Why it is important for your child to be vaccinated

Vaccination is one of the most important components of the health of each of us. From the first days of life, the baby is protected by the vaccine from the risk of getting infectious diseases that exist around. The disability and mortality of young children have been dramatically reduced all over the world, thanks to vaccination. The situation that caught the world with the appearance of the Corona-virus and the Covid-19 infection that showed how important are vaccines for the community to fight against and overcome such powerful viruses that are spread with great ease and speed in the population, causing a world pandemic.

As long as infectious diseases exist somewhere in the world, and there are vaccines against them, it is important to protect your child with vaccination. It is also a good way to maintain collective immunity to existing infectious diseases and to have the ability to develop and produce new vaccines against new diseases that emerge and occur periodically.

The effectiveness of vaccination can be seen in the example of the fight against the smallpox virus, that once caused a severe, deadly disease. As a result of successfully implemented vaccination in the world, smallpox is a disease that no longer exists since 1980, when the need for further application of the vaccine against this disease ceased.

• What are vaccines? Vaccines are consisted of: dead or living but weakened pathogens (viruses or bacteria), their parts or altered particles of pathogens. They are designed to be harmless but to strongly stimulate your child's immune system to produce antibodies, and create protection, against these pathogens. These antibodies become your child's defences and are always ready to defend when the pathogens try to attack the body.
• Immunization and vaccination Immunization is the process of providing protection for a child from certain infectious diseases. This protection can be provided actively, through vaccination but also passively, by administering ready-made protective factors, immunoglobulins containing specific antibodies (or monoclonal antibodies). Active vaccination provides protection for a long time while passive vaccination provides protection for a relatively short time (usually for only several weeks).

• Vaccination is the act of giving a vaccine. This procedure intentionally encourages the creation of antibodies, in your child, against a   pathogen (an agent like bacteria or virus that causes a disease) without suffering from the disease. It is performed: by injection (e.g, against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, etc.), through the mouth (against polio and rotavirus) and through the nasal mucosa (live flu vaccine). Some children, due to age or serious illness that weakened or permanently damaged immunity, will not be able to be vaccinated or will not be able to receive all vaccines. You can get update recommendations and advice from your doctor and in exceptional situations it is important to consult a pediatric immunologist.
• Herd immunity:  Immunization will protect your child from certain infectious diseases, strengthen him or her, but will also prevent the further spread of the disease. Therefore, it is important that a sufficient number of people in the community acquire the necessary resistance, in order to slow down or completely stop the spread of bacteria and viruses as the cause of these diseases, and thus protect this vulnerable part of the population especially those that can not get vaccines.  This protection is called herd immunity.

In order for your child to develop long term protection, he or she will need to receive additional  doses of the vaccine several times at different ages.

Do not forget to vaccinate your child against diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, because this strengthens his/her defense system and may save lives.