A vaccine is a biological drug that helps the immune system resist various infectious diseases. Immunological medical centers of the Russian Federation advise vaccinating children from an early age. The very first vaccination (against hepatitis) is carried out in the first 12 hours of a child’s life, and then vaccination takes place according to the schedule of the vaccination certificate that everyone has.
The following types of vaccines are distinguished:
- living;
- inactivated;
- toxoids;
- biosynthetic.
Live vaccines
The composition of such drugs includes weakened microorganisms. This group includes vaccines for polio, mumps, tuberculosis, measles and rubella. The disadvantages of live vaccines are a high chance of an allergic reaction, which can lead to serious complications and consequences.
Inactivated vaccines
They are divided into two subspecies. The first include those that include dead microorganisms, such as pertussis, hepatitis A, or rabies vaccines. The disadvantage is that their effect lasts no more than a year. The reason for this may be technological denaturation of antigens.
The second type is drugs, which include a component of the cell wall or other exciting parts of the body. These include pertussis or meningitis vaccines.
Anatoxins
As part of this kind of drugs there is poison (inactivated toxin) produced by special bacteria. Diphtheria or tetanus vaccines belong to this category. These vaccines can last up to five years.
Biosynthetic
These drugs are obtained using genetic engineering methods. For example, hepatitis B vaccines are included in this category.
It is worth noting that the production of vaccines is a rather complex and time-consuming process, which requires a lot of effort and accurate calculations.
Vaccine differences
Vaccines are distinguished by the number of antigens that are in their composition. There are single vaccines and multivaccines.
There are also differences in species composition: bacterial, viral and rickettsial vaccines.
Recently, new vaccines are being created that are gaining mass popularity. In addition, a lot of effort for scientific researchers and developers goes to the creation of synthetic, anti-idiotypic or recombinant drugs.
Phages
Phages are viruses that invade a bacterial cell and reproduce there. As a result, a patient with fever decreases body temperature and lysis occurs.
Based on such phages, scientists have developed bacteriophages that are used for phagoprophylaxis or phage therapy. The advantage of phagotherapy is the possibility of selective lysis of a large number of microbes.
Bacteriophages have a wide spectrum of action and cure the following diseases:
- intestinal infections ;
- dysbiosis;
- pancreatitis
- purulent infections.
The Importance of Vaccination
Vaccination is the process of introducing a certain dose of antigenic materials into the human body. Sometimes people are given several vaccines at once that are compatible with each other. As a result, drugs have been developed that combine a mixture of several vaccines. A striking example is the DTP vaccine, which is given to children in the first months of life. It is able to create immunity to pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus at the same time.
There are also vaccines that are effective immediately; others should be done again. This process is called revaccination (re-introduction of a certain dose of antigenic materials into the human body).
Vaccination calendars
For preventive vaccination, there are special vaccination calendars that are available in vaccination certificates. All vaccinations and vaccine names are recorded here. However, vaccination is not included in the certificate, which is given before traveling to exotic countries or when planning pregnancy.
Operating principle
The principle of vaccination is that after the introduction of the vaccine in the body, its components are recognized, studied, memorized, and then substances that destroy all detected antigenic materials begin to be produced.
The goal of vaccination is to train the immune system and prepare it to fight a complete infection in the midst of an epidemic.
The final stage of the vaccine exposure is that after the ingestion of real viruses, the immune system independently fights against a possible disease and prevents it from developing.
Route of administration
Vaccine instructions for use may vary significantly. The most common and common method of vaccination is intramuscular injection. Inoculations are also given subcutaneously and subcutaneously. Some vaccines are given by mouth or nose.
Contraindications
Each vaccine has contraindications. The most common ones are:
- an allergic reaction with the previous vaccine;
- allergy to one of the components of the vaccine;
- high fever of the patient;
- hypertension;
- tachycardia;
- rheumatic diseases.
The vaccine "Nobivak"
As a rule, vaccinations are given not only to people, but also to animals. For dogs and cats, the drug "Nobivak" is used. Such a vaccine is the prevention in animals of plague, parainfluenza, parvovirus enteritis, panleukopenia, bordetellosis and other diseases.
