Diphtheria vaccination - is it possible to wash after vaccination?

Modern medicine offers many ways to protect yourself from the development of most dangerous diseases of infectious viral origin.

One of the most effective methods is vaccination, which allows the body to independently produce protective microorganisms.

Thus, according to experts, timely administration of the drug saves both children's and adult lives. But even in this case, there are many important questions, including many who are interested in whether it is possible to wash after being vaccinated against diphtheria.

What is the vaccine

To get an accurate answer to the survey regarding whether it is allowed to take a bath after vaccination, you need to understand what it is.

Getting vaccinated in childhood can prevent many health problems in the future. This conclusion is explained by the fact that when the drug is administered to a child, the body begins to develop a certain degree of protection against infection.

In addition, we must not forget that the main component of full immunity is providing the baby with breast milk and proper nutrition in the future.

The vaccine itself is, in fact, “infection” of a baby with a certain type of disease, the “dead” or live pathogens of which are present in the composition of the medication. There is no need to fear that these bacteria can harm a child’s still fragile body.

The number of pathogens is not enough to provoke the development of the disease itself, but they are enough to strengthen the immune system.

In other words, a vaccine stimulates defense systems to produce specific antibodies needed to fight a specific disease.

Why is it better not to swim after vaccination?

Diphtheria and tetanus toxoids contained in the ADS vaccine, after entering the body, begin to stimulate the production of antibodies.
This promotes the formation of immunity. But the first time after vaccination, the protective forces weaken, since they are aimed at combating antigenic material.

During this period, a person can easily catch a cold or become infected with an infectious viral pathology. Therefore, it is better not to swim for a while: with temperature fluctuations, taking a bath or shower in a cold room with drafts, the risk of getting sick increases significantly.

It is also not recommended to swim because during the water procedure it is easy to wet the vaccine injection site. In this case, pathogenic microorganisms can penetrate into the puncture area with running water and cause inflammation.

If you take a bath with essential oils, sea salt and medicinal herbs, this can lead to skin irritation in the injection area and the development of allergies. If, when bathing, you rub the puncture site with a washcloth or use scrubs, a wound will form into which the infection will penetrate and the surface epithelium will begin to rot. This complication is usually eliminated only through surgery. To avoid negative consequences, you should follow the doctor’s recommendations and avoid water procedures for a certain period.

Why it is not recommended to wet the injection site

Vaccination causes quite serious stress, especially for children, since the body’s response to it is a certain reaction.

Despite the fact that in most cases it can be predicted, we should not forget that each person is individual and can react differently to the same impact. This explains the ban, why you can’t get the injection wet.

When the vaccination site gets wet, the likelihood of developing skin irritation or other adverse reactions increases.

When the causative agent of diphtheria enters the body, a strong response is observed, causing high body temperature. On contact with water it increases even more.

How long after vaccination can you wash your child?

The question of when it is allowed to bathe a baby after vaccination worries almost all parents.

As mentioned above, it is not recommended to carry out water procedures on the day of vaccination, as well as for another two days after, provided there are no other contraindications.

The main goal of immunization is to build immunity to a specific disease. Its essence is to introduce a certain amount of bacteria, allowing the body to fight them. And this is accompanied by an increase in the child’s temperature and poor health.

Some children respond well to vaccination, however, if the temperature exceeds 38 degrees Celsius, then taking baths is strictly contraindicated.

The reaction to the vaccine can be in the form of:

• stool disorders;
• lack of appetite;
• vomiting;
• temperature rise;
• redness of the skin at the injection site;
• swelling.

If the symptoms do not disappear after 3-4 days, then the child should be shown to a specialist and protected from washing.

The ban on bathing a child also means that the body’s defenses are significantly reduced. All energy is directed towards producing antibodies to the disease, which increases the likelihood of the virus entering the body through water.

You can bathe your baby if the water is safe.
It is best to use boiled liquid with the addition of herbal infusions. Parents must create the most comfortable conditions for their child, without creating additional stress on the child’s body.

If your baby likes to bathe before going to bed, then there is no need to limit him in that.

