What happens if you don't get vaccinated. Unvaccinated child: what threatens to refuse vaccinations

There are many different rumors, myths and misconceptions about vaccines that make infants. When such information reaches young parents, it becomes a cause of serious concern and even fear of vaccination.

Often there is a situation when the upcoming vaccination causes fear, but at the same time, parents cannot not do it, since the disease carries a serious potential danger for the chest.

In general, the question is whether to vaccinate children or not, when there are no objective contraindications, most doctors modern medicine most likely to be called simply incorrect. The diseases against which babies are vaccinated are really dangerous, and there is a high risk of infection (hepatitis, tuberculosis (BCG), polio, measles, etc.).

Of course, there are individual contraindications, according to which some children under one year old cannot be vaccinated, or there are objective reasons, because of which the vaccination should be temporarily postponed. Parents should be aware of them by the health workers of the local clinic.

What is the purpose of vaccination

To prevent infection with deadly diseases (hepatitis, polio, tuberculosis (BCG)) in medicine, the method of preventive vaccination is actively used. A vaccine is a non-live or "weakened" virus, the introduction of which into the body allows the immune system to develop antibodies to it. Protection is being formed against diseases such as tuberculosis (BCG), hepatitis, polio, etc.

Children under one year old are normally given the following vaccinations: BCG, hepatitis B, DTP, IPV, OPV, etc.

Can't get vaccinated

In some individual cases, there are certain reasons why certain infants should not be vaccinated. This is:

1. Congenital diseases of the nervous system.
2. genetic pathologies.

Is it safe to vaccinate a child

Unfortunately, it is impossible to say that it is safe to vaccinate. Often after vaccinations there are a number of side effects that can be observed within a few days:

• pain;
• skin redness;
• bowel disorder;
• temperature increase;
• chills.

In addition, there are cases of disease against which the vaccine was made.

When to sound the alarm

The doctor must warn the parents about possible complications, and also explain when it is possible to bathe the child, whether antiallergic drugs are needed (Suprastin, Fenistil may advise), how to use them and in what cases.

However, contact immediately emergency care required for the following conditions:

1. convulsions;
2. loss of consciousness;
3. vomit;
4. pallor, cyanosis of the skin;
5. temperature 39 °C;
6. the child's gaze stops.

Rules for safe vaccination

To minimize the likelihood of side effects from the vaccine, the doctor must conduct an examination immediately before the injection and confirm that the vaccine can now be administered to this baby.

Doctors tolerate vaccination when:

• There is an acute course of a respiratory infection.
• After SARS.
• The baby is sick or has recently had an intestinal infection.
• Exacerbation of a chronic disease.
• Increase in body temperature.
• Dermatitis.
• Objective contraindications, according to which it is impossible to vaccinate a child under one year old.

After recovery defensive forces child's body can be vaccinated by following the schedule.

We do this, we don't

Preventive vaccinations for infants under one year old are not done randomly. There is a so-called vaccination calendar.

For each age comes the period of the next injection. The vaccination schedule is dictated by the age characteristics of children.

BCG and hepatitis vaccination are given before discharge from the hospital. Newborn children are vaccinated almost immediately after birth, as hepatitis and tuberculosis (BCG) in the territory of our residence have epidemic proportions.

After discharge from the hospital, there is no guarantee that the child will not inhale the tubercle bacillus in the elevator or on the landing.

Child care after vaccination

1. We ventilate the room.
2. Wet cleaning 2-3 times a day.
3. Plentiful drink.
4. Taking antipyretics (options: Paracetamol, Ibuprofen).
5. Reception of antihistamines ("Suprastin").
6. If the child does not have a fever - walks in the fresh air.
7. Avoid physical activity.
8. Healthy sleep.
9. Do not overload the child's gastrointestinal tract.
10. Bathing, as a rule, is already possible on the 3-4th day.
11. You can not wet the injection site for the first three days, so you need to bathe the child under running water or wipe it with a wet sponge.

Side effects of vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough

When a parent leads his child to a DPT vaccination, the doctor must notify him of possible adverse reactions:

• An increase in body temperature, which in some children can cause so-called febrile convulsions. To avoid this, a prophylactic dose of an antipyretic is usually prescribed.
• Often, children after DPT experience general weakness in the body, pain, swelling and redness of the injection site.
• Often DTP vaccination may be accompanied by manifestations of allergies, which are most often provoked by the pertussis component. Predisposed children are prescribed "Suprastin" for prevention.
• Sometimes you can observe the squealing and piercing cry of a child - doctors explain it pain syndrome after vaccination.
• Against the background of an injection of DTP, an exacerbation of existing chronic diseases.

Any “side effects”, both to DPT and to other vaccines, cannot be ignored, even if “Suprastin” and “Paracetamol” helped you, you must notify the attending doctor about everything.

In extremely rare cases, there are severe complications on DTP. They are eliminated not by parents, but by representatives of medicine. Do not try to use Suprastin or Paracetamol on your own. Call an ambulance immediately if the following symptoms appear after the injection:

1. Characteristic for anaphylactic shock, may occur within minutes or hours after vaccination: the child suddenly turns pale (sometimes the skin becomes bluish), cold sweat, lethargy, loss of consciousness appear. URGENT "fast"!
2. encephalitis and encephalopathy. Vomiting, disorder of consciousness on the background high temperature, convulsions.
3. Afebrile convulsions - the body temperature remains normal, while the child can, as it were, nod.

Parents decide

Ideally, when we are talking about the administration of the vaccine to infants, as required by the calendar, parents and the district doctor should be one team. Permission to vaccinate their children, or not, is given by one of the parents in writing. The doctor must notify the parents of all possible consequences, and in without fail examine the child immediately before the introduction of the vaccine.

When a particular family has a distrust of the local pediatrician, there is always the opportunity to contact a private clinic (following the vaccination schedule) and get all the necessary information before the upcoming vaccination.

Home first aid kit

A scheduled vaccination is an excuse to replenish home first aid kit the necessary drugs.

Children under one year old are usually prescribed "Suprastin" as an antihistamine. "Suprastin" effectively helps to relieve swelling and redness.

As an antipyretic, you must have "Ibuprofen" and "Paracetamol" in syrup and suppositories. This will be the best option for children up to a year.

Vaccination procedure

Based age features babies, in each state there is a so-called vaccination schedule. The vaccination calendar is usually available for parents to review.

In Ukraine, on January 1, 2016, an updated vaccination schedule came into force, according to which babies at the age of two months should be vaccinated against such diseases: whooping cough, diphtheria, polio, tetanus, hemophilic infection, followed by revaccination at 4 months. Repeated revaccination of hemophilic infection - at 12 months, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus - at 6 and 12 months.

In addition, before 1 year of age, the established vaccination schedule recommends:

• Day 1 - Hepatitis B.
• 3-5th day - BCG.
• 1 month - hepatitis B.
• 2 months - (DPT) whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, hemophilic infection.
• 4 months - (DPT) whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, hemophilic infection.
• 6 months - hepatitis B, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio.
• 12 months - measles, rubella, parotitis, hemophilic infection.

