In today's world, diphtheria vaccination is a must for children. This disease affects several human organs and poses a great threat to health. Therefore, doctors recommend that every child should be vaccinated against diphtheria so that he does not suffer from the disease in the future.
What is dangerous diphtheria
A disease like diphtheria is contagious. In the process of its development, the upper respiratory tract, nose, pharynx, eyes and even genitals become inflamed. The main threat is not inflammation itself, but poisoning by the toxin produced by the pathogen (diphtheria bacillus). It is this harmful element that creates problems for the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
The disease is accompanied by general weakness, localization of palpable sore throat, as well as high body temperature. You can get infected at absolutely any age, and this is done quite easily, since it is transmitted by airborne droplets.
Treatment and prevention of diphtheria in children
Small children and adolescents with diphtheria must be hospitalized. In the next two weeks they will have to comply with strict bed rest.
The main treatment for the disease is antitoxic serum. It can be administered both intramuscularly and intravenously. Along with this, the doctor prescribes antibiotics, among which the most effective is penicillin.
Treatment may be symptomatic. For this, certain drugs are taken that correspond to various symptoms (for example, antipyretics are taken at high temperatures). It is also necessary to carefully monitor the doctor for the appearance and progression of complications.
The most effective method of preventing the disease is a diphtheria vaccine. Side effects in children after it, of course, arise, but rarely enough, since it all depends on age. To date, there are several vaccines, which will be described in detail below.
Do I need a vaccination
To understand why diphtheria vaccination is needed for children, it is necessary to realize the exact medical indicators. Every year, hospitals in any country count the patients who have become ill and who have died from this disease. Although there is another component, which is not so easy to calculate, it saves parents time and money that they don’t just spend, because children practically do not get this disease.
Over the past few decades, vaccination has indicated that:
- in states where almost 100% of the population is vaccinated, only visitors or patients who could not get vaccinated on time suffered from the disease;
- already transferred diphtheria does not give a full guarantee that a person will not be infected with it again;
- death is 4%;
- at the time of vaccination, about 20% of diseases in children were precisely diphtheria, and the number of deaths reached 50% of patients.
Varieties of vaccines
In order to prevent the disease in Russia, combined vaccines are used. In their composition, they all contain diphtheria toxoid. It is a drug that produces antibodies to the main pathogen. To date, three types of vaccines are distinguished:
- DTP vaccination. The consequences in children after it are not so serious. It has a triple counteraction - not only from diphtheria, but also from whooping cough, as well as tetanus.
- ADS. Among experts, it is called diphtheria-tetanus vaccine. It is the most common, as it is actively used for the prevention of both diphtheria and tetanus. In addition, the timing of vaccination of these two vaccinations coincide.
- ADS-M. It is an ADS vaccine, but in smaller doses.
- AD-M. It exists for a long time, but is rarely used. Modern experts do not always agree to work with her, since she is a monovaccine, and as a good prevention, it is necessary to use the integrated version.
Other drugs
In addition to the already known vaccines described above, other injections are also actively used in some hospitals. They also exist for quite some time, but they have not lost their popularity for all this time. These include:
- Pentaxim is a drug that helps the body develop protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hemophilic infections, and polio.
- Infanrix Hexa, a six-component vaccine, is used as a prophylaxis not only against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, but also against hemophilic infection and hepatitis B.
- Infanrix is an imported analogue of DTP containing protective cells against pertussis, tetanus and, of course, diphtheria.
Vaccination schedule
Young parents who take care of their own child are always interested when they are vaccinated against diphtheria in children. The Russian vaccination calendar claims that it must be done until the child is one year old. Vaccination is done only three times: at 4, 5 and 6 months. Thanks to these vaccines, the body will develop resistance to the pathogen.
The next diphtheria vaccine for children will be done in order to maintain immunity. The first thing you need to do it at 18 months. Further recommended diphtheria vaccination for children 7 years old. The last vaccination will be at 14 years old.
All these vaccinations become a guarantee that the body will be resistant to the effects of infection. Subsequent vaccinations will need to be done much less frequently - only once every ten years.
It is also worth noting that a diphtheria vaccine for children 14 years or 4 months is necessary. Doctors themselves strongly recommend that parents do not save on the health of their child and yet visit a clinic where you can get vaccinated. This does not hurt at all and does not take much time, so there is no reason to refuse it.
Route of administration
In addition to the vaccination schedule, parents are also interested in where children are vaccinated against diphtheria . This question remains the most important for them.
Diphtheria vaccines are administered only intramuscularly. It is not possible to vaccinate intravenously or subcutaneously, unlike antitoxic serum.
The most common vaccination sites are:
Small children (up to three years) are injected into the middle third of the anterolateral thigh. And patients are a bit older (up to 14 years and above) - in the upper third of the shoulder protrusion.
Immediately after an injection in the muscle, the area around can hurt. As a rule, this is not a strong pain, so even the smallest patient can endure it. Moreover, they do not last long.
Indications
An indication for vaccination against diphtheria in children is only the necessary prevention of severe forms of the disease, as well as its consequences. There are no other points requiring vaccination.
Contraindications
In contrast to the indications, vaccinations have much more contraindications. Any vaccination is the reason for the imbalance in the functioning of the human body systems. It is for this reason that most contraindications are associated with a temporary condition of the immune system.
