Calling the shorts

Take charge of your child’s health with vaccines

Polio epidemics in the 1940s and 1950s left many victims, especially children, crippled and permanently paralysed. The seemingly random nature of the illness meant that nobody knew  how to prevent it nor what risk factors and symptoms to look out for. This went on till 1955 when the Salk vaccine proved effective in managing the disease.

This marked the explosion in the development of vaccines after World War II, propelled by advances in technology. Since then, vaccination has been hailed as one of the modern world’s greatest public health inventions, together with clean drinking water.

There are now vaccines for a variety of infectious diseases, like measles, mumps, rubella, and even the common flu virus. In particular, vaccines are routinely advised for the following diseases, as they pose potentially serious health complications in children and can even lead to death.

• Diphtheria causes obstruction to breathing and heart damage.

• Tetanus begins with the jaw clamping together, then severe muscle spasms throughout the body, including those used in breathing and swallowing.

• Pertussis or whooping cough causes difficulty in breathing, eating, and drinking, and can result in brain damage or pneumonia.

• Hib is caused by the Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria that causes life-threatening illnesses like meningitis and pneumonia.

• Hepatitis B often leads to liver damage such as inflammation or organ failure.

It used to be that protecting your child against six major childhood illnesses of polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib, and hepatitis B meant a course of at least nine injections, before six months of age. However, a new six-in-one combination vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline has cut the number of injections to just four, lessening the pain for your child.

Note that some vaccines can cause distressing reactions like fever, pain, and swelling at the injection sites. Although these side-effects are temporary, discomfort can run high. Talk to a doctor about your concerns •