The right decision about any vaccination can be made only if you understand in more detail what it is for. Many parents are afraid to lead their child to the clinic, believing that a Hib vaccine or any other vaccine can harm their child.
What is being done for?
Young children who are not yet five years old can be infected with a hemophilic bacillus, therefore, in order to avoid serious diseases at an early age, vaccination is carried out. A hemophilic bacillus is dangerous for the child's body, since it is covered with a shell, and a weak body is not able to cope with it on its own.
Infection can be freely transmitted by airborne droplets, and many adults carry it. The bacterium can be in the body for a long time and not manifest itself in any way, but as soon as the human immunity weakens, various diseases immediately begin to be detected. To prevent this from happening, and vaccination is recommended at an early age.
What will happen if you do not vaccinate the child?
The effects of hemophilic bacillus can be seen in the form of diseases such as:
- Meningitis with brain damage, which can be fatal.
- Epiglottitis, in which a child may suffocate.
- Severe pneumonia.
- Sepsis.
- Chronical bronchitis.
Often all these diseases occur secretly, and when they are fully manifested, the child is already in serious condition. The treatment for such an infection is complex and requires a lot of strength, since the stick is resistant to antibiotics. With the help of vaccination, a unique opportunity arises not to treat diseases, but to prevent it.
What is included in the vaccine?
The HibT vaccine is vaccinated by a pharmacological company in France, but in Russia it has been patented since 1997. The vaccine includes such substances:
- A polysaccharide taken from the surface of a bacterium and mixed with tetanus toxoid.
- Sucrose and trometanol (act as an ionic regulator).
It is worth noting that the HIB vaccine does not contain the bacteria themselves, so it is impossible to get sick after it. Of course, the vaccine will not be able to protect the child from diseases such as meningitis or pneumonia, because there are many other bacteria that can cause these serious diseases, but they can be weaker than the hemophilic bacillus.
Vaccination Effectiveness
Vaccination has long been studied clinically. The results that have been obtained are favorable. Children who were tested and vaccinated received strong immunity that lasted four years. After that, the child begins to develop its own protection. The sooner the HIB vaccine is given, the faster the baby's immunity begins to form.
Some parents decide to take the vaccine after the child goes to kindergarten and is sick. If he is not yet five years old, then vaccination will help develop immunity against the stick.
When and how is vaccination required?
If the child has no signs that he has a Hib infection, the vaccine is still required, because the baby attends kindergartens, which means that he communicates in a team, and someone may be a carrier of a harmful stick that is not transmitted only by airborne droplets, but also through toys, dishes, a towel. It is advisable to vaccinate during the first months of the baby's life.
If the vaccine is given from 2 to 6 months, then it is necessary to remember several stages:
- The day when the injection is given is prescribed.
- The vaccination is repeated after a month.
- A third injection is given after a year.
If the vaccine is given at a later age, for example, from six months to a year, then one stage in the scheme is not taken into account. In five years, it is enough to make an injection only once. All who have been given the HIB vaccine leave reviews exclusively positive. But it is very important that you carefully read the instructions and consult a doctor before vaccinating.
Contraindications and side effects
Like many vaccines, this vaccine also has side effects. Of course, such cases are very rare, but still have a place to be. Studies have shown that most often a local injection reaction begins. There is pain and redness of the soft tissues at the injection site. Such reactions are observed in only 10% of cases. The temperature rises in a child extremely rarely - there can be 1 case per 100 people, and this is a low indicator if you compare other vaccinations with each other. When the HIB ACT vaccine was given, parental reviews indicated that this vaccine did not cause any serious consequences. In medicine, there were also no serious complications after the administration of the drug.
The consequences of diseases that may arise from exposure to hemophilic bacteria are much more complicated than the usual local reaction to the skin of a child.
Instructions for use
Before the child is vaccinated with ACT HIB, the instruction advises reading about some contraindications that parents should pay attention to:
- You can not give an injection to people who can not tolerate at least one of the components of the drug. It is advisable for the child to test.
- It is forbidden to vaccinate if the baby has an allergic reaction to other vaccinations.
- You can not vaccinate children with an allergic reaction to tetanus toxoid, because it is contained in the vaccine, albeit in a small dose.
- You should not be vaccinated if the child currently has health problems, for example, the baby is sick with acute respiratory infections. Vaccination is given to children who are completely healthy.
When the vaccine is given, it is necessary to carefully monitor the health of the child for several days: do not supercool him, try to be less in crowded places, do not attend children's groups. On the day of the procedure, it is not recommended to swim or stay outdoors for a long time.
Hib vaccination has a huge number of advantages. A child, who is often among other children, is automatically placed at risk, and with vaccination he has every chance to increase his immunity several times. At the same time, the baby will no longer be a carrier of hemophilic bacillus, which means that it will not infect other children. Tolerance of the drug is at a high level, so parents have no reason to worry about the health of their baby. If they vaccinate him, there will be more chances that the baby will not get sick or it will become easier to tolerate various ailments. Each parent must make the right choice and decide what exactly he wants for his child. Think about whether to refuse vaccination.