Welcoming one more member into the family is the most priceless experience of parenthood. Responsibilities increase, taking care of every need of the baby, many sleepless nights, and importantly many parents are worried about protecting their small ones from sickness. Before birth, infants are protected against few diseases with the help of antibodies that cross the placenta, and after birth babies continue to receive the antibodies through mother’s milk. But these protections are temporary and last only till the baby is breastfed. The best to provide infants with permanent immunity is only by vaccination or immunization. Let me tell you, to your surprise, vaccines are nothing but weakened or dead viruses or bacteria. Vaccines act by triggering the immune system to produce antibodies against that particular micro-organism. The immune system remembers the organism and reacts quickly if the same organism enters the body later. There are number of vaccinations available for infants against many dreadful diseases. The coming sessions of the article will enlighten parents about vaccinating their baby against Pneumococcal infection.
About pneumococcal vaccine
Pneumococcal diseases are caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. There are more than 90 subtypes of this bacterium. The major conditions of pneumococcal disease are – pneumonia (lung disease), bacteremia (blood infection), otitis media (ear infection), and meningitis (infection of the covering brain or the spinal cord). All these conditions are caused by the same bacteria but they exhibit different symptoms.
The best protection that we can provide children against pneumococcal infection is pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), which is a shot available for children. PCV7 was the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, but later it was replaced by PCV13. PCV13 offers protection against the most dangerous 13 subtypes of pneumococcal bacteria. PCV13 is also effective in preventing pneumonia and ear infection. It is recommended for infants and children as young as 6 weeks. The vaccine helps prevent the disease and also the spread of the disease. The vaccine gives protection against the bacteria for 3 years as serious pneumococcal infection occurs before 2 years of age. The vaccine offers protection to children when they are actually at greater risk of developing the disease. A different kind of vaccine is available for older kids and adults – pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.
Why should a child get vaccinated?
Pneumococcal disease is very common among children than in adults, as children have a weaker immune system that lacks the antibodies to fight against the bacteria. Pneumococcal disease causes major health problems in children younger than 5 years of age. Every year more than 700 children are affected with meningitis, about 13,000 kids suffer from blood infection, and sky rocketing figures of 5 million children are affected with ear infection. Pneumococcal infection can result in permanent brain damage, permanent hearing loss, or even death in many children. Around 1,000,000 children die every year due to pneumococcal diseases throughout the world. Pneumococcal infection spreads from person to person through close contact. And moreover, treating a pneumococcal infection is very difficult as the bacteria have developed resistant to some of the medicines used; therefore preventing it becomes even important. To avoid so many children losing their life to pneumococcal diseases it is important that infants get vaccinated against pneumococcal bacteria.
Vaccination schedule
The schedule for PCV goes this way:
For children younger than 2 years of age, a series of 4 injections that are given during the age of 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 months. If a child has missed the first dose of vaccine, they should still receive the vaccine. In such cases, parents can get a modified schedule for their kids.
PCV vaccine is recommended for children between 2 years and 5 years of age, if they suffer from sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDS, chronic heart or lung disease, no spleen or damaged spleen, diabetes, cancer, or if they are taking medications like chemotherapy or steroids that affects the immune system or if they have cochlear implant (implant in ear).
The vaccination should be considered in all other children between the ages of 2 years to 5 years if they are
- Below 3 years
- Natives of Alsaka and North America
- Attend child care center
More details about the number of shots and dosage depend on the child’s age and when he/she received the first shot of PCV. Children who have already received 4 doses of PCV7 but are below 5 years of age and suffer from few medical complications, should receive one more additional dose of PCV13.
Avoid vaccination if…
Parents should avoid vaccinating their child against pneumococcal infection, if their kid has already suffered a life-threatening adverse reaction after the last vaccination. And if children are ill during the time the vaccination shot is scheduled then parents should wait until the child recovers. For minor problem such as cold vaccination need not be postponed.
Risks from PCV
Pneumococcal vaccine is generally the safest vaccine, but in very few kids it may produce minor side effects like
- Tenderness and swelling around the region of shot
- Mild fever
- Poor appetite
- iredness
- Fussiness and drowsiness
- Vomiting
- In few severe allergic reactions
The risk of death by PCV is very rare.
Things to look for after PCV
Adverse reaction after vaccination usually begins within few minutes to few hours. After vaccination parents should look for fever, unusual change in behavior, and allergic reactions. Few serious allergic reactions are – problem breathing, increased heartbeat, wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, dizziness, and swelling of the throat.
What to do in case of allergic reactions?
If parents notice any mild or severe reaction after vaccination they should immediately report it to the doctor. Parents should give all the required information like – time of vaccination, time the reaction was noted, and what kind of reaction was first noted. Parents can also file the adverse reaction by filling a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form.
More about vaccine
Parents can clarify their doubts about vaccination from their doctor or nurse. They will provide a vaccine schedule insert or suggest some other source of information. Concerned parents can also contact local or state health department immunization program or Center for disease control and prevention.
Conclusion
Immunization is the best way to prevent or avoid diseases. But many times it’s hard to tell who is more afraid of the process – the kids or their parents. Parents are concerned about the adverse reaction and about the way their kid might react during immunization and kids are scared of shots. As far as the side effects are concerned, PCV is shown to be one of the safest and effective vaccines. And for kids, before an immunization schedule parents can talk to them about the process, tell them it helps to keep them strong and healthy, ask them to be brave but at the same time it’s ok to cry, distract them during immunization, and plan some fun after the vaccine. These simple things could make the whole process of immunization more easy and pleasant. Parents should always remember that immunization is one of the best preventive ways to avoid contagious diseases.
