What should we pay attention to when it comes to children’s vaccinations?

The so-called vaccination is to artificially inject vaccines into the bodies of healthy people to allow the body to produce antibodies and thus gain immunity against a certain virus or bacteria. For example, there are tuberculosis vaccines, BCG vaccines, etc. Because children's body resistance is relatively weak, children must be vaccinated. What should we pay attention to at this time?

1. What categories are vaccines divided into?

Vaccination is one of the most economical and effective methods to prevent and control infectious diseases. Currently, vaccines in my country are divided into two categories. Category I vaccines refer to vaccines provided free of charge to citizens by the government, and citizens should receive them in accordance with government regulations. The first type of vaccines for children are free of charge, and the costs of vaccines and vaccinations are borne by the government. Vaccination units are not allowed to charge or collect any fees in disguise for vaccinating children with these vaccines according to the immunization schedule. The second category of vaccines refers to other vaccines that are voluntarily received by citizens at their own expense, and the cost is borne by the recipient or his/her guardian.

2. What should you pay attention to before and after your child gets a vaccination?

Before vaccination: Before vaccination, parents should change the baby into loose, soft and clean clothes; the doctor at the vaccination unit should pre-examine the baby's body before vaccination to confirm that there are no "contraindications" to vaccination before vaccination.

After vaccination: Do not bathe your child within 24 hours after receiving all vaccines, and try to keep the vaccination site away from water. In addition, children should be given plenty of water, their body temperature should be measured frequently, their activities should be limited, and attention should be paid to their mental state, diet, and sleep.

Special matters before and after vaccination: Children should not be given hot water or hot milk 40 minutes before and after polio vaccination. If the child is exclusively breastfed, breastfeeding should be resumed 4 hours after vaccination.

Taking medicine after vaccination: Only medicines that affect the immune function may affect vaccination. Such medicines include corticosteroids, certain anti-tumor drugs, etc. Common medicines for treating runny nose, cough, fever, and diarrhea, including antibiotics, will not affect the immune effect.

3. What are the consequences of postponing vaccination?

Postponing vaccination itself will not reduce the body's response to the vaccine or affect antibody production, but the body may not have sufficient immunity during the postponement period, which will increase the risk of disease. Therefore, vaccinations should be performed as per the appointment date as possible. In case of special circumstances, it can be postponed, but not advanced (advanced date will affect the effectiveness of the vaccination). There is no limit on the period for postponing vaccination, and there is no need to re-vaccinate previously received doses due to postponement. It is also important to pay attention to the understanding of age: if a certain vaccine is required to be administered at 2 months of age, then it is normal to administer it before 3 months of age. There is a buffer period of about 30 days from the day the baby is 2 months old to the day the baby is 3 months old. Vaccination during this period is not considered delayed. The current principle for booster vaccinations for children is: get as many doses as you missed.

4. How do you view vaccination reactions?

For the vast majority of people, vaccination is safe. However, the vaccine is a foreign body after all. Due to individual differences, some children will experience redness, swelling, pain, nodules, etc. at the vaccination site, or fever, general discomfort, fatigue, loss of appetite, weakness and other symptoms. These are common reactions after vaccination. The condition is mild and most children recover on their own within 1-2 days. See a doctor if necessary. A very small number of children may experience rare abnormal reactions after vaccination, such as sterile abscesses, allergic reactions, etc. The condition is relatively serious and requires timely treatment. In addition, if a child is in the early stages of a certain disease or has a potential disease when receiving the vaccine and happens to develop the disease after vaccination, this is called "coincidental syndrome" which has nothing to do with the vaccine itself and can easily be confused with an adverse reaction to the vaccination. To reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions, parents of children should understand the types, functions, contraindications, adverse reactions and precautions of the vaccine before vaccination; cooperate with the vaccinating personnel to provide the child's health status and understand the child's vaccination contraindications; after vaccination, the child must stay in the vaccination clinic for 30 minutes, and any suspicious reaction can be dealt with in a timely manner.

5. The "scar" reaction to BCG is normal!

After intradermal vaccination with BCG, most recipients will experience redness and swelling at the vaccination site in about 2-6 weeks, which will later become purulent or form ulcers, and scab over and form scars in 3-5 weeks. This is a normal reaction after vaccination with BCG. A small number of recipients will experience delayed or prolonged reactions. Note: Do not apply hot compress to the red, swollen and hard nodules caused by BCG. Please try not to swim before the scabs fall off. Do not apply medicine or bandage when you have an ulcer. Keep the area clean and wear loose clothing. If pus flows out, wipe it with a sterile cotton swab and do not squeeze it. After the scab forms, do not peel it off prematurely, wait for it to fall off naturally. However, not everyone who receives BCG vaccination will experience the above-mentioned reactions, and the above-mentioned reactions are also unrelated to the effectiveness of the vaccination. Those who do not react do not need to be revaccinated with BCG. According to the current national technical approval, BCG revaccination is no longer necessary even if BCG scars have not formed.

6. How to deal with common reactions to vaccinations?

Fever: After vaccination, because the vaccine is an exogenous protein, it can cause fever in a few babies, which is a common general reaction. It usually occurs within 24 hours after vaccination and disappears naturally within 24 to 48 hours. If it is just a simple fever, physical cooling should be used if the temperature is below 38.5 degrees. If the temperature is above 38.5 degrees, symptomatic treatment should be given by taking antipyretics that do not contain aspirin. If the child has a history of high fever convulsions, take antipyretics and monitor the temperature closely if the temperature is above 38 degrees. If the temperature is too high, go to the hospital immediately.

Redness, swelling and nodules: Because the adjuvant components in some vaccines are not easily absorbed, they may cause redness, swelling and nodules at the injection site in a few recipients. Mild cases do not require treatment and will be absorbed on their own. Treatment methods for larger redness, swelling and nodules: Apply cold compress within 24 hours of vaccination to constrict blood vessels and reduce the redness, swelling and nodules; apply hot compress 24 hours after vaccination to dilate blood vessels and promote the disappearance of redness, swelling and nodules. Three times a day, fifteen minutes each time. Magnesium sulfate can be added to hot compresses to promote swelling reduction. Be careful not to let your baby scratch the vaccination site to avoid infection.

7. If a reaction occurs after vaccination, should I continue with the vaccination?

For vaccines that require continuous multiple administrations under the national plan, such as hepatitis B vaccine, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccine, sugar pills, etc., if simple local reactions or low fever occur, there is no need to change the immunization program. If a severe reaction occurs, do not continue vaccination.