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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.
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Diphtheria causes obstruction to
breathing and heart damage.
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Tetanus begins with the jaw clamping
together, then severe muscle spasms throughout the body, including those used
in breathing and swallowing.
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Pertussis or whooping cough causes
difficulty in breathing, eating, and drinking, and can result in brain damage
or pneumonia.
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Hib is caused by the Haemophilus
influenzae type b bacteria that causes life-threatening illnesses like
meningitis and pneumonia.
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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
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