Vaccines are put through a remarkable level of trials, and by the time they are used for the public, safety is guaranteed. Your baby comes in touch with lots of bacteria and viruses or germs, and their immune system easily handles them. Similarly, the antigens in the vaccines are weakened or killed viruses and bacteria which are completely safe if injected into an infant’s system. There are a lot of misconceptions floating around about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. For parents who have the question, “Are vaccines really safe for my babies?”, this article attempts to answer all your worries and questions,
When your baby is small, their immune system is very weak, and it cannot protect them from many deadly illnesses. So, a vaccine introduces the weak versions of those viruses into your little one’s body. In response, their immune system sends some newly created antibodies to fight them. Furthermore, even if their immune system encounters the actual or active version of those viruses, their system remembers how to fight that virus. Therefore, many diseases like polio, measles and tetanus can easily be prevented.
In This Article
- What Are Vaccines?
- How Do Vaccines Work?
- Are Vaccines Safe For Babies?
- Why Should You Consider Vaccinating Your Baby?
- Can Your Baby Handle All the Vaccines?
- What Diseases Do Vaccines Prevent in Babies?
- FAQ’s
What Are Vaccines?
A vaccine is a specialized preparation that helps activate the immune system to provide protection from a particular disease. There are different vaccines to fight different diseases and are given at different ages to babies according to a pre-decided schedule. These vaccines future-proof their body against several deadly diseases, which their body may come in contact with later on in their life.
How Do Vaccines Work?
A vaccine contains a small dose of a weakened or an inactive part of a bacteria or disease-causing microorganism. When this small dose enters into the body, it triggers the immune system which fights the disease and creates permanent or long-term immunity to that particular disease. Every vaccine helps your body to build a shield against specific infections.
For example, whooping cough (pertussis) vaccines have small pieces of bacteria or viruses which are not alive. Thus, your baby’s body gets familiar with the bacteria and in future, it fights it effortlessly.
Are Vaccines Safe For Babies?
When babies are given the whooping cough vaccine, they sometimes face high fever and there is a lot of crying. But does that mean it is not safe? Definitely not. Vaccines go through a long journey which tests their perfection through clinical trials, safety testing and whatnot. And by the time they reach the hands of your baby’s doctor, they are completely safe.
Some babies may get a fever, but that is normal. Vaccines destroy the chances of your baby getting some deadly disease, and some minute effects on their body caused by the vaccine are very normal. You don’t need to worry about that. That simply shows the vaccine is at work. Your doctor will instruct you on how to go further with that.
Common side effects of vaccines for babies include fever, crankiness, redness and pain at injection site, loss of appetite, and a general feeling of unwellness. These will go off in a day or two and your baby will be back to normal. Your pediatrician will instruct you on what is to be done in case side effects of fever appear.
[Read : Side Effects of Vaccines in Babies]
Why Should You Consider Vaccinating Your Baby?
All babies should get vaccinations from the time they are born. Every country has a compulsory vaccination schedule that covers all deadly and prevalent diseases in that particular area or country. Once the baby is born, the pediatrician will give the list of vaccinations and parents must stick to the schedule and ensure that all the vaccinations are give,.
Your baby’s immune system is immature and it can’t battle many diseases. Their immune system has never experienced a wide number of diseases. And it gets worse when the diseases are deadly. Many viruses or bacteria are lurking around, and if your baby catches them, they can face severe consequences.
Babies who get measles suffer brain swelling and unfortunately, death is also a likely scenario. Polio is a disease which is responsible for causing permanent paralysis in people. Vaccinating your newborn ensures that they can easily ward off these life-threatening diseases.
[Read : Measles In Babies]
Can Your Baby Handle All the Vaccines?
Vaccines are nothing but antigens (weakened, inactivated or killed viruses or bacteria), which get inside your infant’s body. And their immune system finds it easier to fight these antigens by producing antibodies. And it remembers this lesson in the future when the virus they come in contact with in the future is no longer weakened or killed. However, the antibodies they produced the first time were strong enough to fight even the active viruses.
Moreover, your baby can handle all these antigens. Their bodies face many more germs regularly as compared to the antigens from multiple vaccines.
What Diseases Do Vaccines Prevent in Babies?
It depends on which region you are living in. As per that, the pediatrician will recommend a schedule. Let’s say it’s an appointment of 2 months to complete the vaccination schedule. During this period, your infant can get vaccines which are effective for illnesses like polio, measles, tetanus, and so forth.
Here are some of the important vaccines and the diseases they protect from.
| Name of the Vaccine | Disease it Prevents You From |
| BCG | Tuberculosis |
| HEP B | Hepatitis B |
| Polio | Polio Virus |
| DTP | Pertussis (Whooping Cough) |
| MMR | Mumps, Measles, Rubella |
| Pneumococcal | Pneumococcal disease |
| Rotavirus | Rotavirus |
While these are the standard vaccines, your doctor may add more depending on the situation in your country and prevalent diseases.
Seeing your baby in discomfort from vaccine side effects can be very tough for you. There are many things you can do to provide relief to your baby from the side effects. But it is important that you don’t skip the vaccines and make sure your baby takes all the vaccinations prescribed by your doctor as per the schedule.
FAQ’s
1. Can Vaccine Cause Baby Sick?
Discomfort such as fever or redness at the injection spot is normal. Such problems will quickly disappear.
2. Can You Delay Vaccine Schedule For a Baby?
If possible, go in line with the vaccine schedule. Delaying the schedule will only put your baby at more risk of catching a disease.
3. Why Should My Baby Get a Painful Shot if Vaccines Aren’t 100% Effective?
Vaccines work 85 to 99 percent of times, and all the pain that comes with them is temporary and worth it for its incredible benefits.
Read Also: Guide To Compulsory & Optional Vaccines For Babies
