CHILD VACCINATION

You want to do what is best for your children and keep them safe. Vaccination is one of the best ways to protect your children from various life threatening infections to save their life.

Children can be protected against more diseases than ever before due to availability of safe and effective vaccines. Polio is one example of the great impact that vaccines have had in India. Polio was once India’s most-feared disease, causing death and paralysis across the country, but thanks to vaccination, there have been no reports of polio in the India for more than 10 years. Children in India still get vaccine-preventable diseases. In fact, we have seen resurgences of measles, whooping cough (pertussis) and flu over the past few years. While some babies are too young to be protected by vaccination, others may not be able to receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened immune systems from conditions like leukaemia, or other logistic reasons. To help keep them safe, it is important that you and your children who are able to get vaccinated are fully immunized.

This not only protects your family, but also helps prevent the spread of these diseases to your friends and loved ones. Vaccination is very safe and effective. Vaccines are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals.

Vaccines will involve some discomfort and may cause fever, pain, redness, or tenderness at the site of injection, but this is minimal compared to the pain, discomfort, trauma, and possibly severe outcomes of the diseases these vaccines prevent. Serious side effects following vaccination, such as severe allergic reaction, are very rare. The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children. Immunizations can save your family time and money. A child with a vaccine-preventable disease can be denied attendance at schools or daycare facilities. Some vaccine-preventable diseases can result in prolonged disabilities and can take a financial toll because of lost time at work, medical bills or longterm disability care. In contrast, getting vaccinated against these diseases is a good investment. Vaccines have reduced and, in some cases, eliminated many diseases that killed or severely disabled people just a few generations ago. For example, smallpox & polio vaccination eradicated that diseases in most of the countries. Your children don’t have to get smallpox shots anymore because the disease no longer exists. By vaccinating children against rubella (German measles), the risk that pregnant women will pass this virus on to their foetus or newborn has been dramatically decreased, and birth defects associated with that virus no longer are seen in India. If we continue vaccinating now, and vaccinating completely, parents in the future may be able to trust that some diseases of today will no longer be around to harm their children in the future.