As a vaccine in children with DTP, the consequences of which are practically not serious, other types of vaccination are not recommended in such cases:
- The presence of bacterial, viral and other diseases. In such a situation, the specialist only recommends waiting until the child is completely healthy.
- The development of allergic reactions to any pathogens.
- Any post-vaccination complications of the vaccine given shortly before.
- Diseases associated with neurology. If they are present and in the active phase, it is strictly forbidden to administer an toxoid. In this case, it will be necessary to wait until the onset of remission or the period without any exacerbations.
- Mild forms of disease are redness of the throat, rhinitis and the like. Of course, they are not dangerous and do not prohibit vaccination, but still for vaccination it is worth waiting until the symptoms go away.
Compared to other vaccinations, the list of contraindications for the diphtheria vaccine does not include diseases such as cancer, immunodeficiency states, and powerful chemotherapy.
Vaccine response
All parents should be prepared for the fact that at least some reaction to the vaccination against diphtheria in children will be manifested. The normal consequences include:
- apathy;
- mild lethargy;
- redness of the treated area;
- increase in body temperature;
- slight pain in the first week after vaccination;
- mild malaise;
- the formation of a small cone at the injection site of the needle, which will resolve within three to four weeks.
All these reactions cannot be called complications, since they do not last so long, and nothing needs to be done to eliminate them. In addition, they may not appear in all children. Therefore, do not worry if, after vaccination, no consequences are observed - this is also the norm.
Side effects
Most often, side effects manifest themselves in the form of allergic reactions to various components of the drug used. Together with this, they can be triggered by the refusal to comply with contraindications.
Complications
In addition to the usual reaction to the vaccine and the classic side effects, it is worth considering complications after the procedure. Particular attention must be paid to them, since it is precisely such consequences that can worsen the condition of the child, and it may not be so simple to treat them.
Despite the fact that complications are extremely rare, you still need to know about them. Their list is not too long:
- runny nose;
- cough;
- profuse sweating;
- dermatitis;
- otitis;
- diarrhea;
- bronchitis;
- scabies;
- pharyngitis;
- itching
It is these diseases that are considered complications that occur immediately after the injection. But it is worth considering that they are only weak adverse effects. In addition to them, more serious complications can also occur if parents refused to comply with contraindications.
Often there are problems with the cardiovascular system. In this case, myocarditis may begin to develop, as well as a heart rhythm disturbance. They are considered the most serious complications that are difficult for a small child to survive.
At the same time, there is a chance to get adverse neurological consequences. They are caused by damage to the peripheral as well as cranial nerves. Such complications appear in the form of accommodation paralysis, limb paresis , strabismus. There are more severe cases, which include paralysis of the muscles of the diaphragm, as well as the respiratory muscles.
Medical practice shows that so far not a single case of fatal outcome after the vaccine ADS has been recorded. In addition, there were no children who would fall into anaphylactic shock. Thanks to these facts, you can be sure of the benefits and complete harmlessness of the injection.
You can understand the fears of parents about the need for vaccination, because they all care about their children and want only good for them. But even despite certain concerns, one should not immediately refuse vaccination. In any case, the best solution to the problem is to seek the advice of a specialist. He will tell in detail what the injection is, why it is needed and whether it is worth injecting it to a small child. Whether or not to get vaccinated is ultimately decided by the parents themselves.
Parent Tips
Complications are quite difficult moments in the period after the injection into the child’s body. Of course, you can avoid them, because they are caused, as a rule, by non-compliance with elementary contraindications.
After visiting the doctor, you must carefully monitor the child. Be sure to catch the moment when there is only a hint of side effects. As soon as they arise, you immediately need to go to the pediatrician to make sure that such a reaction is quite normal.
Specialists and experienced parents who have already seen many cases of diphtheria in children can give good recommendations to beginners. By adhering to them, you can be sure that no problems will arise in the child. The main tips are:
- Consultation with a specialist. As mentioned above, you should consult with your doctor about the characteristics of the vaccine, the vaccination schedule, side effects, advantages and disadvantages of the injection. Based on the information received, it will be much easier to understand whether vaccination is needed.
- Careful choice of clinic. If the parents have definitely decided to send their child to the doctor, then with particular seriousness it is necessary to take the choice of the clinic where the procedure will be carried out. It is best to give preference to government clinics or trusted professionals with whom you had to work previously.
- The condition of the child before vaccination. Before agreeing to be vaccinated, you need to make sure that the child is not ill with anything. Otherwise, adverse effects cannot be avoided.
Often people ask themselves whether it is possible to wet the area where the needle was inserted. In fact, it is allowed to do this on the very first day, but only with cool or slightly warm water. At the same time, you should abandon the baths, and wash the child only in the shower. However, in the near future it is not necessary to use all kinds of shower gels, since during this period ordinary children's soap is best suited. Also, within seven days after vaccination should not be washed with a washcloth, as it can serve as the main cause of redness or inflammation at the injection site.
In the first days after the procedure, experts recommend that the child is not overheated and not supercool. If this is allowed, then the patient’s immune system may deteriorate significantly.
Many parents are sure that vaccination is mandatory, although in fact it can be safely abandoned. You just need to remember that it protects the baby from infection, and even if the disease appeared, then after vaccination it will be much easier to transfer it.
Reviews about the diphtheria vaccine for children are always positive. Parents like the fact that their child is reliably protected from the emergence and progression of this hated disease.