Immunisation is a successful, cost-effective health intervention

World Immunisation Day today

Immunisation is widely recognised as one of the most successful and cost effective health intervention. This year the ‘World Immunisation Week’ campaigned for closing the immunisation gap; one in five children is missing out on compulsory vaccines. There is a need to update parents about the new changes and break the biggest myth surrounding vaccines.

The new changes in brief are:

• Take four doses of injectable polio vaccine at 6,10,14 weeks and 18 months
• Take three doses of oral polio vaccine at 0,6 and 9 months
• Prefer DTwP (painful) vaccines over painless DTaP
• Immunise MMR vaccine instead of measles vaccine at 9 months
• Continue to offer cervical cancer vaccine around 10 – 12 years (3 doses at 0,1,6 months apart)

It has been proven that vaccination with MMR or otherwise is not a precursor for autism. Logic dictates that if vaccination only caused autism, how come descriptions similar to autism existed even before widespread vaccination was in place? Now, the newer research has devised techniques to pick up babies less than a year old, who are at high risk for autistic spectrum disorder, which means to say that the disease has its roots even before MMR vaccine is given.

By:Dr Kaza Sharmila

(The author is Consultant Paediatrician at Apollo Hospitals in Jubilee Hills.)