Next BCG vaccination done at age 7.

Thus, the vaccination schedule for up to a year includes: BCG - 1 time, DTP -3, hepatitis B - 3.

What to ask the doctor

Before going to the clinic, parents should prepare the questions they want to ask their doctor. For example:

1. Does my child need vaccinations, and which ones?
2. What is a vaccination calendar?
3. Is it possible to vaccinate newborn children under one year old?
4. What to do if the schedule has shifted?
5. Do I need to take any medications before or after vaccination (Paracetamol, Suprastin)?
6. Do I need to take "Suprastin" before the injection?
7. What is the quality of the vaccine?
8. What side effects are a variant of the norm, and for which it is necessary to immediately call an ambulance?
9. When can you bathe your baby?

Water procedures

When can I bathe a child after vaccination? Nobody forbids bathing a baby. However, the injection site can be wetted only on the third day. Prior to this, you should bathe the baby under running water or wipe it with a damp sponge, avoiding the area where the vaccine is injected.

The ban on water procedures somewhat complicates the process of laying down the child, so you should not completely stop bathing the baby. You can come up with some game that will replace bathing and will not allow you to stray from your individual rhythm.

Since bathing the baby after the injection should be extremely careful, let him splash in plenty of water on the eve of the vaccination.

Vaccines were originally invented to prevent epidemics. However, as the example of smallpox in England (the city of Leicester) at the beginning of the 20th century showed, when people began to refuse vaccinations and the epidemic hit again, the number of cases among unvaccinated people was extremely low. It turned out that most people normal level natural immunity immune to this disease. This experience has shown that voluntary immunization, i.e. improved nutrition, hygiene, etc., brought much more benefits than vaccination, and without side effects. What is attributed to vaccination is often associated with improving the quality of life of people and, as a result, strengthening their natural immunity.

At present, general vaccination is conditioned by the illusion of a life without diseases. They try to convince people that you can live as you want, not take care of your health, drink alcohol, smoke, have promiscuous sex, and so on, and at the same time stay healthy by getting vaccinated and drinking a pill. This is a very strong, vicious delusion! If a person does not strengthen his immunity, then the vaccine often remains powerless, and what is the surprise of the parents that the vaccinated children suffer from the diseases against which they were vaccinated. After all, no one hides that vaccination does not provide 100% protection. However, they hide that the vaccine undermines the fragile immunity of the child.

In fairness, it should be said that there are cases when the risk of harm to health from a vaccine is lower than from a disease. Therefore, you need to consciously and sensibly weigh your decisions. Today we will talk specifically about vaccinations for children, since there are some nuances here.

Do children need to be vaccinated?

"Do children need to be vaccinated?" - the answer to this question requires clarification, since it is impossible to take and indiscriminately recommend that absolutely everyone should be vaccinated or not. It is necessary to understand in what conditions this or that child lives, what age he is, what lifestyle his parents lead and, accordingly, he, moreover, it is important how he was born and how he was born, how his mother ate before and during pregnancy , has been or is being breastfed and for how long and how much more.

If you still try to answer the question posed (do children need to be vaccinated), then healthy children whose parents lead a healthy lifestyle, do not drink alcohol, drugs, do not smoke, live in a normal area, and even more so in a village or outside the city, children regularly harden, eat right, whose relatives do not suffer from tuberculosis, vaccinations, of course, are useless.

The fact is that children from dysfunctional families are at risk. Here we mean not material wealth as such, but the environment and conditions in which the child is kept.

To decide for themselves whether or not to vaccinate their child, parents must weigh the benefits and harms of vaccination. For example, it is extremely unfavorable for newborn children to be vaccinated in the first days of life, since the body has not yet had time to adapt to new conditions. And for the immunity of the baby, this is an incredible stress, because immunity from vaccination, on the contrary, is undermined. In addition, parents should be aware that vaccinations such as BCG and DTP have strong side effects, and in most developed countries they have refused to administer these vaccines to everyone in a row, since they do more harm than good. Doctors in our country have not hidden for a long time that these vaccinations often cause complications.

Let's take a look at what some vaccines are designed to protect against, which will hopefully help you weigh the risks of currently getting these viruses and make the right vaccination decision.

BCG- Tuberculosis vaccine. The site dedicated to this disease, it is said: “Russian tuberculosis is a social phenomenon, the roots of which lie in the low level of the quality of life of people. Tuberculosis cases are more often recorded in places of deprivation of liberty. The following are the factors contributing to the emergence of tuberculosis:

• malnutrition;
• the presence of chronic diseases - pathologies pulmonary system, stomach ulcers, diabetes, etc.;
• alcoholism, smoking;
• addiction;
• unfavorable living environment.

And at the very end, the authors of the site make a very sensible conclusion: "The main way to overcome tuberculosis is to promote a healthy lifestyle." If you look at the statistics of the incidence of tuberculosis in Russia, you will find inverse relationship between the level of quality of life and the number of patients. Note that now the level of quality of life is growing. So, what is the likelihood that a newborn who is kept in good home conditions will get TB? Here everyone must give an answer based on their situation.

DTP- vaccination against tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria. As we said above, it can have strong side effects. In addition to the substances that make up its composition, it causes harm too strong pressure on the immune system, this weakens the immune system so much in the days after vaccination that the child becomes vulnerable to other infectious diseases. And yet, let's consider what is the probability of a child getting sick in the first months of life with these diseases.

Tetanus bacillus can enter the body through injured epithelial tissues(skin, mucous) from the earth, rusty tools, nails, animal bites. In order for tetanus to be activated, oxygen must not enter the wound, i.e. it must be quite deep wound. At the same time, a tetanus vaccine can be given separately if necessary, that is, in the event of a serious injury, and not just like that, just in case. At the same time, homeopathic doctors claim that it is possible to cope homeopathic remedies without resorting to such radical methods as vaccination.

Whooping cough It is transmitted by airborne droplets through direct contact with a carrier of the virus. After the illness, a natural strong immunity for life. The effect of vaccination is short-term and requires revaccination. In addition, the vaccine does not guarantee complete protection against the disease. Previously, they brought their children to those who fell ill with whooping cough in order to get sick, as they do now with chickenpox, for example.

Hepatitis B. In addition to BCG, at the birth of a child, a hepatitis B vaccine is given in the maternity hospital. It should be noted that this vaccine is genetically modified, which means that no one knows for sure what effect it will have on the body in the future, however, like any GMO products. It should be noted that the hepatitis B virus is transmitted with the blood, saliva, urine, semen and other body fluids of the carrier of the virus. Infection occurs upon contact biological fluids infected directly into the blood of a healthy person, if he does not have immunity to hepatitis B. This can occur in case of injury and the introduction of the virus there, in case of sexual contact with an infected person, or when using an unsterilized syringe. It turns out that the risk of getting this virus increases significantly with the introduction of vaccination. Attention, the question: “Why should a newborn get this vaccine?” The most interesting thing is that even an infected mother cannot transmit this virus to him, provided that the placenta is intact and the delivery is normal. In England, for example, this vaccine is given only if the parents are carriers of the disease.

