Vaccinations for children in first year of life..

BCG vaccination should be given at birth , it is to prevent Tuberculosis. It can be given at any age if it is missed at birth. in two months it will be followed by a scar. If not , it needs re vaccination.
Polio drops are also administered at birth and are given at 6 week onwards in five doses one month apart in the first year of life. inject able polio is also available which can also be administered from 6 weeks onward along with oral polio.
Polio does not have cure , it results in crippling , but the prevention is simple and effective.
DPT vaccination protects against Diphthria , Whooping cough , and Tetanus. This is injected intra muscularly three times along with polio.
This is available as a pentavalent vaccine also in which polio and hepatitis vaccinations are also combined in the same injection. by this a single shot gives protection against 5 diseases. Diphthria is a serious disease affecting heart muscle , breathing muscles and is rapidly progressive towards death. So is Tetanus , a disease resulting into muscular paralysis and death. Whooping cough too is full of dreaded complications.
Hepatitis B vaccination is also administered at birth , after one month and after 6 months of the first dose. This protects against the dreaded life threatening Hepatitis B disease of the liver.
At 9 months of age Measles vaccination is given intramuscular , to prevent measles which is a contagious disease and is a biggest killer in first year of life in malnourished children. These vaccinations have to be followed with boosters in next few years or else the immunity will be lost. I shall deal with further vaccinations in my next blog. PREVENT DISEASES BY TIMELY VACCINATIONS.