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The Russian calendar of recommended vaccinations includes vaccination against
polio.
There are various drugs that could be used for vaccination. Doctors could vaccinate children using inactivated, “live”
or
combined vaccines
. Nowadays, live vaccines are mainly used for vaccination, but what caused such changes?
Why is polio dangerous?
Poliomyelitis is also called “ infantile spinal paralysis.”
”, since polio mainly affects children under 6 years of age.
Polio is highly contagious. The disease is provoked by a polyvirus
, which can be transmitted both by
airborne droplets
and
by household contact
. You can become infected with polio through contact with a sick person or through contaminated food, water and objects.
Polyvirus can be very tenacious. If there is no suitable “carrier” nearby, the virus easily adapts to the environment and can remain active for six months
, it is not afraid of drying or freezing, so it can live in almost any climate.
A person who has become infected with polio can survive the disease without visible symptoms, but throughout this time he will be dangerous to others. Regardless of the presence of symptoms, a sick person is a carrier and distributor of the infection. The main danger of polio is that it affects the membrane of the spinal cord
, and with it
motor nerve cells
, which leads to their death. Poliomyelitis can cause paralysis of certain muscle groups and lead to their atrophy, as a result of which a person becomes disabled.
Turn off paranoia
– Is it necessary to somehow prepare a child for vaccination? Get tested, take antihistamines?
– There are many myths about this in Russia. For example, the interpretation of tests before vaccination must be approached wisely. Often you can see a deviation of a couple of percent in the results: a little more red blood cells, a little less hemoglobin - and now there is a false reason to postpone vaccination.
In fact, it is very difficult to imagine such a serious illness in which the child appears to be completely healthy and only an analysis will show that there was a contraindication to vaccination. These are rather some rare exceptions.
Therefore, of course, children need tests and examinations by specialists at the prescribed time, but in no case should we look for deviations and refuse vaccinations because of them - this way we simply leave the child unprotected and expose him to a much greater risk.
If a child is outwardly healthy and does not have a fever, there is a 99% chance that he can be vaccinated and no additional examinations are needed.
Tests before vaccination are required if the child has recently been seriously ill. The analysis will help make sure that everything is normal and you can get vaccinated.
A separate topic is allergies. Preventing an allergic reaction, that is, giving antihistamines, is only necessary if the child has severe allergic reactions to vaccine components, for example, chicken egg white, which is contained in many vaccines, including measles and influenza. I emphasize: severe reactions are not a rash or some other manifestations on the skin, but an anaphylactic reaction, when the child loses consciousness, swells, and stops breathing. If he is just itching after eating a chicken egg, you can do any vaccine, it is completely safe.
– The next question: imported vaccine or domestic? Is it even worth thinking about?
– There is still a difference. There are situations when there is no choice, and then you have to take what is offered. If you need a car by a certain date and are not willing to wait, you choose from what is available. It's the same with vaccinations. If the import of foreign vaccines were prohibited, domestic ones would be used. But we must admit that many Western vaccines are still better than Russian ones. Our DTP or “Bubo-Kok” are actually outdated vaccines that were created in 1960-1970 and have not been updated since then.
DTP is very immunogenic, that is, good immunity is developed to it, but at the same time, negative severe reactions occur more often than to Western analogues. Therefore, if we choose between DPT in a clinic and Pentaxim or InfanrixGexa in a private clinic, I think it is better to pay and get a safe modern vaccine.
Another advantage of Western vaccines is that they are multicomponent. We have four components in Bubo-Kok - against whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus and hepatitis B, and in InfanrixGexa we also have against polio and hemophilus influenzae infection. And the more multicomponent the vaccine, the better for the child - fewer injections need to be given and it is safer.
There are situations where you can get a good vaccine for free at a clinic. This can be used, but immediately before vaccination you must check what exactly you are going to inject. Because it happens that they promise Pentaxim, but they give Russian DTP and say: “You are not entitled to Pentaxim.” The news said that parents sometimes fight with doctors at the clinic for free Pentaxim. They beat two doctors! Is it worth it? Maybe it’s better to do everything right away in a paid clinic?
Meanwhile
In 2021, news feeds included two cases of conflicts in children's clinics over Pentaxim. Parents so insistently demanded that their child be injected with a foreign vaccine, and not the domestic DTP, that it came to fights with pediatricians. In both cases, criminal charges were filed against the attacking fathers.
Fighting polio
Outbreaks of polio periodically occur in different parts of the world. An active fight against the disease took place in the middle of the last century in Europe and North America, and then an effective vaccine against the virus was created. In the USSR, children were actively vaccinated against polio, so by 1961 the disease was defeated
.
For almost half a century, doctors in the Soviet Union and then in Russia did not encounter new cases of the disease, but in 2010, an outbreak of polio was recorded in Tajikistan
.
Then about 700 people became infected with the virus, and 26 of them died. Quite quickly, the virus penetrated into Russia, and it turned out to be a “ wild strain
” of the virus, which had previously been found only in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was decided to reconsider the approach to vaccination.
What vaccination is given against polio?
Parents often ask at what age is the polio vaccine given? A doctor can answer this question, since much depends on the vaccination plan and what drug is used for vaccination. Until 2010, not a single case of polio was recorded in Russia, so children were vaccinated using an inactivated vaccine
, which did not contain live viruses.
Injections of the drug were given to the child in the first two years of life
, and then revaccination was carried out
at the age of 14
. Unfortunately, inactivated, i.e. The “dead” vaccine is not capable of providing a child with protection against the “wild strain” of polio, so they decided to replace the inactivated vaccine with a “live” one.
The “live” vaccine contains live but weakened viruses.
, it is believed that a live vaccine helps the body develop the necessary immune response to the “wild strain” of the polyvirus.