We will not consider all the vaccinations included in the vaccination calendar, there are too many of them, but I strongly recommend that you study each one if you are not sure of your decision.

The right to refuse vaccinations

Every citizen of the Russian Federation has the right to refuse vaccinations for himself and his children. According to Art. 5 of Law No. 157-FZ of September 17, 1998 “On Immunoprophylaxis of Infectious Diseases”, anyone has the right to refuse vaccinations, also Art. 11 of this law states that vaccinations for minors are carried out only with the consent of the parents. It should be borne in mind that the lack of preventive vaccinations entails:

• prohibition for citizens to travel to countries where stay in accordance with international health regulations or international treaties of the Russian Federation requires specific preventive vaccinations;
• temporary refusal to admit citizens to educational organizations and health-improving institutions in the event of mass infectious diseases or the threat of epidemics;
• refusal to hire citizens for work or removal of citizens from work, the performance of which is associated with high risk infectious diseases.

The list of works, the performance of which is associated with a high risk of contracting infectious diseases and requires mandatory preventive vaccinations, is established by the federal executive body authorized by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Refusal of vaccinations is issued on a form that must be issued at a clinic or educational institution. If the form is not issued for some reason, parents must write an application on their own. Appendix to the Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia dated January 26, 2009 No. 19n recommended a sample form for refusing to vaccinate a child: “Voluntary informed consent to preventive vaccinations for children or refusing them.” Since this form is only recommended, parents have the right to draw up an application in any form, in which they should indicate:

• Full name of the parent, it is also recommended to indicate the date of birth, place of residence.
• Name and date of birth of the child.
• The full name of the vaccination (or list of vaccinations) that is being refused.
• Links to legislation are welcome.
• Be sure to indicate that the decision to refuse is considered.
• Date and signature.

There are enough examples of vaccination refusal statements on the Internet, you can use them.

Difficulties that can be encountered in case of refusal of vaccinations

The year is 2018, which means that a whole generation has already grown up without vaccinations, so in many regions of our country, workers social services have become accustomed to refusing vaccinations and often no longer respond. At the same time, children calmly attend kindergartens and schools. However, sometimes there are some difficulties.

For example, if a child is not vaccinated against tuberculosis, and he did not have a Mantoux test, upon admission to Kindergarten or school often require a certificate from a TB specialist. Until recently, people actively wrote refusals to visit a phthisiatrician, as he required a Mantoux test or an X-ray, which is extremely undesirable for a child. The fact is that among the components in the Mantoux test there are harmful substances, such as estrogen, which Negative influence on the human hormonal system, and phenol is a toxic substance, an overdose of which can disrupt the functioning of the heart, kidneys, reproductive system and lead to immune suppression. What puts this procedure on a par with vaccination. In this case, the indicators are often false positive in healthy people. According to the legislation, children under 14 years of age can be prescribed X-rays only in extreme cases. But on this moment the situation has changed, and new modern accurate alternative methods of tuberculin diagnostics have appeared, one of which, perhaps, makes sense to go through so as not to waste time and effort on statements, refusals, prosecutors, and so on.

• PCR - polymerase chain reaction. For analysis, physiological secretions of a person can be taken: mucus, sputum, ejaculate, and even cerebrospinal fluid. The accuracy of the test is 100%. True, the test does not distinguish between dead tuberculosis DNA and living ones, therefore, in a person who has just recovered from tuberculosis, the test may show a false positive result.
• quantiferon test. Used for analysis deoxygenated blood. Accuracy - 99%.
• T-SPOT is an analogue of the quantiferon test. Recommended for HIV-infected and those who have severely reduced immunity. Safe for pregnant women and babies. Accuracy - up to 98%.

It should be noted that the accuracy of the test for the Mantoux reaction is up to 70%, this method in modern world considered obsolete. At the same time, the only negative side the above alternative methods is their high cost.

In addition, there are situations when parents are threatened that they will not accept a child to a kindergarten or school without vaccinations, it happens that they really refuse to admit them and remove them from classes. In this case, you need to contact the prosecutor's office, these actions on the part of the leadership of children's institutions are illegal, if this is not a temporary suspension associated with the epidemic.

Whatever decision you make, remember that the most important thing about vaccinations is immunity! And it is laid long before the birth of the child, and also depends on how soon the umbilical cord was cut at birth, whether the mother is breastfeeding the child and how she feeds herself. In the first years of life, while the child is eating breast milk, he is under double protection, his own and mother's immunity, therefore, when normal conditions children in these years rarely get sick and recover quickly. Also, do not forget to harden your children from the first days of life, go to the bathhouse with them and pour cold water on them!

Remember, the best alternative to vaccination is a healthy lifestyle!

How to vaccinate, what vaccines, when? These and other questions about vaccinations for children are answered by pediatrician and neonatologist Lidia Babich.

To decide whether or not to vaccinate a child, parents read about the pros and cons of vaccination. However, many questions remain unanswered. Here are the most popular ones.

The child is so small, why should he be vaccinated so early, from 2 months? Maybe let him grow up and get stronger

The advice “vaccinate later, let the child grow up” is fundamentally illiterate. By 6-8 months, antibodies received during pregnancy from the mother (provided that the mother was vaccinated or had previously had infectious diseases) already disappear and do not protect the child.

With breast milk, immunoglobulins G (the so-called these antibodies) practically do not penetrate to the baby, and they are destroyed during the digestion of milk. Therefore, if the child is not vaccinated on time and does not have time to begin to form his immunity under the influence of vaccines, then by the second half of the year he will remain defenseless against infections.

Children after 1 year and older are more difficult to tolerate vaccination, more often give fever and local reactions(pain, swelling at the injection site). And this can reduce the loyalty of parents to vaccination, thereby reducing the likelihood that the child will be fully vaccinated, the prescribed number of times.

How younger child, the more dangerous the infection for him. For example, the maximum mortality rate is for children in the first half of the year.

How does hepatitis B vaccination affect a child's liver? This vaccine will make jaundice last longer.

In fact, the hepatitis B vaccine is obtained as follows: the hepatitis B virus is introduced into the medium with baker's yeast, and as a result, these fungi produce substances that cause the production of antibodies against hepatitis B in humans. That is, the virus is not introduced to humans in any way. This is called recombinant technology.

Opponents of vaccination argue that the hepatitis B vaccine allegedly affects the liver of a newborn. But in the light of mass refusals of this vaccine on the first day, jaundice in newborns did not decrease.

Or maybe hepatitis B vaccination in the hospital is not needed

There are complex vaccines that also protect against hepatitis B. And the hepatitis B vaccination can be delayed until 2 months of age, in order to then introduce a 6-component vaccine (against whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hemophilus infection and hepatitis B).

