Pros and cons of vaccinations for children

Children's Medical Center

IS IT SCARY TO VACCINATE YOUR CHILD? PROS AND CONS OF VACCINATIONS FOR CHILDREN

Every parent, from the first days of their baby’s birth, is faced with the issue of vaccination. Vaccination of children is necessary, because this method of prevention allows you to protect the body from a number of dangerous infectious diseases. So, what should parents who are afraid to vaccinate their baby do? Of course, this manipulation is performed by a medical professional, but parents have to worry about the result. And modern legislation provides for the opportunity for parents to refuse vaccination, so the question arises before them: to vaccinate or not to vaccinate their baby?

What actions should a parent who is afraid of vaccinations take?

First of all, you need to calm down and analyze all the issues associated with vaccination or refusal of it. A parent who says to himself and others: “I’m afraid to vaccinate my child” must answer the following questions:

Is the disease for which the doctor recommends vaccination deadly? What is the risk of infection in a child, on the one hand, and the risk of serious complications from vaccination, on the other;
Is the child healthy at the moment, is his body ready to cope with the load associated with the administration of the vaccine;
Is the drug high quality? Where was it purchased? This information can be obtained from a specialist at a medical institution;
Will a child be accepted into a preschool without proof of vaccinations? Will there be a need to buy a certificate for this purpose later?

Pros and cons of vaccinations

The advantages of vaccinations are well known. These include:

Vaccination is the only way to protect against serious diseases such as tetanus or polio;
Even if a vaccinated child gets sick, for example, with rubella, his illness will be milder;
Modern vaccines are less toxic than previous generations of vaccines. Antibiotics that would have to be used to treat whooping cough, for example, have many more side effects;
Massive refusal to vaccinate could provoke the emergence of epidemics of diseases that everyone has long forgotten about;
The risk of complications from vaccinations is much less than the risk of complications from the diseases they protect against.

Vaccinations also have disadvantages. These include:

Vaccination to some extent reduces the baby’s natural immunity;
The drug does not provide a 100% guarantee that a person will never get sick in the future.

Modern medicine uses completely new vaccines, in which dangerous components are either reduced to a minimum or completely eliminated. Children who are often ill are most in need of immunoprophylaxis. They are most susceptible to infections, and their diseases often occur with complications. For weakened children, “additional” vaccinations are provided according to indications. For example, the causative agent of pneumococcus is the cause of 70% of respiratory system infections. Therefore, a special vaccine has been developed for children susceptible to respiratory diseases. Even partial protection is better than none at all. In vaccinated children, even if they get sick, the disease is milder and has fewer complications. In modern vaccines, the concentration of toxic substances is kept to a minimum. Antibiotics, which will have to be taken if an unvaccinated child gets sick, can cause more harm to the child’s body.

Vaccination of children against COVID-19

How is children vaccinated against coronavirus in Russia?
Pros and cons of vaccinating children against covid
Is it mandatory to vaccinate children?
At what age is vaccination required?
Advantages of contacting MEDSI

Vaccinations against coronavirus infection are currently underway. More than several tens of millions of people have already completed the procedure in Russia. For now, vaccinations are only available to people over 18 years of age.
This is due to the fact that clinical trials on minor patients have not been completed.

Will children be vaccinated against COVID-19? When will it start? Will procedures be carried out in kindergartens and schools? We'll look into all the issues.

How is children vaccinated against coronavirus in Russia?

Vaccinations against coronavirus infection in our country began in January 2021. At the moment, the procedure is carried out only for adults. Vaccination of children and adolescents from 12 to 18 years of age against Covid has not yet begun. This is due to the fact that clinical trials are still ongoing and will last about a year. However, adolescents can begin to be immunized as early as September 20. This is due to the fact that they plan to register the special Sputnik V vaccine by September 15, 2021. In parallel with this, vaccination of schoolchildren will most likely begin. It is possible that the timing of mass procedures will be shifted.

Important! Vaccination of children and adolescents against Covid will be carried out exclusively with the approval of parents. At the same time, it is important for mothers and fathers to understand that a timely procedure will significantly reduce the incidence of coronavirus infection, severe complications after it and mortality. This is due to the fact that children, although they do not get severely ill (as a rule), are carriers of the disease.

Pros and cons of vaccinating children against covid

Advantages

The developed drugs increase the body's resistance to the infectious agent and help in the formation of artificial immunity. They are the most important means of protecting children from disease
Vaccination reduces the risk of infection. After vaccination, even a sick child will more easily survive the infection.
Complications after vaccinations are always less significant than complications after the disease

Flaws

Vaccination leads to the formation of artificial immunity, which can reduce natural
Vaccination does not guarantee 100% protection against the disease.
After the drug is administered, the child may feel unwell for several hours or days.

