vaccinations

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Introduction
Human bodies are equipped with their own kind of immunity
system to counteract the attack of different infectious viruses,
bacteria and fungi.
However, sometimes this immunity system is not strong enough
to face certain attacks especially when the attack from external
sources is more severe.
This is truer in cases of young children, patients and old people
who have low immunity.
That is why; medical science has developed vaccines to protect
your body from certain diseases that can make you disable, sick
or even can kill you.

Boosting Defence System

Vaccines work by boosting the defence system of your body.

They protect your body from infection without letting you
suffer any symptoms related to that particular disease.
For different reasons, the vaccines are sometimes also termed
as shots, needles or immunizations.
During the process, a bacteria or virus is deliberately injected
into your body so that your immune system prepares
antibodies to fight against such infections in the future.

Babies and Passive Immunity

Nature has its own way of immunizing newborns from specific
diseases.
The infants are naturally protected from several diseases such
as rubella, mumps and measles as the antibodies required to
counteract these diseases are already passed on to them
through the placenta of the mother.
Immunity developed in this way against a particular disease is
known as passive immunity.

Diseases with No Vaccine Protection

The immune system of human body comprises of two unitscell-mediated immunity and antibody mediated immunity.
The major development in the field of vaccination has been
made in the last five decades.
Most of these vaccination processes protect your body by
stimulating the potent antibody response within the body.
Diseases that are caused due to such hiding pathogens include
HIV, TB and malaria.
Since no effective vaccine has yet been developed to prevent
these diseases millions of people globally succumb to each
year to either of these diseases.

What is the Ideal Vaccine?

Ideally a vaccine should have following features:
It should be absolutely safe causing no side-effects
It must be easily available and can be manufactured cheaply
It should be stable for transport or storage
It should be easily administered
It is available for the infants alongside several other childhood
vaccines
It should offer long-term protection against the disease

Making of Vaccines
The first step in the preparation of a vaccine is making of an
organism or pathogen that causes the disease
Usually this organism is a bacterium or a virus
These are mass produced in a laboratory by infecting the cells
that are grown in the tissue culture
It is very important to alter the pathogen so that it does not
cause the disease.
The alteration process can be carried out either by attenuating
or weakening the pathogen by making it grow repeatedly so
that a strain that is produced is less dangerous
Other alteration methods include using the only part of the
pathogen that triggers off immune response or making use of
the toxin that creates these pathogen and inactivating it

How Does Vaccination Works?

Vaccines carry a small amount of the germ that causes disease
and usually this germ is dead or weak.
Hence, such germs cannot make you sick. There are certain
vaccines that do not contain any germ at all.
Presence of this little bit of germ in the vaccine stimulate your
immune system to build up antibodies so that when similar
kind of germ attacks your body, the antibodies can fight
against them and protect you.
Your body prepares antibodies in two conditions: when you
get the disease or through vaccine. The best way is to get
vaccinated and stay protected without having to go through the
painful experience of the disease.

 Antibodies last long and also have a memory and hence they
remember when and how to fight when the germs attack.
In some cases your body may need a booster dose to remind it
about how to ward off those disease causing germs.
Some vaccines offer protection against only one disease
whereas some vaccines offer combined protection against two
to three diseases such as the MMR vaccine that offers
protection against Mumps, Measles and Rubella.

How Long the Effect of Vaccination Does

Lasts?
There are several vaccines that offer protection against a
particular disease for life.
But the effect of the vaccine also depends upon the person to
whom it is given.
Similarly, how long the effect will last depend upon the type of
disease, the effectiveness of the vaccine and also the person
vaccinated.
There are certain vaccines that provide protection of high levels
such as the MMR vaccine that offers 90 percent protection.
On the other hand some vaccines such as the typhoid vaccine
offer only 70 percent protections and are effective only for
three years.

What are the Side Effects of Vaccination?

Fatigue
Headache
Tenderness, redness, pain or swelling at the site of injection
Nausea
Fever
Mild rash
Fainting or dizziness
Mild rash
In some cases, there can be certain unusual side effects such as
weakness, high fever or changes in behavior.
Especially in infants and small children serious allergic
reactions such as hives, breathing difficulty, wheezing,
hoarseness, fast heartbeat or paleness can be observed

Vaccination Schedule for Children

Vaccination Name

Age in
weeks/months/
years

Disease

HEP B Vaccine-I
Oral PV 0 Dose

At the time of birth

Hepatitis B

At the time of birth

Polio

PCV, Hib, Rota

2nd month

Influenza Type B,
Pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine,
Rotavirus

BCG

From birth to six

months

Tuberculosis

HEP B Vaccine-II

4 to 6 weeks

Hepatitis B

DPT-I OPV-I

6 weeks

Diphtheria, Polio,
Pertusis
Tetanus

DPT-II OPV II
HEP B

10 weeks

Diphtheria

Remarks

Special
recommendation by
Delhi Govt.

DPT-III OPV-III HEP

B Vaccine IV

14 weeks

Diphtheria, Polio,
Pertusis Tetanus

PCV, Hib, Rota

4th month

Influenza Type B,
Pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine,
Rotavirus

HEP B Vaccine III,

PCV, Hib, Rota

24 weeks

Hepatitis B, Influenza Recommendation by

Type B, Pneumococcal IAP
conjugate vaccine,
Rotavirus

OPV-IV Measles

9 to 12 months

Polio, Measles

MMR, Hib, Varicella,

PCV

15 to 18 months

Mumps, Measles,
Rubella

DPT-Booster I OPV-V

18 months

Diphtheria, Pertusis
Tetanus, Polio

Recommended by IAP
and Delhi Govt.

Typhoid

24 months

Typhoid

Recommendation by
IAP

DPT Booster-II OPVVI

4 to 5 years

Diphtheria, Polio,
Pertusis Tetanus

Special
recommendation by
Delhi Govt.

Vaccination Schedule for Adolescents

Name of the Vaccine

Age for which vaccination

recommended

Human Papillomarvirus (HPV)

11 to 12 years

Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertusis (Tdap)

11 to 12 years

Meningococcal conjugate vaccine

(MCV4)

11 to 12 years (first dose),

13 to 18 years (second dose)

Influenza

Yearly

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Only on recommendation

Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Inactivated Polio

Vaccine (IPV), MMR, Varicella

12 to 18 years

Vaccination Schedule for Adults

Name of the Vaccine

Age for which vaccine recommended

Influenza (flu)

Every year

Diphtheria, Tetanus,
Pertusis ( Tdap) or
Diphtheria, Tetanus (Td)

Tdap-once on reaching adulthood

Td-once in every 10 years

Varicella (Chickenpox)

Two doses if not immunized during adolescence

Otherwise One dose
Three doses before the age of 26 years including the ones
administered during adolescence
Single dose after reaching 60 years

HPV-Human
papillomarvirus
Zoster (shingles)

Measles, Mumps, Rubella

(MMR)

Two doses if not immunized during adolescence

Pneumococcal

For the people above 65 years of age, especially for

people who come under high risk or chronic
diseases or illnesses

Hepatitis A

Two doses, especially in patients under high risk

Hepatitis B

Three doses, especially in patients under high risk

Haemophilus influenza type b

(Hib)

One to three doses depending upon whether

immunized during young age or as a child

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