If the mother of the child is a carrier of the hepatitis B virus, then the newborn baby must be vaccinated in the first 72 hours of life. If the child is going to have surgery (for example, congenital malformations), then in this case, you should not postpone the hepatitis B vaccination either.

The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood and sexual contact. We can protect the baby from this route of infection. Maybe then you shouldn't vaccinate your child

Unfortunately, it is completely impossible to guarantee that a child will not receive an accidental injury or burn or will not need, for example, surgery, dental treatment.

Unlike adults, if a child becomes ill with hepatitis B, then the outcome in the form of cirrhosis and liver cancer is ten times higher than in adults. It's proven. Not to mention the fact that the treatment is long, expensive and the drugs are not easy to endure.

Is it true that vaccination weakens the immune system, because it is a burden on the body of a small child

According to the principle of training for immunity, it is useful not to be too clean at home, to let the child crawl on the floor, to put everything in his mouth, to eat with his hands, to play with other children and pets, to be in nature, etc. Vaccination is also such training.

The notion that the immune system the baby is blissfully relaxed, not tense, and suddenly unbearably “loaded” with the vaccine - an exaggeration. While traveling by public transport or visiting shopping center a child simply inhales thousands of antigens with the air. And so every day - because we do not live in a sterile world.

Is it possible to bathe a child after vaccination, walk with him on the street

Until now, this legend is being replicated that supposedly a child should not be bathed after vaccination. Who recommends not bathing for a day, who for three days.

Nowhere is it written that you can not bathe - neither in the instructions for vaccines, nor in the protocols. Such a restriction is purely ritual in nature and is not justified from a medical point of view.

Is it possible to walk? When a child comes home down the street after vaccination, is this considered a walk? You can call it like that. Bathing and walking do not aggravate the "tolerance" of the vaccine. And vice versa: if a child is kept locked up for several days and deprived of water procedures, then this also does not in any way affect whether the child, for example, will have a temperature after vaccination.

Now there are so many antibiotics and medicines. Even if a child gets sick, he will certainly be cured. Why get vaccinated

Disease prevention is better than cure.

The vaccination process is safer than the course of infectious diseases. No, I am not saying that vaccines are 100% safe. But the risk-benefit ratio for routine immunization is still on the side of benefit. Especially when you consider that there are especially dangerous diseases:

• poliomyelitis - drugs do not exist in nature in principle, and the disease can lead to permanent disability (paralysis, paresis of the limbs) or even death;
• tetanus - mortality in the absence of vaccination reaches 70-80%;
• diphtheria is treated with anti-diphtheria serum, which is not available in Ukraine.

As a pediatrician, I am definitely against the advice “let it be better to get sick”. Rotavirus diarrhea, which caused hospitalization, intravenous infusions - parents are hardly happy that the child will acquire “natural immunity” in this way. And if we are talking about meningitis, which can also be prevented by vaccination? This is a reason to wonder if vaccines are so dangerous.

Do I need to be tested before vaccinations?

No, it doesn `t need.

• tests do not predict how a child will tolerate vaccination;
• the decision to vaccinate or not is made after examination by a pediatrician on the day of vaccination, and not according to the results of the tests;
• if the child is sick, he has a fever - this can be seen even without analysis;
• if the child is healthy, but there are some deviations in the analysis (for example, low hemoglobin or elevated lymphocytes) is not a contraindication to vaccination;
• unnecessary tests create imaginary reasons to postpone the vaccination, the dates are shifted and, as a result, the child does not receive the necessary protection against infections;
• blood test is a pain. Causing pain "just in case" - I would not recommend to anyone;
• analysis does not show hidden diseases". For example, it is impossible to predict from a blood test that tomorrow a child will have an acute respiratory viral infection. Symptoms of the disease will appear first, and only then - laboratory changes;
• no one has the legal right to insist on testing before vaccination.

Does fever after vaccination mean that the vaccine worked?

An increase in temperature is not a criterion for the effectiveness of vaccination. If there was no fever, then this does not mean that the vaccine did not work. And vice versa: if the temperature rose, this is not evidence of a more active immune response than in children without fever.

Who Should Warn About Vaccine Side Effects?

The doctor must warn you before you sign the consent to the vaccination. And parents have the right to ask as many questions as they like before signing the consent - to ask about everything until it becomes clear and not scary. Informed consent does not mean that the doctor relieves himself of responsibility, and the child will be left without help in the event of a complication.

Is it true that you need to vaccinate with the same vaccine every time, from the same manufacturer?

There is no such rule. Vaccines are interchangeable. In our country, the situation is such that for each child we have to put together a “vaccination puzzle” - what needs to be done, what has already been done and what vaccines are available for this.

How does vaccination work if the baby was born prematurely

Depending on the general condition child vaccination is carried out in accordance with the calendar age. That is, there is no such rule that the child must “grow up” to a certain body weight.

Can parents be given some kind of document with signatures and seals as a guarantee that the vaccine has been delivered and stored in proper conditions and the doctor vouches for this confirms that the child can be vaccinated

You can ask to present quality certificates for drugs, magazines with temperature marks in the refrigerator. In reality, there are no developed "guarantee documents" with seals to issue to parents. AT informed consent the doctor also signs for vaccination that the child is allowed to be vaccinated. And in the conclusion about the examination, the doctor writes a phrase that the child is allowed to be vaccinated, puts his signature.

What if the child has already missed the deadlines recommended in the calendar? Maybe he has already outgrown the terms of vaccination and it is no longer necessary to vaccinate

It's never too late to start protecting your child from infections. Unfortunately, the situation in Ukraine is such that many babies do not have free access to vaccination and the provision of this process falls financially and organizationally on the family. If the child has not been vaccinated according to the calendar, then vaccination can occur at minimum intervals (1 month) so that the child receives required amount doses of vaccines.

Can two vaccinations be given on the same day? Wouldn't that be too much of a burden on the child's body?

This is a practice accepted all over the world. It is safe and permitted to have multiple vaccinations in one visit. Thus, it is possible to simplify the vaccination process, reduce the number of visits to the clinic.

The child had ARVI. How long does it take after the child recovers to be able to schedule vaccinations?

Indeed, there is a myth that the child must be “completely healthy” a week (two, three) before vaccination. In fact, this rule is difficult to implement, especially if there are several children in the family.

A child can be vaccinated when, after the illness, the general state of health has returned to normal, there is no fever. “Residual” phenomena in the form of a cough or runny nose are not a baby. The final decision will be made jointly with the pediatrician after a full examination.

What are the "essential" vaccinations? Maybe not everything is necessary for a child

And so small. In many countries, the compulsory program includes vaccination against rotavirus and pneumococcal infections, against meningococcus, against chicken pox. Our calendar is so “modest” not at all because Ukrainian children are protected from “extra load”.

The vaccination calendar today reflects the sad situation that preventive medicine is not a priority at the state level. I hope this changes for the better.

I am very worried about the possible link between vaccines and autism. Is such a consequence really possible?

