For several decades now, childhood vaccinations have remained the subject of fierce debate between parents and pediatricians. There are many pros and cons of vaccinations, and in order to understand whether your child needs vaccination, you should look at the situation from different perspectives.
First, let's try to figure out what the vaccine is, how it works. In a normal situation, when a microbe enters the body, it is attacked by the immune system, which perceives it as a foreign body, and therefore begins to produce antibodies corresponding to these antigens. It is due to this that the body begins to fight the disease. During vaccination, weakened or dead antigens are artificially introduced into the body, which could cause the disease - this avoids the disease itself, but forces the immune system to begin producing antibodies.
Considering all the pros and cons of vaccinations, specialists always note that the risk of developing symptoms of a disease is always present. However, during vaccination, the child is much less likely to get sick than if he will not be vaccinated at all.
Adherents of vaccination argue that regular vaccinations can protect not only a specific child, but also his immediate environment, including other children in school, kindergarten, etc. It is also important that mass vaccinations help prevent epidemics. Thanks to vaccinations, mankind has managed to defeat many dangerous and even fatal diseases that have threatened entire nations for centuries (among them diphtheria, measles, smallpox, polio and others). Many experts argue that the benefits that vaccination brings are far superior to all possible risks.
However, speaking about all the pros and cons of vaccinations, it would not be permissible not to look at the back of the coin. So, what could be the reason to
refuse vaccinations for your child?
Firstly, many vaccines can cause complications. For example, often three-month-old babies are very difficult to tolerate DTP vaccination. Their temperature may rise (up to 40 degrees), swelling is observed. In this case, parents have to call a doctor.
Many vaccinations, including the most common vaccination against chickenpox, can cause allergic reactions. In tender childhood, they are especially dangerous, and therefore even those parents who are advocates of vaccination should definitely consult a pediatrician who observes the baby.
Discussing the pros and cons of vaccines, it is worth noting another important nuance. It consists in the fact that in our country, children get too many vaccinations. In fact, the body is often exposed to a variety of viruses (albeit weakened). And this is exactly what can cause unforeseen reactions of the body. In Europe, this was decided in a different way: only basic vaccinations are given to children, and the rest - as needed (for example, in case of an epidemic threat).
So should children be vaccinated? The pros and cons in this regard can be very different. However, the wisest decision is to heed the advice of two specialists: a pediatrician who constantly observes the child, as well as an immunologist (he will be able to give recommendations on when to get the vaccine).