Immunization of newborn infants refers to the vaccinations that are given during the first few months after birth. These vaccines are proven to protect an infant from several deadly and debilitating diseases and save more than 3 million lives per year. Failure to follow the recommended vaccination schedule of your children can put them at risk of fatal diseases. Diseases like smallpox and polio have only been eradicated due to consistent vaccinations against them.
Your newborn’s immune system is still developing and is therefore vulnerable to many types of illnesses, since they don’t have enough antibodies to fight them. Apart from this much needed protection, following the immunization schedule recommended by your pediatrician offers many other benefits. Take a look.
1. Immunization Protects Others Too
Vaccinations not only provide individual protection to the baby but also to those around them. This is also sometimes called “herd immunity,” where the disease-causing organisms has fewer places to breed. This reduces the overall risk of infection for everyone in the long run. This is beneficial for young babies and also elderly people, who have weaker immune systems due to age-related deterioration, diseases like diabetes and more.
2.Vaccines Can Wipe Out Devastating Diseases
As mentioned earlier, some deadly diseases have already been eliminated from the face of the Earth thanks to consistent vaccinations across multiple generations. The US has also managed to largely eliminate mumps and measles due to regular vaccinations. In India, we still need to create awareness among the people to be able to achieve such eradication of illnesses that could have long-term repercussions on the child.
3. Saves You Money
Once you get your infant vaccinated, they are less likely to face chronic or life-threatening diseases. Without such protection, you might have to face huge medical bills to treat difficult ailments. Prevention is always better than cure. So, make sure to ask your pediatrician for the vaccination calendar for your little one and follow it diligently.
4. Vaccinations are Safe and Effective
Vaccines are given to children only by health professionals and doctors. Each vaccine has gone through stringent testing to ensure that they are completely safe to be used with newborns. Of course, the jab itself could cause some discomfort and redness around the injection area but this is only a temporary effect. In some cases, the newborn might experience fever, which is normal. This too can be easily managed. Such mild side-effects are well worth it when you consider that they could save your child’s life or even from paralysis or then need for an amputation.
Do a Screening Test as a Precaution?
When your baby is a day old, a series of special tests called newborn screening test, is recommended to check for rare but treatable conditions in the infant. This screening test includes blood, hearing and heart screening. A baby might seem healthy, with no symptoms of any disease, but these tests can ensure the early detection of problems, so that treatment can be given quickly for best results.