The main thing is to carry out the procedure quickly, avoiding hypothermia. Baths can be replaced by washing with warm water or taking a shower.

Vaccination of children against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio

Vaccination

• DPT revaccination

Vaccination, or, as it is also called, inoculation, is the process of introducing a vaccine into the body.

Vaccine prevention is the most convenient and widespread way to protect the body from infectious diseases.

National calendar of preventive vaccinations from 05/17/2018

For parents: memo

30 min . Observation in the clinic after vaccination! On the day of vaccination : DO NOT bathe , DO NOT walk in public places, DO NOT massage the injection site!!!

Monitor the child’s condition for 3 days. Exclusion of CCP: observation 5-6, 10-14 days.

In case: - When t is more than 38.0: Ibuprofen (or other antipyretic); — For thickening of the injection site: Dimexide gel 250 mg/g (3 times a day – 5 days); — If the injection site is reddened: Soda compress (1 tsp per 100 ml of water for 20 minutes - up to 5 days); — For allergic rash: Fenkarol (or other antiallergic drug).

One of the most frequently asked questions is: how does a “paid” vaccination differ from a “free” one? This usually applies to DPT (vaccine against whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus). The most important difference is the whooping cough component. It is he who gives the greatest number of reactions. The “paid” vaccine uses an acellular (acellular) pertussis component (aDTP). This alone reduces the number of reactions by 10 times, with a comparable level of protection.

The following vaccines with an acellular pertussis component are registered and used in the Republic of Belarus.

• "Infanrinx" (Belgium) – AaKDS
• "Tetraxim" (France) – AaDTP+IPV
• "Pentaxim" (France) – AaDTS+IPV+HIB
• “Hexaxim” (France) – AaDTP+IPV+HIB+HBV
• "Infanrix Hexa" (Belgium) - AaDTP+IPV+HIB+HBV

Any of these vaccines is given in one injection. There is no difference between them in terms of the number of reactions. But not all children need, for example, Infanrix Hexa, which contains HBV and Hib components.

• DTaP is a diphtheria-tetanus vaccine with an acellular pertussis component.
• IPV – inactivated polio vaccine
• Hib – vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae infection
• HBV – vaccine against viral hepatitis B

Children under 1 year of age are allowed, and in many countries it is already included in national calendars, to receive four vaccinations against viral hepatitis B.

At 6 years old, instead of ADS, you can take Infanrix.

Vaccinations against infections not included in the national vaccination calendar of the Republic of Belarus (“mandatory”) are also carried out on a paid basis. For example, against pneumococcal infection, chickenpox, and human papillomavirus.

You can get more detailed information on vaccinations and create individual vaccination calendars by contacting office 343.

Zyl Andrey Anatolievich

Consultations on vaccination, preparation of an individual vaccination calendar, vaccinations on a paid basis

TIME OF RECEIPT

Maybe start getting vaccinated later, after a year, and only from the most “needed” ones?

If the mother herself was protected from all infections, then through the placenta she will pass on specific antibodies to her baby. They will protect the child from dangerous infections in the first months of life. But from three to five months, antibodies that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, etc. begin to break down. By 12 months, antibodies that protect against measles, rubella, and mumps begin to break down. Therefore, it is from this age that it is necessary to begin to create protection through the introduction of vaccines. So that by the time the antibodies received from the mother are destroyed, the baby already has its own protection.

Each country develops its own National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations: it includes a list of infectious diseases against which it is advisable to form protection, and the age at which it is advisable to get one or another vaccination. The vaccination calendar does not include all possible infectious diseases against which effective vaccines exist, but only those infections that can have a massive (active) spread throughout the country. Which can be difficult, causing complications and even death.

What to do if water gets on the injection site

It is immediately worth noting that there is no categorical ban on washing after vaccination against diphtheria. The main thing is not to rub the injection site with a washcloth and do not allow soap or other shower products to get on it.

From this we can conclude that even if it was not possible to protect the wound from getting wet, then you should not panic, since this will not cause serious harm to the body. In this case, you can use a paper towel or napkin and carefully remove any remaining liquid without rubbing or combing the graft.