However, a live vaccine is not used throughout the entire vaccination course; the first two vaccinations for babies are still given using an inactivated vaccine
.
Measles, rubella, mumps
·Children are vaccinated against these diseases at 12 months and 6 years. Combination vaccines against three diseases, two-component and mono-vaccines are used. There are vaccines of both domestic and foreign production.
· Since the vaccine against these diseases is “live”, after its administration the child may experience some reactions, for example, an increase in body temperature, swelling of the lymph nodes, the appearance of a rash, a slight cough and runny nose - that is, the child seems to have suffered from these diseases in a very mild form. Typically reactions occur on days 1-2, 5-8 and 10-12.
To make it easier for your baby to tolerate vaccination, it is advisable to give him antihistamines 1-3 days before vaccination and several days after it. The pediatrician will calculate how long to give the drugs after vaccination and in what dose. Also, do not forget to stock up on antipyretic medications so that your baby’s fever does not take you by surprise.
·Combined vaccines against measles, rubella and mumps - Priorix, Trimovax and others.
Should we be afraid of the “live” vaccine?
Some parents are afraid to vaccinate their child with a live vaccine because they believe that it can provoke the development of a real disease
, however, the fears are unfounded.
In some cases, complications may indeed occur after administration of the vaccine, but these are usually local allergic reactions that have nothing to do with polio. In addition, the first two vaccinations for a child are given using an inactivated vaccine
, this allows one to develop immunity from the strains of the virus that are in the live vaccine and avoid complications. After the first two vaccinations, the live vaccine can be used without risk.
This vaccination scheme is not new or experimental; it has been successfully used in different countries for many years. WHO also noted its effectiveness. However, in some cases, doctors still refuse to use a live vaccine. This happens when we are talking about babies with HIV infection or children who were born to HIV-infected parents. Also, children with primary immunodeficiency are not vaccinated with a live vaccine.
How can we help you? Examination before vaccinations and treatment of post-vaccination complications
- Before vaccination, we recommend that you: Take a blood test to predict your individual reaction to vaccination . This analysis allows you to accurately determine allergies to vaccine components.
- In case of weakened immunity, frequent exacerbations of infections or the presence of temporary contraindications to vaccination, we recommend conducting an immune examination - an immunogram. It will show disturbances in the functioning of the immune system.
- Be examined by a neurologist-immunologist with test results. If there are disorders of the central nervous system, allergies, other chronic diseases or an imbalance of the immune system, the doctor will recommend treatment and prepare for vaccination. He will select the vaccines that are right for you, the risk of complications will be minimized.
The main cost items in preparation for vaccination are a blood test for vaccine tolerance (depending on the number of vaccines) and an immunogram. We have one of the most advantageous offers on immunograms, you can view it here. The cost of a consultation with a neurologist-immunologist can be found in the price list.
We treat post-vaccination complications . The most common complications we encounter after vaccinations arise from the nervous system and immune system: encephalitis, panencephalitis, optic neuritis, facial paralysis, exacerbation of multiple sclerosis, allergic reactions, etc. Our clinic employs highly qualified specialists who successfully such complications are treated.
The risk of complications after vaccination can be minimized if you are examined in advance by a neurologist-immunologist.
How can you tell which polio vaccine your doctor is using?
The pediatrician gives parents information about which vaccine will be used for vaccination and why. He also answers all questions about the vaccine and the drug, talks about possible reactions of the body and the recommended vaccination schedule. But you can distinguish an inactivated vaccine from a live one without the help of a doctor; you just need to look at where the polio vaccine is being given.
The inactivated vaccine is administered to the child using a syringe.
, and
live ones are dripped into the mouth
. The first vaccinations must be given to a child under 6 months of age, then the vaccine can be replaced with a live one. It is important that all vaccinations are done on time, then there will be no fear of the live vaccine, and even the disease itself.
Temperature after vaccination is normal
– Mikhail Andreevich, what are considered complications due to vaccination?
– Modern vaccines are quite safe, and in most cases, all the adverse reactions that we encounter after vaccination are not terrible phenomena, such as fever, redness, pain after the injection, and this goes away on its own in two days.
Doctors, of course, need to warn parents not to panic if the child has a temperature of 37.8 or a red leg. Knowing that this is completely harmless and is a common, normal reaction to vaccination helps parents not to be nervous about this. You can give ibuprofen or paracetamol, after which all reactions will immediately disappear.
Only in rare cases do severe reactions to vaccines occur. Anaphylactic shock, for example, occurs with a probability of 1 in 500,000-1,000,000 vaccine administrations. This is a very rare occurrence. Several cases are registered throughout Russia per year.
In addition, it is often difficult to understand what is happening: it just so happens that the child got sick with something after the vaccination or is this really a complication from the vaccination. In severe cases, entire medical investigations are carried out, doctors try to understand whether there is a connection between vaccination and the developed disease.
There are times when the doctor has examined the patient, the nurse has drawn the vaccine into the syringe, and then the child begins to have convulsions. And the doctor understands that if he had given this vaccination a minute earlier, everyone would probably have thought that the seizures were caused by it. In most cases that I know of, the “vaccine reaction” was simply a manifestation of another disease. For example, a child caught a virus, but still in the incubation period, they were vaccinated, and two days later a runny nose and cough began. Parents think: “Wow! For vaccination - runny nose and cough! But this is already demonization of vaccinations: a year after the injection, I broke my leg - “it’s because of the vaccine”!
– More often you hear myths about the fact that after vaccination the child developed cerebral palsy or autism.
– There are many studies that have shown that this cannot be. But yes, the first vaccinations are given at three months, and then the first manifestations of the same cerebral palsy may begin. But again, patients with cerebral palsy can and should be vaccinated.
