Vaccinations-Are they effective? Pres Thurles

Vaccinations- Are they effective?

Introduction History How they work! The Polio Vaccine The Rubella Vaccine How they are made e-mail us

The Meningococcal C Vaccine Who should be vaccinated? Side Effects The Tetanus Vaccine TB & MMR

The Disadvantages

When they should not be given !

There are a number of disadvantages of vaccines which affect its effectiveness.

Side effects – Side effects occur from all types of vaccines. These side effects can range from mild reactions, redness and swelling at the site of the injection, to severe reactions like arthritis and brain damage.
Ease of use – Most of the vaccinations used today to prevent disease must be injected into the person’s bloodstream. This procedure must be carried out by trained healthcare professionals. The use of healthcare professionals makes vaccines an expensive procedure and therefore unsuitable for use in the third world. One exception to this is the Oral Polio Vaccine, which is popular in the Third World as well as developed countries because of its ease of administration.
Immunity does not develop in response to a vaccine.- This occurs most commonly after the BCG in certain countries and races. The BCG provides little or no protection to the Negro population against tuberculosis. For this reason it is not widely used outside Europe.
Parents who have their children vaccinated assume that their children are then protected against the disease but this is not necessarily true. For example, Fife in Scotland had a 96% vaccination density but was afflicted by a measles epidemic in 1991/1992. It is generally considered that once an area has a 95%+ vaccination density, an epidemic will not occur.
Vaccinated children who develop measles from the wild strain may not be diagnosed with measles since they do not show the typical signs and symptoms of measles.
Vaccines run the risk of recombination with related wild strains or vaccine strains. The possible consequences and results of this are unknown to date.
Despite a high degree of hygiene, it is impossible to rule out the risk of contamination of vaccines. Animal cells may be contained in the vaccines and these could rearrange our genetic makeup. Also other diseases may contaminate the vaccines causing serious consequences.
The body may develop tolerance to antigens using the same principle seen in the treatment of hay fever and asthma. To treat these, the patient is injected with small amounts of the allergen (pollen etc.) in order to weaken the effect of the allergen.

When Should Vaccinations Not Be Given?

(For all Vaccines)

If the child/adolescent has a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or over on the day the vaccine is due.
If the child has suffered a severe allergic reaction to the Hib vaccination or the diphtheria/tetanus/whooping cough (3-in-1) booster or to the old meningitis A and C vaccines.
To young women who think they may be pregnant or who are breastfeeding.

(For Individual Vaccinations)

Polio: Children younger than 6 weeks, people who are ill or have cancer of the lymph system.

Measles: Children younger than 15 months, pregnant women, people suffering from illness, those allergic to eggs, chicken feathers, or who have cancer, blood disease or immune deficiencies.

Rubella: Pregnant women, people allergic to eggs, chickens, ducks or feathers, cancer, blood disease, or immune deficiencies.

DPT: Any child past their 7^th birthday, or who has a severe reaction to a previous dose, has a personal history of convulsions or neurological disease, acutely sick with fever, or respiratory infection, or taking any medication that may suppress the immune system.

DPT should not be given in the following circumstances.

If the child is ill, including a runny nose, cough, ear infection, and diarrhoea or has recovered from illness within one month prior to scheduled DPT shot.
Child has a family member who had severe reaction to DPT shot or whose immediate family has history of convulsions or neurological disease.
Child born prematurely or with low birth-weight.
The child has a personal or family history of severe allergies (i.e. Cow’s milk, asthma, eczema)

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