The founder is the British researcher Andrew Wakefield. Later, his publication was withdrawn from a scientific journal due to the juggling of facts. After this case, the links between autism spectrum disorders and vaccinations. Written about it separate book- Paul Offitt's False Prophets of Autism.

There are complications after vaccinations. It's scary, and I want to save the child. Because now he is healthy. Suddenly, vaccination will seriously spoil the health of the baby

I understand that parents are afraid to put their child at potential risk. After the introduction of vaccines, the expected reactions are possible. They should not be confused with complications. A "reaction" is a temporary ailment. For example, temporary pain or redness may occur at the injection site. Sometimes after vaccination, body temperature may rise. Such phenomena happen, but they do not bring permanent damage to the health of the child - unlike infectious diseases.

Are more possible serious consequences? For example, after vaccination against hepatitis B, urticaria and / or severe muscle pain is possible in 1 case in 600,000 vaccinations. But this is really very rare.

Is it true that vaccines contain mercury, aluminum salts, formaldehyde? These are poisons that can poison a person. And here with your own hands you need to inject this child directly into the blood.

Aluminum salts and mercury-containing compounds are used in vaccines as a preservative. AT large quantities these substances cause undeniable harm, but in vaccinations their dose is so small that it does not pose any danger. With many substances that are considered dangerous, we encounter almost every day.

Aluminum salts are often found in heartburn remedies, and thiomersal (a mercury-containing compound) is used in ophthalmic and nasal preparations. Today you can hardly find vaccines containing thiomersal. - yesterday.

You can follow Lydia Babich's publications here

Today, every young or expectant mother asks the question: “Should my child be vaccinated or is it better to refuse them?” The Internet is full of information on this issue, and the answers to it are sharply opposite. How to figure out who is right?

Some are in favor of compulsory vaccination of all children, others are against all vaccines and interventions in the development of the child's own immunity. Those who speak against give terrible examples of the complications that have come after vaccinations. Those who are “for” scare unvaccinated babies with terrible cases of diseases.

Before preventive vaccinations in childhood were mandatory, and no one thought about whether they should be done or not. Everyone was sure of their necessity and that they would protect the child from serious and serious illnesses. Today there is such a choice, but before blindly believing doctors who insist on the need for vaccination, or a friend / neighbor whose daughter of a second cousin's friend allegedly received some complications after vaccination, you need to impartially understand all the pros and cons .

Before deciding whether to vaccinate a child or refuse them, you need to figure out what is "immunity" and how does it work?

Immunity is protective function organism, allowing to get rid of all alien microbes and viruses coming from outside.

Immunity is innate and adaptive. Congenital is inherited from parents and is formed in the womb. It provides immunity of the body to certain viruses. That is why some people, for example, never got chickenpox, even after contact with the sick. In this case, resistance to viruses can be absolute or relative. In the first case, a person cannot become infected under any circumstances, and in the second case, infection can occur if the body is weakened.

Adaptive immunity is not inherited, but is formed throughout life. The immune system learns to protect the body from certain viruses.

After the virus enters the body, it is recognized by the immune mechanism, its weak spots and antibody production begins. They multiply rapidly and defeat the virus. Several of these antibodies remain in the body until the end of life. These are the so-called "memory cells". If this virus enters the body again, antibodies will instantly multiply and destroy the virus. The person does not get sick again. However, if the body is weakened, then there is a possibility of getting sick, but in a mild form.

One of the main arguments of opponents of vaccinations is the statement that a child has immunity from birth, and chemical intervention (vaccination) destroys it. They are partly right, there is indeed innate immunity. However, vaccination is just the same aimed at the formation of adaptive immunity, and does not affect innate immunity. Having understood the principle of the immune system, you can safely cross out this argument.

How do vaccinations work?

Vaccinations are either live or inactivated. In the first case, a weakened live virus is introduced into the body. They are administered subcutaneously or as drops orally or intranasally. An example of such vaccinations are: BCG, chickenpox and smallpox, measles, rubella, mumps. With inactivated vaccination, already destroyed viruses are introduced into the body.

Once in the body, a weakened or destroyed virus is immediately detected by the immune system, and the production of antibodies begins. As a result, memory cells are formed, which in the future do not allow us to get sick.

Complications after vaccinations

Unfortunately, complications after vaccinations are possible, therefore it is recommended to prepare especially carefully for vaccination.

After the introduction of inactivated vaccines, complications are almost impossible, since the virus has already been destroyed and cannot cause diseases.

In the case of live vaccines, you need to be very careful. The bottom line is that after its introduction, the child suffers the disease only in a very mild form. This allows in the future to avoid a severe course of diseases that can lead to terrible consequences. For example, having been ill with mumps, boys often become infertile. But there is no need to be afraid of this and immediately run to get vaccinated.

It is important to prepare properly. If the child has just had SARS or some gastrointestinal diseases, then under no circumstances should live vaccination. It is necessary to postpone the vaccination until complete recovery and recovery.

If there were any problems during childbirth, and the child was born weak, then it is better to refuse live vaccines altogether. You can replace them with inactivated ones. Healthy children can safely be given live vaccinations, as they are several times more effective in protecting the body.

Immunization schedule for children under 1 year old

Do I need to strictly follow the vaccination schedule?

People who advocate mandatory vaccinations, and some doctors talk about the need to strictly adhere to the vaccination schedule. Do not blindly follow the schedule.

All vaccinations can be administered only to absolutely healthy children. After a cold or other illness, enough time must pass for the body to fully recover. If your pediatrician insists on a vaccination immediately after an illness, you have the right to refuse or reschedule it. Be sure to consult with another doctor if you are not sure that the vaccine should be done right now.

With regard to revaccinations, things are quite different. It is very important to observe a clearly defined time between re-vaccinations. Otherwise, the vaccine may be completely useless.

If your child is sick and it's time for a revaccination, consult with several specialists. In every specific case is the most correct and safe way re-introduce the vaccine while maintaining its maximum effectiveness. However, only a doctor can advise you on this. Do not make hasty decisions, because your baby's health is at stake.

Why do you need to get vaccinated?

Many adversaries compulsory vaccination children are told that it is better to have many infections in childhood (rubella, chickenpox, measles), when they are much easier to carry.

Yes, indeed, such diseases are much easier to tolerate in childhood, the forms of the disease in adults are more severe. But, imagine the situation: you did not vaccinate a child against rubella, and he got sick just when you are expecting a second child. What then? For pregnant women, rubella threatens with miscarriage or serious fetal developmental disorders.

So the answer is that such vaccinations are given to children mainly to protect adults.

Vaccinations against whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, and tuberculosis protect children from dangerous and serious infections, for which there are no preventive drugs. And vaccination is the only way to protect the baby.

