How do vaccines strengthen child immunity?
Vaccines strengthen child immunity by stimulating it in order to produce antibodies. For instance, when a microbe invades a body, the immunity system produces antibodies to attack that microbe and protect that body.
Usually, vaccination is done by injecting a body with weakened microbes, so that the immunity system could develop antibodies. There are two kinds of vaccines: negative vaccine and positive vaccine. For the negative vaccines, it occurs by injecting a body with prepared antibodies. However, the positive ones are done by injecting a body with a weakened infection in order to stimulate the immunity system to produce antibodies.
In early years, fathers should immunize their children against lethal childhood diseases. For example, eliminating smallpox is one of the known stories assuring the success of vaccination. It was considered as one of the most lethal diseases human has ever known. It killed by millions yearly. Therefore, it has been eliminated since the successful campaign organized by the WHO in 1967.
Available vaccines:
BCG: it immunizes against the Tuberculosis-TB. This vaccine is given at birth or during two months later.
DTP: it is a compound vaccine that immunizes against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. In the regard diphtheria and tetanus, they consist of inefficient venoms produced by organisms, while pertussis consists of dead microbes. This vaccine is given in three doses: at the second, forth, and sixth months.
Polio: this disease is caused by a virus, and the vaccine is this virus weakened. It is given orally or by injection, as well as it is given in three doses (usually efficient) after birth and after giving other several vaccines.
MCV:it is the measles vaccine consisting of weakened virus given to children at the age of 12-15 years. These days, there is a compound vaccine, which immunizes against mumps and rubella, came into several countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
MMR: a compound vaccine immunizes against measles, mumps, and rubella. It contains weakened viruses given between the 12th and the 15th months. In some countries, they give a reinforcing dose between the 4th and 6th years.
HepB: this vaccine immunizes against hepatitis. Usually, it is given in three doses.
HiB: this vaccine immunizes against meningitis. It consists of dead microbes to which we add proteins. It is given in the 2nd, 4th, and 6th months.
Significance of vaccination:
It is important to continue immunizing in order to eliminate a disease, even if there only few cases of that disease. For instance, if protection and immunity are ignored, there will be more infections and the disease will spread again. For example, in 1974, Japan had a successful program of vaccination against pertussis. Therefore, about 80 kids were given a vaccine against this disease. In that year, only 393 cases were reported, but because some rumors that the vaccine is not unhealthy, people then refused to give the vaccine to their children. By 1976, only 10 children were given the vaccine. As a result, pertussis spread all over Japan in 1979, and over 13000 children were infected; 41 died. As a conclusion, vaccination does not only mean to protect your child, but also to protect everyone around from infectious diseases. Normally, no one wants to have his child sick, and, if possible, we would protect our children from cold.
We must immunize our children at the proper age. Thus, we protect them from lethal diseases. As parents, our role is to insure them protection and a healthy life with no diseases. As we always say:’ prevention is better than cure’.
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