human papillomarvirus

Three doses before the age of 26 years including the onesadministered during adolescence

Zoster (shingles) Single dose after reaching 60 years

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

Two doses if not immunized during adolescence

Pneumococcal For the people above 65 years of age, especially for people who come under high risk or chronic diseases or illnesses

Hepatitis A Two doses, especially in patients under high risk

Hepatitis B Three doses, especially in patients under high risk

Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)

One to three doses depending upon whether immunized during young age or as a child

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