Is it mandatory to vaccinate children?

The parents or legal representatives of the child themselves answer this question. But everyone should understand that vaccination allows you to protect your child from complications or even death. It ensures that even if the child gets sick, he will survive the infection in a milder form than he could without the vaccine.

In addition, one should take into account the bans on entry into a number of countries without prior vaccination (providing a certificate or a special certificate about it).

At what age is vaccination required?

Vaccinations are possible from a very early age. On the first day of a newborn’s life, for example, a drug against viral hepatitis B is administered. As for the vaccination of children against covid, its timing has not yet been determined; perhaps it will be carried out in schools and kindergartens.

Advantages of contacting MEDSI

Attention! At the moment, vaccination of children against coronavirus is not carried out at MEDSI clinics. As soon as this opportunity becomes available, we will notify you about it. However, clinics perform other vaccinations: in accordance with the National Calendar or an individually compiled schedule.

Experienced specialists.
Vaccination is carried out by paramedical personnel (nurses) with the necessary knowledge and skills
Diagnostic capabilities.
Before getting vaccinated, you can perform the necessary examinations, undergo examinations by doctors and consult with them.
Immunization preparation programs
Comfortable conditions for the procedure.
Vaccination is carried out without queues or long waits, on a convenient day. To undergo the procedure, each patient can choose the clinic closest to him

If you want to clarify the specifics of vaccination against coronavirus for children and adolescents or sign up for vaccination, call +7 (495) 7-800-500. Our specialist will answer all questions. You can also register for a clinic using the SmartMed application.

What? Where? When?

In accordance with the official vaccination calendar, children are given basic vaccinations until they are 2 years old, and then they are repeated before school. In the first 12 hours of your baby doll's life, he will receive an injection against hepatitis B. But many experts say that there is no point in it. There is simply nowhere for an infant to get this sore. After all, the virus is transmitted only through blood or sexual intercourse. All instruments for transfusion, injections and dentistry are disposable, and the baby is still far from sexual life. Also in the maternity hospital you will be offered another vaccine: protection against tuberculosis - BCG - will be injected into the baby's shoulder. It can be ignored if your family lives in Miami, where this disease has already been forgotten. But, according to doctors, it is necessary in Russia. Unfortunately, this disease has not yet been defeated. And then, when the child turns one year old, he will undergo a Mantoux test - a test of how well the antibodies to tuberculosis that have appeared in the body work.

The next vaccine the baby will encounter is against polio. Until recently, we only had live vaccines for this disease. They were released in the form of droplets into the mouth. There are many rumors and fears among mothers that it is from such a vaccination that a child can get polio. Experts say that they have not encountered such reactions in practice, but they do not deny the theoretical probability of their occurrence. Therefore, it is better to vaccinate babies under one year old with the Western analogue of this vaccine, which contains a dead virus. The imported vaccine is a solution for intramuscular injections. Later, when the child grows up, you can switch to “live” droplets. The complex vaccine against whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus - DTP - administered from 3 months is the least favorite of both mothers and babies. She is “famous” for causing severe reactions in many toddlers. Therefore, children with allergies are either not injected with it at all, or they use a lighter version - ADSM. This vaccine does not contain whooping cough, which provokes fever or allergic manifestations. After the baby turns one year old, it’s time for a cocktail of classic childhood diseases - measles, rubella and mumps. This vaccination is easily tolerated and practically does not cause severe reactions, despite the fact that measles and rubella vaccines are always “live”. Before refusing the DTP vaccine for fear that your baby doll will experience the delights of its side effects, weigh the pros and cons. Keep in mind that it is difficult to diagnose and treat tetanus, and it can appear even due to a small abrasion. The situation is even worse with diphtheria: a child vaccinated against it will have a mild form of the disease, and one who does not have protective antibodies may die.

Vaccination of children: “FOR” and “AGAINST”!

Home » Useful articles » Vaccination of children: PROS and CONS!

In recent decades, vaccine prevention in Russia and around the world has become the leading method of combating preventable infectious diseases. The eradication of smallpox and the control of many serious infections, which caused high morbidity and mortality, primarily in childhood, were mainly due to vaccination. According to experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), in the 20th century, vaccine prevention made it possible to increase human life expectancy by an average of 25 years. It is not difficult to imagine what disasters will befall humanity if vaccinations are stopped or even temporarily reduced.