It is also worth noting that vaccinations do not give a 100% guarantee that the child will never get sick, but it is guaranteed to allow you to transfer the disease in a mild form. In addition, the active defense of the body after some vaccinations, such as whooping cough, decreases with age. However, whooping cough is dangerous to get sick precisely at the age of 4 years, when the disease can threaten the baby with pneumonia and rupture blood vessels. To protect against such terrible consequences and the vaccine is given.

Another important argument of ardent opponents of vaccination: "After a flu shot, you always get sick, so vaccinations are only harmful." Unfortunately, in many educational and government institutions, influenza vaccination is carried out already in the midst of an epidemic. At this time, vaccinations, of course, are not worth it. The body needs time (about 3-4 weeks) to develop antibodies and fight the virus introduced with the vaccine. It makes sense to do such vaccinations in early September, and not in October, when everyone around is already sick.

Video of Dr. Komarovsky: Myths about vaccination

Summing up

Certainly, vaccinations protect our children and us from severe and serious illnesses, as well as possible complications after the illness. However, do not mindlessly follow the vaccination schedule. It is important to vaccinate only healthy child. If the child was born weak or has some congenital health problems, consult several specialists about vaccinations. In this case, it is better to refuse the introduction of live vaccines.

Every young mother should answer the question of whether it is necessary to make mandatory vaccinations for a child or whether it is worth refusing to vaccinate. Approach this issue with all responsibility, since the health and future of the baby depends on your decision.

Whether to vaccinate a child (pros and cons)

Thanks

Today, many parents are thinking about the question: "Should my child be vaccinated?". A wide and very lively discussion on this topic has unfolded in society. One can clearly distinguish two groups of people expressing a completely opposite opinion and defending it very aggressively, using various arguments, which are most often factors of emotional impact on the audience.

Should the child be vaccinated?

Of course, vaccinations are needed because they protect children and adults from serious epidemics of infectious diseases, outbreaks of which can kill from half to 2/3 of the entire population, as has happened more than once in history. On the other hand, it is impossible to unify all people, and approach them with one measure, since each person is individual. Precisely because of the presence a large number the individual characteristics of each child cannot be considered the vaccination schedule as the only correct instruction, mandatory for execution in an unchanged form. After all, each vaccine has indications and contraindications, as well as instructions for its use. Therefore, all the characteristics of the child should be taken into account, and if he has any contraindications for vaccination at this particular moment, then it is necessary to shift the calendar and vaccinate, observing the medical principle "Do no harm." Nothing bad will happen if the child receives the necessary vaccines a little later than his peers.

Let's move on to the position of opponents of vaccinations, who see them as an absolute evil, invented especially for them. The main argument of this group of people is harmful effect vaccinations on the development of the child, both physical and mental. Unfortunately, vaccination, like any manipulation, is fraught with possible complications that are quite rare in reality. But opponents of vaccinations argue that almost any illness in a child is associated with vaccines. Alas, it is not. Human body not so simple. But a person tends to look for the simplest solution to problems, therefore, when a child develops any disease, it is much easier to consider the vaccine to be the culprit of all troubles than to carefully and scrupulously understand the phenomenon and find out the true cause.

Usually opponents of vaccines use a number of arguments that try to have the strongest emotional impact on the listener. Therefore, in order to understand the problem, it is necessary to completely take control of emotions and be guided only by reason, since the heart is a bad adviser here. Of course, when parents are told that after vaccination the child may remain a "fool" for life, or become seriously ill, and some facts from the case histories are given, any adult will be impressed. His emotions will be very strong. As a rule, there is distortion and presentation of information in the most negative way, without careful clarification true reasons the tragedy that occurred.

After such strong emotional upheavals, many people will think: "Really, why these vaccinations, when they cause such complications!" Such a decision under the influence of strong momentary emotions is wrong, since no one guarantees that an unvaccinated child will not contract smallpox or diphtheria, which will become fatal for him. Another question is that it is necessary to take into account all aspects of the child's condition and vaccinate when the baby is ready to endure it without complications.

That is why we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most common arguments of opponents of vaccinations, and with scientific explanations immunity phenomenon, so that your decisions are reasonable and balanced, based on reasoning, and not on blind statements. Below are the arguments against vaccines under the heading "against", and the explanations of scientists and doctors for each statement under the heading "for".

Vaccinations for children - pros and cons

Behind. First of all, let's understand the concepts. In this statement, the word "immunity" is used as a synonym for immunity to disease. There is a confusion between the concepts of "resistance to diseases" and "immunity", which in many people are synonymous, which is not true. Immunity is a combination of all cells, reactions and body systems that identify and destroy pathogenic microbes, foreign and cancer cells. And immunity to diseases is the presence of resistance to specific pathogen infections.

Of course, a person is born with immunity, in the sense that he has cells and reactions that ensure the destruction of microbes. However, no newborn is immune to severe and contagious infections. Such immunity to a certain infection can only develop after a person has been ill with it and recovers, or after the introduction of a vaccine. Let's see how this happens.

When a pathogenic microbe, the causative agent of infection, enters the human body, it becomes ill. At this time, special cells of the immune system, called B-lymphocytes, approach the microbe and find out its "weak points", relatively speaking. After such an acquaintance, B-lymphocytes begin to multiply, and then actively synthesize special proteins called immunoglobulins, or antibodies. These antibodies interact with the infectious microorganism, destroying it.

The problem is that each microbe-causative agent needs its own special antibodies. In other words, antibodies produced against measles will not be able to destroy rubella, etc. After an infection, a few antibodies to the pathogen remain in the human body, which go into an inactive state and are called memory cells. It is these memory cells that cause immunity to infection in the future. The mechanism of immunity is as follows: if a microbe enters the human body, then there are already antibodies against it, they simply activate, multiply rapidly and destroy the pathogen, preventing it from causing infectious process. If there are no antibodies, then the process of their production takes some time, which may simply not be enough in the event of a serious infection, and as a result, the person will die.

The vaccine, on the other hand, allows the body to form such memory cells against dangerous infections without hurting them. To do this, weakened microbes are introduced into the body that are not capable of causing an infection, but sufficient for B-lymphocytes to react and be able to synthesize memory cells that will provide immunity to this pathology for a certain period.

Against. The child has a strong immune system, so children who are healthy from birth can easily endure any infection, even during an epidemic.

Behind. The body does not have such powerful defenses that will allow it to be completely resistant to infections, and if the disease is successfully transferred and recovered. Even an adult does not have such powers. The classic example is the flu, which happens every year. Moreover, you can be absolutely healthy, but during a flu epidemic you can get sick, so much so that you won’t be able to move for a week. There are people who get sick from time to time, and there are those who carry the flu every year. AT this example it's about the flu safe infection, which, however, takes the lives of almost 25,000 people in Russia every year. And think of much more severe and incredibly contagious infections like whooping cough, diphtheria, plague, smallpox, and so on.

Against. The child does not yet have a fully developed immune system, and vaccinations interfere with the natural course of things and disrupt the formation of the correct defense mechanisms against diseases. Therefore, vaccinations should not be given until the immune system is fully formed.

