Newborn baby vaccination is done immediately after birth. Some of these vaccinations are given only after a few hours of birth, while some vaccinations are mandatory with the increasing age of the child. Among these various vaccines, it is considered mandatory to give flu vaccines to children. Let us tell you that the Government of India, through the public health program “Universal Immunization Programme”, provides free vaccination of 12 essential vaccines to children in the country, which have the ability to prevent infectious diseases and their prevention in children.
What is child vaccination?
children’s vaccination It is considered effective for prevention and protection from deadly diseases. Similarly, by administering flu vaccine to children, their immunity can be strengthened, which can not only prevent infectious diseases in children but can also cure infectious diseases in children.
Flu vaccine can be given to children in both the form of oral medicine or injection. If we talk about the most popular vaccination for children, the first name in it could be “polio dose” and the second could be “smallpox vaccination”.
How is vaccination of children beneficial?
Vaccinations for children can act as a mimic infection, meaning they can help boost the body’s immune system to prevent the development of infectious diseases in children. In this way, vaccination of children can prevent many infectious diseases and can also help in maintaining their health.
Actually, after receiving flu vaccine or other vaccines, white blood cells (WBC) are produced in the body. These are those blood cells, which can be considered helpful in fighting and preventing infectious diseases in children. However, for children, it may take up to a week for the vaccine to start working.
Vaccination chart for children according to age
| name of vaccine | age of vaccination | vaccination dose | method of vaccination |
| vaccination chart for babies | |||
| BCG | at birth or within one year of birth | 0.05 ml for a one-month-old baby, 0.10 ml for a baby older than one month | intravenously under the skin |
| Hepatitis B (birth dose) | within 24 hours of birth | 0.5 ml | injection |
| OPV-0 | At birth or within 15 days of birth | 2 drops | oral dosage |
| OPV-1,2,3 | 6, 10 and 14 weeks | 2 drops | oral dosage |
| DPT-1,2.3 | 6, 10 and 14 weeks | 0.5 ml | injection |
| Hepatitis B-1,2,3 | 6, 10 and 14 weeks | 0.5 ml | injection |
| Measles | at 9 months | 0.5 ml | injection |
| Vitamin A, first dose | at 9 months | 1 ml | oral dosage |
| Vaccination chart for young children | |||
| dpt booster 1 | 16-24 months | 0.5 ml | injection |
| OPV booster | 16-24 months | 2 drops | oral dosage |
| Vitamin A, second to ninth dose | At 16 months, followed by one dose every 6 months till 5 years of age | 2 ml | oral dosage |
| dpt booster 2 | 5-6 years | 0.5 ml | injection |
| tt | 10 and 16 years | 0.5 ml | injection |
Why are flu vaccines given to children?
The flu vaccine is given to children to protect them from an infectious disease called influenza. It is a respiratory disease caused by influenza virus. In common language, it can also be called flu or seasonal cold. Due to this, the child may suffer from fever, shivering, cold and cough as well as sore throat and body pain.
In such a situation, flu vaccine is given to children only so that the child’s body remains safe from influenza virus and his body can fight this infectious disease. Apart from this, flu vaccine can also help to some extent in protecting the child’s body from other infectious diseases.
Benefits of giving flu vaccine to children
Giving flu vaccine to children may have the following benefits, including:
1. The child should be safe
Newborn babies do not have immunity during birth. They gradually develop immunity. In such a situation, the risk of contracting infectious diseases increases in children, hence vaccines can be beneficial for children for infectious diseases and their prevention.
2. Effective and safe
Vaccination is not only safe for children, but it is also considered completely effective. This is the reason why it has been made mandatory to vaccinate children from birth till the next few years. To ensure that no one is deprived of these due to financial constraints, the Government of India is also providing them free of cost.
3. Security of the coming generation
Flu vaccine or other children’s vaccines can provide protection to the child as well as his future children.
4. Saving money over time
If children are not vaccinated at the right time, it can be fatal for the child. Apart from this, various infectious diseases and their prevention may cost the family a lot of time and money. In such a situation, swine flu vaccination and other vaccines are made available to every home for free by the Government of India.
Can vaccines or vaccinations have side effects for children?
Yes, like other medicines, vaccines for children can also have some side effects, the symptoms of which may rarely be serious, such as:
- vomiting and diarrhea
- Intussusception, a rare condition in which one part of the intestine moves into another.
- mild or high fever
- pain at the injection site
- muscle pain
- irritability or crying
- being tired
- Headache
- loss of appetite
- rash
- running nose
- cold cough
- puffy eyes
- swelling of salivary glands
- Dizziness
- to sweat
- insomnia
- pain in ear
Although all these symptoms can be considered normal, however, if some serious symptoms appear, the child should be taken to the doctor immediately.
Can swine flu vaccination be done at home?
Yes, if a child is deprived of going to a government camp, then do not worry about it. Nurses or doctors go door-to-door to administer swine flu vaccination. In such a situation, if a child has not been able to take the first shot of influenza virus, he can get swine flu vaccination at home.
Is it necessary to get a flu booster vaccine after the flu vaccine?
How effective the flu vaccine is varies from child to child. If the flu vaccine does not prove to be effective in a child the first time, then he can take the flu vaccine again after some interval, which can be called a booster vaccine. However, it is mandatory to take the flu vaccine like hepatitis in two doses.
Can the flu vaccine provide the same protection to children as the coronavirus vaccine?
At present corona vaccine is being given to children. However, if a child has not had corona or due to some other reason a coronavirus vaccine cannot be given to children, then in such a situation influenza i.e. flu vaccine can also be considered effective in protecting the immunity of the child. Children can get influenza (flu) vaccine seasonally. For example, infectious diseases in children that occur during the rainy season can be treated with a flu shot.
Seen in a way, it is important to vaccinate children not only for physical development but also for mental development. If any parent is careless about vaccination, it can prove fatal for the child in the future.