Immunization is a must for your children especially if they are going to school for the first time. It is also essential if your child is going to a new town to pursue a course.
The criteria and age requirements for most vaccinations are constantly modified. Hence, it is important to stay updated on the new vaccinations available for your child.
This can be done by consulting your family doctor or by finding information from a government health website.
You must also remember that the immunizations requirement varies from school to school in different states.
Usually, a child receives most of the vaccinations by the time he steps into school. The first vaccination is the DTP vaccine.
It provides immunity against Diphtheria, Pertussis, and tetanus and is given in five doses. The last dose is usually administered by the time your child reaches the age of four.
MMR is yet another vaccine administered before the child begins schooling. This vaccine provides immunity against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella and is given in two doses.
The IPV vaccine is administered in five doses and provides resistance against the poliovirus. The Hib vaccine is a must if you are joining the kindergarten.
However, it is not administered to the children who are above five years. Therefore, parents should take care to get their child immunized before they are five years of age.
A chickenpox shot is given when the child is 18 months old and one dose usually works for a lifetime.
Two doses are required if the child is thirteen years or older and is usually administered with a month’s gap.
Common ear and blood infections in children are caused by infection by the pneumococcal bacterial strain. You can render your child-resistant to the infection by using the Prevnar vaccine.
A booster dose is given to enhance the resistance against the previously immunized diseases. A tetanus booster dose should be given to the child compulsorily as he turns 12 or 13 years old.
If your child hasn’t received all the required vaccinations then they should be administered by the time your child reaches the age of 12-13 years.
Boostrix is a newly developed vaccine that can be administered to all children who haven’t received the original DPT vaccine to provide resistance against Diphtheria, Pertussis, and tetanus.
It can be used from the age group of 10 years to 18 years, and can also be used as a booster dose.
Hepatitis A is not a compulsion and is only given in the high-risk areas to children before they reach two years of age. Normally two doses of the vaccine are administered for immunity.
Hepatitis B was recently introduced and there are chances that you might have skipped this vaccination when you were getting the routine shots done for your children.
As a must, it should be given to all children by the age of 12 years.
Menactra is a new and improvised vaccine developed to provide resistance against meningitis. All those children entering high school or college should take a single shot of this vaccine.