Principles and purposes of vaccination

Diphtheria is an extremely dangerous disease due to its complications; vaccination is necessary to prevent it. Vaccine production is a complex multi-step process. Diphtheria toxoid is obtained from the toxin produced by the diphtheria microbe. Microorganisms are cultured in a liquid nutrient medium into which they secrete a toxin. The resulting medium is carefully freed from microbial cells and then processed to completely neutralize the toxin, retaining only its immunizing activity. Diphtheria toxoid is controlled according to several indicators (adopted by WHO in 1965): first of all, for safety, that is, the completeness of neutralization of the toxin. This indicator is tested on sensitive animals by injecting them with a dose 50-100 times higher than the dose for humans, which makes it possible to detect trace amounts of incompletely neutralized toxin. After the safety test, it is checked for the possibility of returning toxic properties. For this purpose, the purified toxoid is incubated for six weeks at different temperatures, and then a control test is performed on animals again.

Dosage - in children from 3 months to 4 years - three diphtheria vaccinations of 0.5 ml at an interval of 6 weeks, followed by revaccination 12 months after the third vaccination; for children over 4 years of age and adults - two diphtheria vaccinations of 0.5 ml at an interval of 4-6 weeks, followed by revaccination after 9-12 months.

After a series of primary immunizations, the average duration of protection against diphtheria is about 10 years. Not everyone knows that in adulthood revaccination with associated diphtheria-tetanus toxoid with reduced antigen content (ADS-m) every 10 years is indicated.

What could be the negative consequences?

We must not forget that vaccination against diphtheria exposes the body, especially children, to serious stress.

In addition, a small wound remains on the surface of the skin. It is through this that pathogenic bacteria and viruses can penetrate inside during bathing.

Since during the period of immunization the body is weakened and more susceptible to various diseases, it is possible that health problems may arise.

But this reason, which explains why it is not recommended to wet the diphtheria injection, is only indirect.

Expert opinion

Nikolaeva Elena Sergeevna

Practicing pediatrician.

Ask a Question

Most often, experts explain their ban on contact with water by the development of an allergic reaction, which is possible not only in childhood, but also in adults. When exposed to water, soap or a towel, such a response of the body can only worsen or not manifest itself at all, and the main task of the doctor is to monitor how the body reacts to the injection.

In addition, complications such as:

• temperature;
• redness of the skin;
• severe itching.

To eliminate possible risks, doctors strongly advise you to adhere to their recommendations and not allow water to get into the injection site, not only on the day of vaccine administration, but also for two more days after.

Is it possible to wet the vaccine against diphtheria and tetanus?

Most doctors recommend not getting the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine injection site wet. For newborns, the vaccine is given in the thigh area, for adults - in the arm, in the forearm area. It is easy for men and women to perform daily hygiene procedures without touching the piercing. With kids, a problem arises: it’s hard not to wet your feet when taking a shower or bath. Doctors advise not to bathe the child, but to wipe him with a damp cloth or a towel soaked in water, without touching the injection area.

Doctors allow tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations to be mixed if the person tolerates the vaccination normally.

But when carrying out water procedures, experts advise adhering to the following rules:

• Do not steam the puncture area, do not rub it with a washcloth, towel, or wash it with soap or gel.
• Use warm water.
• Do not take a bath with sea salt, medicinal herbs or essential oils.
• Postpone bathing if your body temperature is elevated or if you feel unwell.
• Reduce the time you take a shower or bath to a minimum.

Pediatricians note that vaccination is stressful for the body. Due to the pain of the injection area, the baby becomes capricious and his sleep patterns are disrupted. In this case, a nice shower will help the child relax and calm down. In addition, lack of hygiene in those places that need regular washing can lead to inflammatory pathologies. After vaccination, you should check with your doctor whether it is possible to wet the area where the vaccine against tetanus and diphtheria is administered.

It is prohibited to visit the bathhouse, sauna, go to the pool, or swim in the river or sea. If the apartment is cold or too hot, or there are drafts, then it is better to avoid water procedures.