15 important questions about vaccinations
— Alla Anatolyevna, how should doctors warn parents that vaccination will be carried out in kindergarten / school?— This can be done orally or in writing.
In kindergarten, educators usually speak when the child is brought or taken away by the parents. Or at least give them a note. At school, everything depends on age: someone is recorded in a diary, and someone is announced at homeroom, insisting that students pass this information to their parents. Therefore, I would advise the latter to look into the diary of the child more often, ask questions (the child may forget) and communicate with other moms and dads. If the parents found out about the vaccination after the fact, then in case the child is prone to allergies, it is necessary to follow a hypoallergenic diet for a week (usually it is known which one) and take antihistamines (antiallergic — V.Ya.) drugs for three to five days.
— But after vaccinations, many doctors advise taking anti-allergenic drugs or antipyretics even for absolutely healthy children. If the child is not prone to allergies, is it necessary to do this “just in case”?— I would not advise — it is not necessary to give the child extra medicines.
It is necessary to give antihistamines and antipyretics only if the previous vaccination caused an appropriate reaction.
— Should vaccination calendars be compiled for each child and should an immunological examination be carried out before vaccination?— Individual vaccination calendars are compiled by a pediatrician or an immunologist only for those who have some diseases or a significant delay in calendar deadlines.
There is no immunological examination to resolve the issue of vaccination. But, for example, if a child has problems with blood or kidneys, the doctor can prescribe tests before each vaccination (in the first case, blood is donated, in the second — urine).
And healthy children do not need such calendars. There is no need to take any tests before vaccinations — enough information from parents and a standard doctor's examination (skin, pharynx, thermometry).
The main thing is that parents do not deceive doctors themselves. And sometimes they “jam” the symptoms of some diseases so that they still get vaccinated (for example, to get to kindergarten or go abroad). This is extremely irresponsible.
— What do you say about the tendency not to vaccinate children at all? There are adherents of alternative medicine... — These people claim that there may be serious complications after vaccination.
But be sure that there are thousands of times more serious consequences and the possibility of death from infections that a person can get without vaccination!
Sooner or later, ignoring vaccination will lead to an epidemic. The last one we had in Russia 10 years ago was diphtheria. At that time, children who were not vaccinated died because of the refusal of their parents or for so-called false medical contraindications.
Vaccinations are opposed by people who most often just read “smart” articles, but have nothing to do with medicine. If at least one of them saw a serious patient with an infectious disease, such as diphtheria or influenza, he would immediately rethink his point of view.
— But we still hear information that vaccination is a huge profit for pharmaceutical companies, which call them a panacea for financial gain.
— Treatment is more expensive than vaccination, so it would be more profitable for the same pharmaceutical companies to produce therapeutic drugs rather than preventive ones.
Moreover, what kind of enrichment can we talk about if foreign countries supply us with vaccines at a price 3-10 times lower than they sell at home — so long as we are vaccinated and do not contribute to the emergence of an epidemic in them. For example, the flu vaccine costs 6-7 dollars for us, and in Europe it costs 40-50 dollars.
— And what to do if there are still some complications?— In case of a serious post-vaccination complication, it is necessary to collect all the documents confirming this and send them to Moscow
(where exactly and what documents, will tell you in the health authorities). There, a special commission will consider them and give its summary. It is possible that financial compensation will be appointed, which will have to be paid by the social protection authorities.
— And how do you feel about the fact that some parents refuse domestic drugs and get vaccinated in private clinics with imported vaccines? For example, vaccinations of the first year of life: against whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus ("Infanris"), against polio, hemophilic b-infection...
— It has also become possible to get vaccinated with foreign drugs in polyclinics. For example, since July of this year, we have been vaccinating against polio in the first year with the French Imovax Polio vaccine, since it practically does not give complications. But in the second year of life, you can already make our oral polio vaccine — there is absolutely no risk of getting a neurological complication.
Hepatitis B vaccines with a reduced preservative content are recommended, but, according to my information, there are no such vaccines in polyclinics yet, so we have to do it for a fee.
Against pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus, you can be vaccinated with the Infanrix vaccine, which differs from the DPT vaccine by the presence of a cell-free pertussis component, therefore it is easier to tolerate, it has fewer contraindications. Those who can afford it, choose this particular vaccine.
Almost all vaccines are interchangeable, so it is possible to switch to an imported drug if the first of the three vaccinations has already been made a domestic vaccine.
— By the way, about hepatitis B ... we get vaccinated against it right in the hospital, but there is an opinion that vaccination can be postponed to an older age, since it puts a strain on a newly born fragile organism. And if you consider that mom (practically the only person who can infect a baby with this disease) during pregnancy does an analysis for hepatitis B, then in case of a negative result of the analysis, you know for sure that the child is not sick...— Firstly, the body of a pregnant woman can sometimes “give out a laboratory error".
That is, a woman may be infected with the hepatitis B virus, and the analysis will show that everything is in order. Secondly, such a vaccination cannot be considered a strong load on the body. After all, even a fetus can respond with the production of protective antibodies in case of infection, and what can we say about a child who has already given birth! Acute respiratory infections also give a great load, because, in addition to viral and bacterial antigens, also therapeutic drugs (also antigens) are used. And it's convenient to get a vital vaccination right away, because, as practice has shown, there are a lot of undisciplined moms. They postpone everything for later, forget, and as a result, the child has a serious illness. By the way, the hepatitis B vaccine is also called anti-cancer, since it is able to prevent primary liver cancer, which causes the hepatitis B virus. It must be done, and the sooner the better!