Behind. It is true that the child's immune system is not fully mature at birth, but it is divided into two important parts that should not be confused. So, distinguish between specific and nonspecific immunity. The child has not fully formed only the mechanisms of nonspecific immunity, which are responsible for the destruction of pathogenic microbes on the mucous membranes, in the intestines, etc. It is the lack of nonspecific immunity that explains frequent colds child, his tendency to intestinal infections, prolonged residual effects in the form of cough, runny nose, etc.

Nonspecific immunity protects our body from opportunistic microbes that are constantly on the skin and mucous membranes. Opportunistic microbes are microorganisms that are normally present in the human microflora, but do not cause disease. When nonspecific immunity decreases, then opportunistic pathogens can cause a very serious infection. It is this phenomenon that is observed in AIDS patients, whose nonspecific immunity practically does not function, and they become infected with the most harmless microbes that normally live on the skin and mucous membranes of a person. But nonspecific immunity has nothing to do with the process of protecting the body from severe infections caused by infectious microbes.

Specific immunity is, in fact, the process of formation of antibodies by B-lymphocytes, which has nothing to do with the mechanisms non-specific protection. Specific immunity is aimed at destroying serious, contagious microbes, and non-specific immunity is necessary so that we do not get sick constantly due to the presence of E. coli in the intestines or staphylococcus on the skin. And children are born with insufficiently developed nonspecific immunity, but with perfectly prepared specific immunity, which is fully formed and is just waiting, figuratively speaking, for a “combat mission”.

Vaccination is an action that is necessary to activate specific immunity. Therefore, vaccination in no way violates the processes of maturation, formation and development of nonspecific defense mechanisms. It's like two processes that run in parallel paths. In addition, vaccinations cause the activation of only one link of immunity, during which antibodies are produced against one specific infection. Therefore, it cannot be said that the vaccine is a kind of bulldozer that destroys all weak children's immunity. The vaccine has a targeted and targeted effect.

It is useful to know that the ability to synthesize antibodies develops in a child even in the womb, but nonspecific immunity is finally formed only by 5-7 years. Therefore, opportunistic microbes from the skin of the mother or father are more dangerous for the child than vaccinations. Normal work of nonspecific immunity is observed in children from 1.5 years old, therefore, only starting from this age, vaccines are introduced that use these mechanisms. Vaccines that involve nonspecific immunity include vaccinations against meningococcus (meningitis) and pneumococcus (pneumonia).

Against. If the child has safely lived up to 5 years, his immune system is fully formed, then now he definitely does not need any vaccinations - he is already healthy and will not get sick.

Behind. In this statement, specific and non-specific immunity are again confused. By the age of 5, nonspecific immunity is fully formed in a child, but it protects him from simple microorganisms, such as coli, staphylococcus living on the skin, many bacteria that normally live in the oral cavity, etc. But nonspecific immunity is not able to protect the child from serious infections, the pathogens of which can only be neutralized by antibodies, that is, specific immunity.

Antibodies are not produced independently - they are produced only as a result of a meeting, so to speak, of a personal acquaintance of a B-lymphocyte and a microbe. In other words, in order to form immunity to serious infections, it is necessary to familiarize the body with the microbe - the pathogen. To do this, there are two options: the first is to get sick, and the second is to get vaccinated. Only in the first case, the child will become infected with full-fledged, strong microbes, and who will win in the course of such an "acquaintance" is unknown, because, for example, 7 out of 10 children with diphtheria die. And when a vaccine is given, it contains either completely dead microbes, pathogens, or significantly weakened ones that cannot cause infections, but their ingestion is enough for the immune system to recognize them and develop antibodies. In the vaccine situation, we kind of play along with the immune system by introducing a pre-weakened enemy that is easy to defeat. As a result, we get antibodies and immunity to a dangerous infection.

Antibodies are not able to form without meeting with a microbe, under any circumstances! This is the nature of the immune system. Therefore, if a person does not have antibodies to any infection, then he is able to become infected at 20, and at 30, and at 40, and at 50, and at 70 years old. And who wins the battle when infected with an active microbe depends on many factors. Of course, the immune system functions fully, has already developed by the age of five, but as historical epidemics of infectious diseases have shown, in two cases out of three the pathogenic microbe wins. And only one out of three survives and has further immunity to this infection. But a person cannot inherit these mechanisms, so his children will be born again quite susceptible to infection. dangerous diseases. For example, adults in non-vaccinated Third World countries get perfectly infected and die from diphtheria, even though their immunity is fully developed!

Against. It is better to have childhood infections as a child than as an adult, when they are extremely poorly tolerated and difficult. These are measles, rubella and mumps.

Behind. Of course, children are easier to tolerate these infections than adults. Yes, and vaccination against them does not guarantee lifelong immunity, it is valid only for 5 years, after which it is necessary to vaccinate again. However, the following factors speak for these vaccinations:

• possible infertility in boys after mumps;
• high frequency development of arthritis after rubella suffered in childhood;
• the risk of developing fetal deformities in case of rubella disease in a pregnant woman up to 8 weeks.

Against. You don't have to give DPT at three months, when you do DTP-M at six, which contains a small dose of diphtheria particles. Let the child get less "nasty things."

Behind. The ADS-M vaccine is needed exactly at the age of six, provided that the child was vaccinated with DTP in infancy, since it alone is completely ineffective. In this case, you will not get the effect of only one dose of ADS-M, so you can not do this vaccination at all. The introduction of only ADS-M at the age of six is ​​a useless injection.
If for some reason the child does not have a pertussis, tetanus and diphtheria (DTP) vaccination by the age of six, then he is vaccinated according to the following schedule: 0 - 1 - 6 - 5. This means: the first vaccine is now, the second is in month, the third - in six months, the fourth - in five years. At the same time, the first three vaccines are administered with DPT, and only the fourth, five years later, with ADS-M.

Against. Vaccine companies just want to make money more money, therefore, they force everyone to put them, despite the harm, consequences and complications.

Behind. Of course, pharmaceutical concerns are not strictly charitable organizations but they don't have to be. At one time, Louis Pasteur came up with the smallpox vaccine not for fun and not because he really wanted to make money and make everyone else mentally retarded idiots. As we can see, more than a hundred years have passed, people have stopped dying of smallpox, and mental retardation hit neither Europe, nor America, nor Russia.

Pharmaceutical concerns work, they are not engaged in robbery raids and theft. After all, no one accuses producers of, say, bread or pasta, that they want to make fools of everyone and cash in on people, forcing them to buy their products. Of course, bakeries and pasta factories make a profit, but people can also buy food. It’s the same with vaccines – pharmaceutical factories make a profit, and people get protection from dangerous infections.

In addition, a lot of money is being invested in the development of new vaccines, the search for a cure for AIDS, and other industries. Pharmaceutical firms annually give away many doses of vaccine for free, for vaccination campaigns in third world countries.

In the end, if the stars are lit, then someone needs it! In Russia, there is an experience of refusing mass vaccination - this is the diphtheria epidemic observed in 1992-1996. At that time, vaccines were not purchased by the state, babies were not vaccinated - that's the result.