Anti-vaccination propaganda in the media contributed to a decrease in childhood vaccination coverage in the late 80s, which resulted in an increase in controlled infectious diseases in the 90s. Thus, in the 1990s, we experienced an unprecedented diphtheria epidemic due to a 50-70% decrease in the coverage of children with full vaccinations against this infection. The "return" of diphtheria has cost us more than 100,000 cases, of which about 5,000 were fatal. The cessation of vaccinations against polio in Chechnya led to an outbreak of this disease in 1995, resulting in 150 paralytic cases and 6 deaths. Insufficient coverage of polio immunizations in the polio eradication program in the Dominican Republic and Haiti led to an outbreak of the disease in late 2000, after 9 years of no polio cases.

Today we are not talking about whether to vaccinate or not to vaccinate, but about the optimal choice of vaccines, vaccination tactics, timing of revaccination and the cost-effectiveness of using new, mostly expensive, vaccines.

An important stage in the modernization of vaccination in Russia was the adoption in 1998 of the Federal Law on Immunoprophylaxis. The provisions contained in this document corresponded to WHO recommendations on the spectrum of vaccine-preventable infections, on the list of contraindications, as well as on the methods and timing of vaccine administration. Currently, the National Vaccination Calendar includes vaccines against only nine infections; their funding is provided by federal funds. Modern technologies, however, make it possible to protect children from a much larger number of infections. Prospects for improving immunoprophylaxis are associated both with expanding the range of vaccine-preventable infections and with the creation of more advanced vaccines. New vaccines are high-tech, the cost of their production is higher than the “old” ones, but, nevertheless, many developed countries have identified the high economic efficiency of their use and included them in their Vaccination Calendars, increasing the number of vaccine-preventable diseases to 15-16. An important role was played by the proof of the possibility of simultaneous administration of almost any number of vaccine antigens, as well as the fact that the reduction in the list of contraindications was not accompanied by an increase in the frequency of vaccination complications.

Before vaccination, the child is examined by a doctor, thermometry is taken, and information received from parents about the child’s development is analyzed. Pay attention to the child’s condition before vaccination. The presence of catarrhal symptoms, other manifestations of an acute disease or exacerbation of a chronic disease are a temporary contraindication for vaccination. Scheduled vaccinations are carried out 2-4 weeks after recovery, or during the period of convalescence or remission. Vaccination is allowed for mild ARVI, acute intestinal infections, etc. immediately after the temperature has returned to normal.

Healthy children do not need to be specially prepared for vaccination. There is no need for prophylactic antihistamines for all children. If a child is prone to allergies and, for example, an allergic rash appears after the introduction of a new diet, then in this case taking antihistamines is justified.

Vaccination of children within the framework of the National Vaccination Calendar is carried out without laboratory examination (urine and blood tests) and examination by specialists, subject to the indications and contraindications for the immunobiological drug. The only exceptions are children in the first year of life before the start of active vaccination, namely at 3 months, when it is advisable to evaluate the results of laboratory tests of blood and urine tests. Pay attention to the absolute content of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and hemoglobin level. The fact of the presence of seizures, severe allergic reactions to food and medications is important. When vaccinated with live vaccines, it is specified whether there were any transfusions of plasma and blood products in the last three months before vaccination. It is not recommended to vaccinate a child immediately after returning from a long trip, especially if the climate has changed dramatically.

Allergic diseases are a fairly common pathology, both in children of the first year of life and at an older age. Vaccinations in children of this group are carried out no earlier than 1 month after an exacerbation; vaccination is possible while receiving basic treatment. It is recommended to exclude the introduction of new foods into the diet 5-7 days before and after vaccination, to exclude the possibility of contact with allergens (plant, household, etc.). Before and after vaccination, antiallergic drugs are prescribed, drugs containing bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, which have a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora.

The improvement of immunoprophylaxis has made it possible to involve children with chronic pathology in its sphere, for whom vaccination becomes an important method of preventing exacerbations of the underlying disease. Among chronic diseases that concern doctors in matters of vaccination are immunodeficiency states (IDS), in which protection from infections due to their severity is extremely desirable, but the unpredictability of vaccination raises concerns. VAT includes a significant group of diseases and syndromes, which have in common qualitative and/or quantitative changes in various parts of the immune system. In many regions of Russia, vaccination rooms at children's clinics are organized in such a way that parents have the opportunity to choose and purchase different vaccines in addition to those administered for free.

