Baby's Checkups and Immunizations

HEALTH CHECKUPS

Luckily, very few children are born with major birth defects or illnesses. Most babies are born in hospitals or birthing centers, where a thorough medical examination will take place shortly after the birth. Therefore, a lot of problems can be detected early. But many new mothers still worry that some­thing might be wrong with their baby, or feel insecure about caring for their child. If so, it's better to ask the doctor or nurse about some­thing than to worry unnecessarily!

All infants and children should be checked regularly by a doctor or nurse, throughout childhood. Your doctor's office or health clin­ic will have officially recommended checkup schedules on hand. Because every child is unique, the official guidelines may be adjust­ed somewhat for your own child. In general, the checkups (also called well-baby visits)

happen frequently — perhaps every few weeks — for the first 6 months. During the second half of the first year, they are usually scheduled somewhat less frequently.

At the checkups, your baby will be weighed and measured. Other tests will be taken, too, and you'll be offered advice about baby care, breast-feeding, nutrition, and safety. The nec­essary vaccinations will also be given.

You'll probably have questions, but it's easy to forget what you wanted to ask once you're actually at the doctor's office or clinic. So, it's a good idea to write down any ques­tions or concerns beforehand.

Be reassured that everything will probably be fine at the well-baby visits. However, it's important to keep to the recommended schedule, so that anything out of the ordi­nary can be found as soon as possible. As the saying goes, prevention is the best remedy!

VACCINATIONS

Vaccines are given to help prevent certain contagious diseases, or at least to decrease the severity of the diseases if the person catches them. Vaccines contain infectious agents (such as viruses or bacteria) that have been specially treated to make the vaccines as safe as possi­ble. The process of giving vaccines is called vaccination or immunization.

Some diseases that used to kill or harm hun­dreds or thousands of children each year —diseases such as smallpox — have been com­pletely eliminated or dramatically reduced, thanks to widespread vaccination efforts. It's important that your child be immunized, on time, as recommended by your doctor or clin­ic. Your health care professional will explain to you, in detail, the symptoms of the diseases and the benefits and risks of vaccination.

Almost all infants should be vaccinated against the following diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis; measles, mumps, and rubella; polio; and Haemophilus b. Some babies should also be vaccinated against chickenpox, hepatitis B, and/or hepatitis A.

It would seem desirable to vaccinate chil­dren shortly after birth. However, this isn't rec­ommended, because a child's ability to form protective antibodies from the vaccines is low if he or she is vaccinated before 2 months of age. You should also know that many vaccines need to be given several times to be truly effective.

DTP VACCINE

The DTP vaccine is a combination vaccine that helps protect against three diseases: diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), and pertussis (whooping cough).

This vaccine is injected into a muscle. Your child may be slightly irritable for a few hours after the injection, and may develop a slight fever, which usually disappears the next day. The area around the injection site might be a little sore and red. Sometimes, a small lump under the skin can be felt, but it should go away shortly. If your baby develops a high fever or cries inconsolably after the injection call the doctor or clinic.

Diphtheria is rare nowadays in industrial­ized countries such as ours. If, however, the vaccine were to be discontinued, diphtheria would probably infect large numbers of peo­ple after a few years. That is why children should continue to be vaccinated against diphtheria. Symptoms of diphtheria include high fever, very sore throat, and difficulty breathing. It requires immediate medical attention.

Tetanus (or lockjaw) has gradually become more rare, too, but the cases that do occur can be very serious. When people get the disease, their face muscles become paralyzed and they can't open their mouth or swallow. The paralysis then spreads. Tetanus is found insome rusty metals and in some soils, espe­cially soil contaminated with animal droppings. If a child has an open wound such as a cut, the tetanus can get into his or her body. A "booster dose" will probably be given if a person is exposed to tetanus but hasn't had a tetanus shot in the past 6 or 7 years.

Pertussis (or whooping cough) remains a serious disease for infants, and can occur as an epidemic, i.e., infecting many children at a time. When this disease occurs, the person gets "fits" of coughing that last for minutes on end, has trouble breathing, and ma^y even vomit or burst some blood vessels from the intensity of the coughing. If an infant is exposed to whoop­ing cough before he or she can be vaccinated, the vaccine will probably no longer be effec­tive. The baby will be given a special gamma globulin treatment instead of the vaccine. The child will then be protected against whooping cough for about 1 month.

MMR VACCINE

The MMR vaccine is a combination vac­cine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles). Some children will devel­op a slight fever, mild rash, soreness in the joints, and/or swollen lymph glands under the jaw in the first couple of weeks after the injection. These symptoms should go away quickly. If you notice stronger reactions, con­tact the doctor or clinic immediately.

Measles is rarely seen now, because most children get vaccinated against it. Symptoms

include very high fever, severe cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a tell-tale red rash that often starts behind the ears and spreads to the rest of the body.

Mumps affects glands under the jaw, just below the ears. When someone gets mumps, these glands swell up and get quite painful. The person might also have a fever. Although the infection itself may seem mild, mumps can cause long-term problems in some people, especially adolescents or adults. Therefore, its important to immunize against mumps as soon and as often as your doctor or clinic recommends.

Rubella (or German measles) is a disease that causes a low fever, runny nose, mild cough, swollen glands at the back of the head, and a light pink rash that often starts at the hairline and then spreads over the body. Although it tends to be a mild illness in chil­dren, rubella frequently produces severe birth defects if a pregnant woman catches the dis­ease. By immunizing all children, years before they grow up and have children of their own, doctors hope to eliminate this situation.

POLIO VACCINE

Your baby will probably receive several doses of a vaccine against polio. The vaccine might be injected, or it might be given orally (by mouth). Polio used to be widespread, but vaccination has practically eliminated it in this country. With polio, various parts of the

nervous system are affected, and the person may become permanently paralyzed.

HIB VACCINE

The HiB vaccine helps protect children (and adults) against one type of bacteria. The bacteria, called Haemophilus influenzae type b, causes meningitis (inflammation of the cover­ing of the brain and spinal cord), pneumonia, and other very serious infections. The vaccine rarely has "side effects," except for temporary redness or soreness at the injection site.

CHICKENPDX VACCINE

HEPATITIS B VACCINE

Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver. It is transmitted through the blood or other body fluids. People with hepatitis B may feel fine, or they may feel very ill, with loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, and jaun­dice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Whether or not the person gets symptoms, hepatitis B can be very serious, and it may linger throughout the person's life. Vaccination may be recommended for infants (and others) who are at high risk for getting hepatitis B.

HEPATITIS A VACCINE

Hepatitis A is another type of liver infec­tion. It may not make the person sick for as long as hepatitis B, but can be very conta­gious. Hepatitis A may be transmitted in many different ways, including through raw or under-cooked foods. Vaccination against hepatitis A may or may not be recommended for your child.

BABY'S IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULE

AGE                     VACCINES                             

2 months                           DTP, Polio, HiB

4 months                           DTP, Polio, HiB

6 months                           DTP, Polio, HiB

12-15 months                   DTP, Polio, HiB, MMR, tuberculosis

4-6 years                          DTP, Polio

11-12 years                      MMR

14-16 years                      Diphtheria and tetanus

Every 10 years               Diphtheria and tetanus Hepatitis A vaccine Hepatitis B vaccine Chickenpox vaccine