[author image=”http://hunzanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Dr-Sadia.jpg” ]Saadia Khan A paediatric resident at the Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan, she has a keen interest in preventative paediatric medicine and community work, and tweets as@drkhanchc (twitter.com/drkhanchc).[/author]
We often meet crippling people with polio, retarded children after getting meningitis or hear about the child on artificial ventilation after having pneumonia. When we check their vaccination status most of them seem to be unvaccinated.
The reason behind unimmunized status is mostly
BACHA KAMZOR THA AUS KO NUQSAN PUHANCHTA
(Child is too weak)
TIKKA BARDAST NAE KER SAKTA THA
(Can’t bear vaccine)
GARM HOTY HEIN
(They have warm effects)
TAKLEEF HY MUFT Kiii.
( Painful)
BAREY NAE LAGWANY DETY K AUN KO B NAE LAGY THY.
(Not allowed by our elders)
APNA DOODH DETY HOON LIHAZA ZARORAT NAE
(Child is on mother feed so there is no need of it)
Vaccination is a right of every child; colostrum is the God gifted first vaccination of child .Vaccination is the only tool to combat communicable diseases. EpI (Expanded Programme of immunization was launched by WHO/ Unicef to control communicable diseases like,TB,Diptheria, pertussis, tetanus,polio,and measles). Let your child vaccinated at birth, 6thweek, 10thweek, 14thweek, 9 months and 15 months. Vaccines are available free of cost at all government hospitals, you have to just go there.
There are a lot of fears, myths and hateful attitudes against vaccination but requires a little effort to tackle them
MYTH:
Vaccines are not effective.
FACT:
Vaccines are 70-90% effective.
MYTH:
Multiple doses of vaccines are harmful.
FACT:
They are not harmful rather very effective during epidemics.
MYTH:
Vaccine is nothing more than pharmaceutical concerns and benefits.
FACT:
All over the world infections are leading cause of death in children .A big wow! We all doctors, quacks and parents support these companies by giving antibiotics cocktails to children and against those who are working for its prevention. These diseases contribute a lot to hospital admissions, social, emotional and financial stress and burden and also causes serious complications from deafness to permanent brain damage.
MYTH:
Vaccines are not safe and properly tested.
FACT:
No medicine is 100% safe and risks and complications associated with diseases themselves are far greater as compared to minimal risks associated with vaccines. Vaccines passed safety tests before their launch in market.
Myth:
Vaccines have toxic agents’ bacteria and viruses in it.
FACT:
Vaccines are made up of organisms whose immunity and activity is slow down in such a way that it cannot cause disease rather enhance immune response of host.
MYTH:
Oral Polio vaccine was introduced to control fertility rare.
FACT:
It has nothing to do with fertility rate, if so, then why our population is increasing day by day.
Myths:
Vaccine weakens immune response and is unnatural.
FACT:
It is not true as vaccines are well equipped body guards of your child that strengthen the immunity of your child in the form of already prepared antibodies against disease.
MYTH:
Immunity that child has taken from mother is enough especially for breast fed child.
FACT:
It’s not true breast fed children also need to be get vaccinated as maternal antibodies are not enough to fight against all diseases and their titer decreases with passage of time that’s why EPI schedule was formulated accordingly.
MYTH:
Vaccines trigger asthma and allergies.
FACT:
Risks are negligible as compared to mortality with communicable diseases.
MYTH:
Infectious diseases are not serious.
FACT:
Baby recovers once natural cycle of infectious agents end but who knows what will be happened if organisms overcome over your child’s immunity and takes him to death.
MYTH:
Vaccine can cause diseases as it is supposed to stop.
FACT:
Risks are very rare .Rate of vaccine associated polio is 1-2%.
MYTH:
Vaccinated children can get disease.
FACT:
Vaccine failure rates are not as bad as we presume to be.
MYTH:
Religious belief.
Products and additives of the vaccines are often debatable for Muslims and Jewish.
Once it’s the matter of human life and can be used in area where disease is epidemic and paralyzing and killing innocent lives.
MYTH:
Frequent and multiple doses of polio vaccines are harmful and damaging child’s immune response.
FACT:
As polio is endemic in our country so have to give additional doses as advised in spite of regular doses.
With this effective tool we have already won the fight against small pox so, come ahead and kick off Polio, measles and other lethal diseases from our country. So move ahead, boost your child’s immunity. May your child contribute to be a healthier Pakistan.
