Baby

Over the years, a commonly accepted immunization schedule has evolved. Most doctors follow it, although there are some acceptable variations. The schedule is designed to give your child the maximum protection available as soon as possible. The reason some shots are not given earlier is that the child’s own defense system hasn’t matured enough to develop immunity. For example, a number of years ago, the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine were given to infants at twelve months. It was discovered that many of these infants didn’t develop protection against these illnesses because their own defense systems weren’t able to react to the vaccine correctly. The date was changed, and now the vaccine is much more effective.

Immunization and Testing Schedule

DIP [diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine]: This immunization is given as a shot, usually in the thigh. Many children have no reaction to it. Some have swelling and redness at the injection site, as well as some fussiness.

TOPV [trivalent oral polio vaccine, also called the Sabin vaccine]: Your child is given a small amount of liquid to swallow. Side effects from this vaccine are very rare.

MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine]: This vaccine is given as a shot. Your child needs only one shot to have lifelong protection from all three viruses.

TB Test [tuberculosis test]: Some doctors feel that routine tuberculosis testing is necessary and do it on all children. Other doctors feel that this testing is not needed and do it only when they believe the child is at risk of exposure to this disease.

HiB [hemophilus influenza type B vaccine]: This relatively new vaccine protects children against developing several types of infections including one type of meningitis [infection of the coverings of the brain and spinal cord]. This meningitis is more common in children two to six years old who are exposed to a number of other children, such as in day care centers, or who stay with babysitters who care for four or more children. Although this type of meningitis isn’t common, if your two to six year old child is in day care or with a babysitter, you should discuss the HiB vaccine with your doctor.

Boosters: After your child has his childhood shots, he’s all set unless he is going to be traveling in certain foreign countries or until he turns twelve. The tetanus shot provides protection for five to ten years.

Smallpox: The immunization used to be routine, but it has been discontinued because the risk from the vaccine itself is greater than the risk of getting smallpox. This disease has almost been wiped out worldwide.

An important part of most baby visits is immunizations. They are designed to lessen the chance that your baby comes down with certain diseases. There was a time, not too long ago that many babies died of infections. Now we can prevent many of these killers with immunizations. It’s rare to see a child with polio, diphtheria, pertussis [whooping cough] these days, although there’s been more whooping cough recently since fewer parents are protecting their children. The number of people, both children and adults, who get rubella [German measles], has declined drastically since immunization became common.

If immunizations are so beneficial, why has there been such an outcry against them recently, particularly the one against pertussis? There has been much publicity about some of the adverse side-effects of this vaccine. These side effects may be very serious. They include severe neurological damage and mental retardation.

There are two important perspectives from which to consider the risks of immunizations: the risks of having the vaccine and the risks of not having the vaccine. From the first perspective we consider the risk/benefit ratio-that is, the relationship between the risk of a possible negative outcome and the benefit of the favorable outcome. For example, if one of every 100,000 children given a certain immunization died or suffered a serious side-effect, that is certainly one child too many. However, if we consider that 99,999 of the 100,000 children did not die but instead developed immunity to a deadly disease, the relative risk foe any individual child is very small indeed.

From the second perspective, we consider the risk of no treatment-that is, we ask if the risk of getting the vaccine is greater than the risk of getting the disease. For example, if one of every 100,000 children who get the vaccine suffers a serious side-effect, it might seem like an unnecessary risk to take. However, if one hundred of every 100,000 children who did not get the vaccine suffered permanent damage or even die because of the disease, then clearly the risk of no treatment is one hundred times greater than the risk of treatment.

The figures used are merely used for purpose of illustration, but the principles involved are important considerations when you are deciding whether to have your baby immunized against diseases. The benefits to be reaped from immunization are great, but there is always some degree of risk. Researchers are at work at further reducing the risks involved with some vaccines. Ask your physician her opinion of currently available vaccines.