Now trending topic in many forums and mom groups are reasons not to vaccinate your child.It really pains me to see people turn AntiVaX based on unverified data in the internet.That said, it is ultimately the parents choice to decide what is best for their child. However, as a doctor, I felt the need impress on fellow parents about reasons to vaccinate your child.
How I repented for not vaccinating my child
As medico parents, we were always careful of the medical choices for our children.
But the one thing we repent the most was the skipping of Typhoid vaccine. It is was not a compulsory vaccine then, and we thought why to expose our baby to yet another vaccine. We talked with a few pediatricians and it was a mixed view as whether to or not to give the vaccine and end of  the story
                                We Did not Vaccinate for Typhoid!!
 Usually typhoid vaccine is given at 2 years and after we opted out there was no major issue till he was 4 years.
When he was 4 yrs old we shifted from Chennai to Raipur. New place, new culture, we were very excited for the change. The rented house had a local RO filter and we were assured by the owner that it was serviced just before our arrival.
We believed it and started to use the water, thatâs was a grave mistakeđ
My son started having fever, and we shrugged it off as due to new place and the change of climate. Then slowly the temperature started peaking to 102 degree Fahrenheit, then we know this was not viral.
Our Paediatrician suspected Typhoid and started him on antibiotics. My husband wanted to confirm the diagnosis and we ran a blood culture .Yes!! It was typhoid.
Believe Me, that was the lowest moment in my life, as a parent and as a doctor I have failed miserably đ
My son suffered with fever, vomiting, stomach pain for almost a month, lost 3 kgs of weight, lost his appetite.It was the most harrowing experience that any parent can go through. It took almost 2 months for him to become his old self. I want to share this experience so that no other parent takes vaccination for granted.
Vaccines save lives; fear endangers them. Itâs a simple message parents need to keep hearing. Tweet this
 10 Compelling Reasons to vaccinate your child
1. Vaccine Vs Medicine
If given a choice between vaccine vs medicine I would always prefer vaccine over medicine (My son had to take antibiotic for 14 long days). I wouldnât want my baby suffer through the disease and then acquire immunity against the disease. Although painful and with mild side effects, a single shot is far more appealing than facing the symptoms of the disease. The complications of the vaccine preventable diseases are also very severe and by vaccinating we can prevent them.
2. Vaccine Preventable diseases are still a threat!!!
We are now a â Polio Free Indiaâ
Although we are jubilant over this enormous achievement, if the question arises
Is it advisable to stop Mass Polio Immunizations ?
The answer would be a Definite NO as there is always chance of a stray case which may flare up and spread.
The AntiVax people are proclaiming there is very less or nil chance of contracting an eradicated disease and vaccination campaign is the manipulation of the pharmaceutical giants to amass profits.
CDC  has reported a new increase in Measles in the USA due to the  trend of not vaccinating the children. (Measles was eliminated in the year 2000 in USA) and this may happen to any of the eradicated disease.
3. Protect the Community!!
Do you know that by not vaccinating our children we are exposing the whole community/country to risk.  There is something called Herd Immunity, which in simple terms means that in a community if more people are immunized against a particular disease then the Vaccine acts as a firewall and prevents the spread of disease.
There might be persons who are not eligible for vaccinations like people with allergies, debilitating diseases, immune system disorders. If such persons are surrounded by people who are not vaccinated, then there is high probability of these people getting infected with grave diseases.
4. Help Eradicate Disease !!
Yes, you can help eliminate disease by vaccinating your children. Polio free India is a perfect example. It was because of the extensive pulse polio campaigns we were able to eradicate polio from our country.
 5. Safety Assured !!
The concerns on safety of administering vaccines to infants emerged after the controversial paper on autism associated with MMR vaccine. It was later retracted by Lancet and the whole theory has been proved wrong now. Most of the vaccine safety is monitored by CDC, MHRAÂ and in India by WHO and AEFI. Vaccines are released only after a long and careful review of scientists, doctors and health care professionals.
6. Are you concerned about your childâs Immune System Overload?
The AntiVaxx people claim that they do not want to overburden their babyâs immune system with more vaccines.
That is absolutely ridiculous !!!
â The vaccines that a baby has in the first year of life are a tiny number when compared to the thousands of wild bacteria and viruses it will meet within the same timeâÂ
Watch this Animation to know more.
7. Improve Quality of Life
What does vaccination have with improving quality of life??
Yes, it does perhaps an example can help understand the concept.
One of my cousins contracted Chicken pox during his 12th board exams, he contracted the severe form of the disease and he wasnât able to sit for the exams. More than the physical symptoms there was a great psychological and mental disability which not only affected him but the entire family as well. Although chicken pox vaccine was not widely available when he was a kid, still this example can explain why vaccination may help improving the quality of life.
8. Being a Patriotic Citizen !!!
Now this is getting weirder !! Â â What is the relation between me vaccinating my baby and me being patriotic???â
Well, India spends crores on Public Health and the Immunization programme is of paramount importance in it.
Most of you would not be aware of what goes in a Primary Health Care who are the basic health caregivers in our country.
Contrary to the general belief of the poor service of the government hospitals, every PHC takes great responsibility to ensure the  prompt Immunization of all the children in their region. I have seen  Village Health Nurses trudging miles with the heavy vaccine carrier boxes to ensure that her village little ones are vaccinated according to schedule.
Moral of the story â By vaccinating our children we can contribute to herd immunity and thereby preserve the work done by our government.
 9. Saves Money!!
I have nothing great to add to this, as everybody is aware of the healthcare cost now.
Health always comes before money, and as a parent we will be ready to spend to any extent for our children. But that might not be the same scenario for all the parents and vaccine preventable diseases if contracted can be debilitating with prolonged hospital stay.
10. Peace of Mind
Being Antivaxx and worrying whether the child may contract the disease is a harrowing experience. It is better safe than being sorry!!!
Be peaceful, Vaccinate your children.
You can start, by downloading this Immunization Schedule by IAP đ
Please Note: Vaccination is a vast topic covering all aspects in a single article is impossible, I have just touched the essential points do read the below useful websites for more information.
Please do check out our post on â Is Rotavirus Vaccine necessary for babies?â
What is your take on Vaccinating your child? Yay or Nay?
Do share with us your experience by commenting below.
More to Read
1. Indian Academy of PediatricsÂ
3. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
4. American Academy of Pediatrics
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