The Nobivak vaccine has a number of features that must be considered.
- The animal must be at least three months old and healthy.
- The pet should not have fleas, worms, ear mites.
- The dosage of the drug does not depend on weight: one dose is calculated per animal.
- Such a vaccination is required if you plan to travel by air or rail. Otherwise, the cat or dog will not be allowed on board the plane or on the train.
- Sometimes the consequences of vaccination may occur. In this case, you need to prepare in advance for an unexpected development of events (for example, anaphylactic shock) and purchase Suprastin tablets. Also, after vaccination, the first 40 minutes should be spent in a veterinary hospital.
Need for vaccination
As already mentioned, a vaccine is a biologically active drug that helps the immune system withstand a number of serious diseases. However, vaccination is not a mandatory procedure, and everyone has the right to choose. Many parents are against vaccination and do not vaccinate their children. In this case, an official medical clearance is issued indicating the reason for the refusal.
Most people do not get vaccinated just because they are afraid of the serious consequences that may arise. With the refusal of vaccination, the risk of the disease increases many times. In this case, the course of the disease will have a number of complications, which in rare cases even lead to death. For example, DTP vaccination protects children from diphtheria. The latter, in turn, leads to death in a matter of minutes.
To date, the doctors' arsenal has only proven vaccines that are considered reliable and safe. However, each organism has its own individual characteristics, which can lead to rejection of the vaccine. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out preparatory procedures a few days before vaccination. They will significantly reduce the risk of rejection and side effects.
In addition, there are situations where vaccination is contraindicated. This usually applies to severe human diseases and severely weakened immunity.
Vaccines for children
For children, the safest form of vaccination is inactivated vaccination.
In the first years of the baby’s life, it is very important to record all vaccinations done in a special calendar, as vaccination data may be needed in various situations (visiting a kindergarten, pool).
The very first vaccination in a child’s life is hepatitis B vaccination. Next, the doctors choose a scheme for further vaccination:
- If during pregnancy the risk of hepatitis B was determined, then subsequent vaccinations for the child will be done at 1 month, at 2 months, at 12 months, and the scheme will look 0-1-2-12, respectively.
- If the child is not at risk and there were no deviations during pregnancy, then the vaccine will be given at 1 and 6 months (regimen: 0-1-6).
On the third day of life, a vaccination against tuberculosis is performed (most often in the hospital). Revaccination occurs at 7 and 14 years old (depends on the wishes of the parents and obvious needs). It is better known as a BCG vaccine, to which there should be a negative Mantoux reaction. Vaccination is done in the upper third of the shoulder. Evidence of the successful completion of the vaccination will be a small scar ranging in size from 0.3 to 0.5 cm. Before it appears, there will be redness, an abscess, which will then turn into a crust and disappear.
Next up is the polio vaccine. It is done 3 times: at the age of 3, 4.5 and 6 months. Repeated administration of the drug should be carried out at the age of 12.5 years, as well as at 14 years of age. Most often, vaccination is done in the upper thigh or buttocks. However, for young children there is a polio vaccine as drops, which is taken orally 1 hour before meals, 4 drops. With this introduction, it is strictly forbidden to drink the drug with water.
This is followed by a vaccination against pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, the common name of which is DTP. Since its purpose is to combat immediately three serious diseases, it contains a mixture of pertussis vaccines, concentrated diphtheria and tetanus toxoids. Do this vaccination at 3 months, then at 4.5 months and at the age of six months. The following vaccinations are in 2.5 years, 6 years, 7 and 14 years. After that, the frequency of vaccination is once every 10 years, but then the vaccine no longer contains a component of pertussis. After the introduction of the vaccine, there may be a three-day reaction in the form of temperature.
All of the above vaccinations must be given to the child without fail. However, if the baby suffered acute diseases, then a medication is prescribed.
It’s important to understand that a vaccine is a drug that can protect a person from disease and contribute to the stability of the immune system. Therefore, if a child or an adult does not have pronounced health problems, then you should vaccinate and protect yourself and loved ones from possible diseases that have serious consequences.