Against. There are thousands of examples that children who have been vaccinated get sick a lot and often, while unvaccinated children do not. In principle, an unvaccinated child is much easier to tolerate all the sores. Many parents noticed this in their families - the first child with vaccinations was constantly ill, and the second had no vaccines - and nothing, he coughed a couple of times at most.

Behind. This is not about vaccines. Let's see how often the first children who were vaccinated get sick. Often women marry after pregnancy, experience a lot of stress, housing and material problems are very acute. Again, the food is not very good. Naturally, a child is not born in the most optimal conditions, which contributes to frequent morbidity. And then there are vaccinations...

The second child is planned, the woman and the man are preparing, as a rule, they have a job, a stable income, and solved material and housing problems. The nutrition of a pregnant and nursing mother is much better, the child is expected, etc. Naturally, with such different conditions the second child will be healthier, there will be less pain, and vaccinations have nothing to do with it. But the parents have already decided: the first one was vaccinated, so he was sick, and the second one is healthy and does not get sick without any vaccines. It's decided - we cancel vaccinations!

In fact, the reason is not in vaccinations, but I don’t want to think about it. Therefore, before making the conclusion "if you have vaccinations - you get sick, if you don't get vaccinated - you don't get sick", think and analyze all the factors. After all, do not forget about the individual characteristics of the child. For example, there are also twins completely different, one is weak and sickly, and the other is strong and healthy. Moreover, they live and develop in exactly the same conditions.

Against. Vaccines contain dangerous substances - viruses, bacteria, cancer cells, preservatives (particularly mercury), which cause serious complications in children.

Behind. The vaccine does contain both viral particles and bacteria, but they are not capable of causing infection. Since in order to develop immunity against a specific infection, it is necessary to introduce the B-lymphocyte and the microbe, the need for the presence of particles of the microorganism-causative agent in the vaccine is clear. It contains particles of viruses or bacteria, or killed pathogens that simply carry the characteristic antigens necessary for B-lymphocytes to meet and produce antibodies. Naturally, a piece of a virus or a dead bacterium cannot in any way cause an infectious disease.

Let's move on to preservatives and stabilizers. The largest number questions are caused by formaldehyde and merthiolate.

Formaldehyde is used in the production of vaccines, which causes cancer in large quantities. In vaccines, this substance enters in trace amounts, its concentration is 10 times less than that produced by the body within 2 hours. So the idea that trace amounts of formaldehyde in a vaccine will lead to cancer is simply untenable. Much more dangerous is the drug Formidron, which also contains formaldehyde - they are used to eliminate excessive sweating. By lubricating the armpits with Formidron, you run the risk of absorbing much larger doses of a dangerous carcinogen through the skin!

Merthiolate (thiomersal, mercurothiolate) is also used in developed countries. The maximum concentration of this preservative in the hepatitis B vaccine is 1 g per 100 ml, and in other preparations it is even less. Translating this amount to the volume of the vaccine, we get 0.00001 g of merthiolate. This amount of substance is excreted from the body on average 3-4 days. At the same time, taking into account the content of mercury in the air of cities, the level of merthiolate introduced with the vaccine is compared with the background level after 2-3 hours. In addition, the vaccine contains mercury in an inactive compound. And poisonous mercury vapor that can cause damage to the nervous system is a completely different matter.

Regarding mercury, interesting research. It turns out that it accumulates in mackerel and herring in large quantities. At regular use eating the meat of these fish, they can lead to cancer.

Vaccinations for children: pros and cons - video

Should children be vaccinated strictly according to the calendar?

Parents often face the following problem. For example, the vaccination schedule for a child indicates that BCG is given first, followed by the polio vaccine. If the child has not been vaccinated with BCG, and the time has come for a polio vaccination, then nurses and doctors refuse to give polio without BCG! This behavior is motivated by the vaccination calendar, which clearly states: first BCG, then polio. Unfortunately, this is wrong. These vaccines are not related in any way, so you can get vaccinated against polio without BCG. Most often, medical workers, especially in state medical and preventive institutions, faithfully follow the letter of the instruction, often even to the detriment of common sense. Therefore, if you are faced with similar problem, it is best to contact the vaccination center and get the necessary vaccination.

In principle, BCG is a prevention of tuberculosis, but if hygiene standards are observed and there is no contact with the patient, it is very difficult to get infected. After all, tuberculosis is a social disease that most often affects people who are malnourished, have low disease resistance, and live in unsanitary conditions. It is this combination that causes susceptibility to tuberculosis. To illustrate the nature of tuberculosis, as social disease Let me give you two examples from my personal experience.

First example. A boy from a quite decent family fell ill, his parents work, have a normal income, eat well, but the house is very dirty. Live in old apartment, which is 20 years old. Just imagine the conditions of a child's life, when the carpet in the large room has not been cleaned even once in all these years! It was covered with a tarp, which was simply shaken out when debris accumulated on it. The apartment was not vacuumed, only swept. Here, the cause of tuberculosis was a clear neglect of cleanliness.

Second example. The combination of all factors favorable for contracting tuberculosis is found in places of deprivation of liberty. Therefore, in correctional colonies and prisons, tuberculosis is simply raging.

In principle, it is intuitively clear to any competent doctor that vaccinations that were not delivered according to the schedule are administered according to indications and depending on the situation, but not in any way according to the sequence available in the vaccination calendar for children. Therefore, the order of the calendar - BCG, then DPT, and only this way - of course, is not a strict sequence that is mandatory. Different vaccines have nothing to do with each other.

Another issue is when it comes to the second and third introductions. When it comes to DTP, it is necessary to observe the terms for the formation of full-fledged immunity to infections. In this case, the instruction that DTP is done three times with a break of one month between them is mandatory. Again, each instruction always spells out possible options- what to do if vaccinations are missed, how many more vaccines to administer and in what sequence. Forgive me to explain this to you.

Finally, always remember that the presence of a birth injury or intestinal upset on the eve of vaccination are contraindications for their introduction strictly on schedule. In this case, the vaccination must be moved according to the requirements specified in the instructions for the vaccination case. For example, increased intracranial pressure in a child after childbirth leads to the need to postpone vaccinations, which can only be given a year after normalization of pressure. And indigestion is a contraindication to vaccination against polio, which is tolerated until the moment of complete recovery and the disappearance of signs of intestinal infection.

Is it necessary to vaccinate children?

When in a population of people there is immunity to a disease caused by vaccination, then the causative agent of this infection does not disappear - it simply passes to other similar species. This happened with the smallpox virus, which is now circulating in the monkey population. The microorganism in such a situation can mutate, after which people will again become partially susceptible to it. First of all, unvaccinated people will become infected, and then those whose immunity is weakened, or for some reason they were susceptible to this changed microbe, despite vaccination. Therefore, a small percentage of unvaccinated people can do a disservice to everyone else.

Do children need to be vaccinated?