In the Federal Law on Immunoprophylaxis of Infectious Diseases, there is Article 5, which provides for “Rights and responsibilities of citizens in the implementation of immunoprophylaxis”, I quote: “Citizens in the implementation of immunoprophylaxis have the right to:

obtaining from medical workers complete and objective information about the need for preventive vaccinations, the consequences of refusing them, and possible post-vaccination complications;
choice of state, municipal or private healthcare organizations or citizens engaged in private medical practice;
free preventive vaccinations included in the national calendar of preventive vaccinations, and preventive vaccinations for epidemic indications in state and municipal health care organizations;
a medical examination, and, if necessary, a medical examination before preventive vaccinations, receiving qualified medical care in state and municipal health care organizations in the event of post-vaccination complications within the framework of the Program of State Guarantees for the provision of free medical care to citizens of the Russian Federation.”

Vaccines against infections that are not yet included in the National Vaccination Calendar have also been registered in Russia; expansion of their use on a mass scale or for special indications depends on local funding or the willingness and ability of parents to pay the cost of vaccination. To expand the use of “non-calendar” vaccines (vaccines that are not included in the National Calendar), you need to understand that the price of a particular vaccine for a significant part of the population is not a serious obstacle, since even the most expensive of them are quite comparable in price to many common medicines. The awareness of pediatricians and family doctors plays a decisive role in expanding such vaccination; without this, most parents will remain unaware of the modern possibilities of immunoprophylaxis. The attending physician should also be aware of the existence of special indications for the use of certain vaccines in patients who are especially at risk of severe course of the corresponding infections; in such cases, vaccination allows not only to obtain a pronounced preventive effect, but also to achieve significant savings in funds spent on treatment in the event of an infection. The expansion of the range of vaccines registered in Russia opens up additional opportunities for routine vaccination in accordance with the National Calendar.

Although all licensed vaccines are equally immunogenic and safe, in some cases reactions have been observed to vaccines with a whole-cell pertussis component (DTP), in contrast to acellular vaccines, of which Infanrix (AaDPT) and Pentaxim (AaDTP/IPV/Hib) are licensed in Russia. . WHO recommends the use of whole cell vaccines as the mainstay of immunization programs, replacing them with acellular vaccines in cases where this helps overcome parental fear of vaccination.

The prospects for protection against pneumococcal infections in children under 2 years of age, who account for the bulk of diseases of this etiology, are associated with the creation of protein-conjugated vaccines. There is such a vaccine (Prevenar), and in countries where it is used, there is a marked decrease in incidence. The polysaccharide 23-valent vaccine pneumo23, registered in Russia, includes the main serotypes of pneumococci that cause severe diseases. It can be recommended in children over 2 years of age, elderly people, as well as patients with asplenia, diabetes and some types of complement component deficiency.

The Russian vaccination calendar does not include vaccination against infection caused by Hemophylus influenzae type b, which is included in the vaccination calendar in most developed and a number of developing countries. This infection causes severe purulent meningitis, pneumonia, and epiglottitis. Recent studies conducted in Russia have shown that this pathogen is responsible for up to 40% of all meningitis in children under 6 years of age and approximately 10% of severe pneumonia, so the Russian Ministry of Health recommended vaccination with this vaccine, which due to its high price is not included to the national calendar.

The use of combined vaccines is very relevant for Russia. BuboCoc vaccines (DTP/HBV), measles/rubella/mumps (MMR II, Priorix, Serum Institute), Pentaxim, as well as the possibility of administering Infanrix (AaDTP) and Hiberix (Hib) vaccines in one syringe are interesting, first of all, because allow to reduce the number of injections. Registration in Russia of Tetraxim (DaDPT/IPV), Infanrix-Penta (AaDPT/IPV/HBV), and hexavaccines (AaDPT/IPV/HBV/Hib) will further reduce the number of injections.

It is interesting to know what contraindications exist for this or that vaccination:

All vaccines Severe reaction or complication to a previous vaccine administration (anaphylactic shock, hyperthermia over 40°, hyperemia, induration, swelling at the injection site with a diameter of 8 cm or more)
All live vaccines Immunodeficiency state (primary); immunosuppression; malignant neoplasms; pregnancy
BCG The baby's weight at birth is less than 2 kg; keloid scar
DTP Progressive diseases of the nervous system; history of afebrile seizures
Live vaccines ; measles (GMV), mumps (MPV), combined di- and trivaccines Severe forms of allergic reactions to aminoglycosides (gentamicin, kanamycin, etc.); anaphylactic reaction to chicken egg white when vaccinated with foreign vaccines prepared on chicken embryos
Hepatitis B vaccine Allergic reaction to baker's yeast
Influenza Allergic reaction to chicken egg white, aminoglycosides, severe reaction to previous administration of any influenza vaccine.

Head of the Department of Outpatient Pediatrics, State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Astrakhan State Medical Academy, Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation, A.A. Dzhumagaziev, E-mail: [email protected] mail.ru