— And what kind of vaccinations should I get before my vacation? — First you need to ask about the epidemiological situation in the place where you are going.
Before traveling to countries such as Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, you need to get vaccinated against hepatitis A. To Asia — from hepatitis A, dysentery, typhoid fever and polio. If a trip beyond the equator is planned, then it is necessary to get vaccinated against yellow fever. By the way, there is no last vaccine in Nizhny Novgorod — you have to go to Moscow or Kazan. Before traveling to the Urals, Siberia, you need to get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis.
But tetanus and diphtheria should be vaccinated, no matter where you go! Moreover, all these vaccinations should be done in advance — there should be time for the production of antibodies.
— That is, each person should clearly understand what vaccinations were given to him in order to complete the missing ones?
— Each of us must have a vaccination passport. It is now issued together with a school certificate or when moving from one place to another. If an adult does not have such a passport (lost, for example), then it is necessary to restore it: send a request to the polyclinic in the name of the chief physician. As for the rehabilitation of the vaccination history (that is, determining the presence of vaccination by taking tests for antibodies), this is not always possible and expensive, it is done only in Nizhny Novgorod (in the region there is no). So it is necessary to take care of the vaccination passport as the apple of your eye, because if there is no information about any vaccination, then a person automatically becomes unvaccinated. It is believed that such a passport should be an insert in the ordinary passport of each person.
— And what kind of vaccinations do you do yourself?
— I do all the vaccinations due to the nature of my activity. I get vaccinated against the flu every year. A therapist should advise a person about vaccinations that need to be done in adulthood. If it seemed to you that he does not have the necessary information, then you need to go to an immunologist. In Nizhny Novgorod, only private immunologists in commercial centers deal with the adult population.
— How long can the withdrawal from vaccinations last?
— The fact is that there are cases when vaccination against certain infections may be generally contraindicated. For example, in severe congenital immunodeficiency, live vaccines cannot be administered. Then a recusal is appointed. All other cases of temporary withdrawal should be reduced as much as possible. The doctor is faced with a choice, weighing on the scales the benefits or harms of vaccination for this particular patient. Sometimes doctors are too reinsured and postpone vaccination in vain, but this moment must be monitored and continued in time. No “dogon" in the form of a reduction in the prescribed intervals between vaccinations after withdrawal is not recommended, since according to immunological laws, the intervals between vaccinations must necessarily be maintained — for the necessary production of antibodies.
— What is immunoprophylaxis?— This is protection against infectious diseases.
Firstly, it is timely vaccination — that is, a planned prevention of infection. Secondly, it is protection against infections with the help of additional vaccination and/or blood products, such as serums and immunoglobulins. The latter is performed only for epidemiological indications — for example, if a person has communicated with an infectious patient.
— I recently heard about a new vaccine — against hemophilic Hib infection. What do you say about her?— This is a reliable protection against hemophilic b-infection (Hib infection is an abbreviated name), which causes purulent bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, meningitis, otitis media in young children.
The results of vaccination are evident in Finland. There, children were very often ill with purulent otitis media, their eardrum was pierced for treatment. And after mass vaccination against Hib infection, severe purulent otitis disappeared. This vaccination can be done from three months, and before kindergarten — for sure! The fact is that hemophilic infections are common enough in children's institutions: children communicate closely with each other, share toys... And the infection, which is carried by 70% of children, is transmitted by contact and airborne droplets.
You can get vaccinated against hemophilic b infection only in private centers - there is no such thing in polyclinics.
Another novelty that should appear in our city at the end of the year is the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox seems harmless, but its virus remains in the body of a person who has suffered this disease. After years, even decades, this virus can cause herpes zoster on the human body, which causes excruciating, non-relieving pain.
Vaccination against chickenpox can be done in paid centers from the age of 9 months.
— How to strengthen a child's immunity before kindergarten and school?— This task should be faced by parents not on the eve of nursery or first grade, but from birth.
That's how they brought it from the hospital, so they immediately started working on it. This is a constant ventilation of the apartment (the optimal temperature is 18 degrees, the air cannot be dried with heating devices), long walks (at least four hours a day), in no case overheat, dress according to the season — do not wrap up. Do not forget about sports (“champion” goals are not mandatory at all). And, of course, hardening: contrast pouring is very useful. The difference between hot and cold water, which alternately pours a small child on his feet, should be more than 10 degrees. A healthy child will have enough of one such procedure per day (but preferably a long one — 15 minutes), but a weakened one needs to spend several short sessions (for example, four times for five minutes) with a contrasting effect of water, ending at 28 ° C.
By the way, a child attending children's institutions, according to the criteria of the World Health Organization, is considered healthy if he suffers from banal viral infections up to eight times a year.
Also, at first glance, it is not interconnected with viral diseases, but it is also very important to strengthen the intestines. It contains a large number of lymph nodes responsible for the immunity of the whole body. It is necessary to eat fruits, vegetables and cereals: ideally, there should be at least thirteen “applications” to such food per day (an apple, a portion of porridge, a pear is one, two, three, etc.).
And unfortunately, there are no “quick” ways to strengthen immunity before kindergarten or school... But it's never too late to start taking care of your body.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru22.10.2008