As a new parent, looking at your baby's vaccination schedule may confuse you with all the different letters and medical terms. In order to understand the need to have your baby vaccinated, you first need to know which vaccinations are which as well as the disease that the vaccination is for.
When you check your vaccination schedule, at about two months of age your baby will start to receive the Rota vaccine. Rota stands for the rotavirus, a disease that causes severe diarrhea among young children. The primary source of this virus is fecal-oral transmission. Most children are infected by ingesting food or water that is contaminated with the virus. The disease can lead to vomiting and watery diarrhea for approximately two days, as well as fever and abdominal pain. In healthy adults with normal immune systems, the virus will usually be beaten by the body's natural defenses. In small children, however, their immune systems are not highly developed and these youngsters can end up hospitalized with intravenous injections to treat dehydration.
The Rota vaccination is given orally and involves a series of three doses. The first dose should be administered at the age of six to twelve weeks (it should be administered no later than twelve weeks). The second dose should be taken at the age of four months. The final dose can be given at six months of age but should not be given after 32 weeks of age.
Another vaccination that is given when your baby is two months old is the Hib vaccine. Hib stands for Haemophilus influenzae type B which is a severe bacterial infection that primarily infects infants and children under five years of age and is transmitted through coughing and sneezing. The symptoms of this infection include meningitis, pneumonia, sepsis, epiglotittis (a severe throat infection), skin infections, and arthritis. The most serious symptom of this disease is meningitis, which can lead to death in about one out of twenty children. It can also cause permanent brain damage in 10%-30% of all survivors.
The vaccination for Hib consists of a series of two doses if PRP-OMP was used in the dose. If this brand was not used, then the child will require three doses. The first dose is given to the child at the age of two months, the second at the age of four months. If the third dose is necessary, it is given to the child at the age of six months.
The PCV vaccine is also first given to a child when he is two months in age. This vaccine prevents your baby from being infected with bacteria known as pneumococcal disease. The major symptoms of this disease are pneumococcal pneumonia and meningitis, both of which can lead to death. This bacterium is the leading cause of death in the United States by a vaccine-preventable disease.
The vaccination usually consists of four doses. The first dose is given at two months of age, another at four months, the third at six months, and the final dose may be given anywhere from twelve to fifteen months of age. For children over two years of age that were not vaccinated, a PPV vaccine can be given instead.
Vaccinations are a vital part of your baby's well being. The possible consequences of not having your baby inoculated are too great to consider.
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