Happy Easter everyone! Hope you had a great celebration yesterday. The fun continues today, of course 😀

This is World Immunization week and for the year 2014, it is being celebrated from April 24^th to April 30^th. It has the theme, ‘Immunize for a healthy future: Know, Check, Protect.’ This theme emphasizes the fact that we should know what vaccines are needed. You can find out from your doctor or health care provider. Check that these vaccines have been taken up to date and finally, ensure that the needed vaccines are taken to provide protection.

The National Program on Immunization (NPI) in Nigeria has delineated specific vaccines that children, from birth, have to be vaccinated against. There are a couple of extra vaccines that paediatricians also advice children to have. I have been asked whether they are necessary since they do not appear on the NPI schedule. Well, put it this way, cost is always an issue in making drugs or any product/service available for the whole population. So, some of these vaccines are too expensive to made available on a large scale for everyone at this time. However, there are significant moves to make a good number of them available to everyone soon.

In the meantime, focus on the compulsory ones and if you can afford it, certainly add on the extras until they become available and free of charge 😀

Let’s give you a quick reminder class about the vaccines that your child should get

• At birth, BCG and Hepatitis B vaccines are given. The former protects against tuberculosis, which unfortunately is making a comeback with the advent of HIV/AIDS. Hepatitis B can cause long term complications of the liver (cirrhosis) if contracted. Four other doses of Hepatitis B are taken at 6, 10 and 14 weeks with a booster dose at 5 years. Hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) can also be taken in adulthood especially for people who are at risk. 5 doses are required.
• At 6, 10 and 14 weeks, the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV)and DPT (Diphteria, Pertussis and Tuberculosis) are due. Booster doses for OPV are due at 18 months, 4-6 years and at 10 years. Booster doses for DPT are due at 18 months and 4-6 years.
• At 9 months, the measles and yellow fever vaccines are due. A booster does for yellow fever is required once in every 10 years.

The above are the compulsory ones required for every child by the NPI.

• Before the age of 9 months, an additional vaccine that could be given is the Rotavirus vaccine. It appears that even hand washing does not protect against this virus. Two doses of this vaccine are usually given before the age of 6 months at one month’s interval.
• Other vaccines that could be given include chicken pox vaccine (from one year of age), pneumococcal vaccines (at 2, 4 and 13 months of age), typhoid vaccines (with boosters every 3 years). Cerverix vaccine against cervical cancer can be given at birth, one month and 6 months. It is also generally advised for children and women between the ages of 12 and 55 years.

So, join the campaign to ‘know, check and protect’ 😀

Have a wonderful day, y’all

Foot note:
The pentavalent vaccine now provides the DPT, HBV and HiB in one injection. HIB provides protection against the organism responsible for pneumonia, meningitis etc. This pentavalent vaccine is taken at 6,10 and 14 weeks of life.