Parenting is hard! With so much information around caring and nurturing of babies, it’s already too overwhelming. Yet, there’s one subject that still remains debatable and is the most heavily discussed – that’s vaccination and immunisation.
I am a pro-vaccine parent. Both of my kids have been vaccinated and immunised on schedule. Better safe than sorry, right? I was vaccinated and my parents were vaccinated too. All of us are living a perfectly healthy life, so why should my kids not have a healthy and normal life? Why take chances?
When I was given the immunization chart for my kids, I also had a plethora of questions and doubts, safety and side effects being my primary concern because just like every millennial parent, I Google everything, read more than I need to, research about everything and raise my doubts whenever and wherever necessary.
The credit for the initiating the vaccine debate that shocked the world goes to the article published in the late 1990s which implied that vaccines are linked to autism in children. The report, published by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield, appeared in The Lancet which insinuated that autism was directly caused by the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines.
The article gained huge popularity and caused fear amongst the parents. This article caused massive collateral damage that resulted in Wakefield losing his medical license. The study was revoked later upon discovering that his research was flawed and had ethical and methodical violations.
The fact of the matter is that vaccines are safe, and science believes it too. However, as a result of this prolonged debate around vaccines and the side effects of the use of preservatives in them, new type vaccines are being opted by parents now – preservative-free vaccines.
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So, what are preservative-free vaccines?
Preservative-free vaccines are those that do not contain the preservative thimerosal. Preservative-free vaccines come in both single-dose vials. Any vaccine with multi-dose vial contains preservatives.
For example, the preservative-free flu vaccine doesn’t contain thimerosal. The formulation contains the same four strains of killed influenza virus as other injectable quadrivalent flu vaccines. Preservative-free flu vaccines are also delivered at the same time and the same dose is given as the traditional flu vaccines.
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Side Effects of Preservative-Free Vaccines
Following are the side effects of the preservative-free vaccines:
- Pain and swelling at the injection site
- Low-grade fever
- Fatigue
- Crankiness
- Headache
- Muscle ache
- Tiredness
Side effects are typically mild and resolve within a day or two. However, consult your doctor immediately or rush to ER if symptoms like severe pain, increased swelling, nausea, vomiting, rash, rapid heart rate, or difficulty breathing occur.
Avoid preservative-free vaccine if you are someone with:
Infants under 6 months old shouldn’t be given any preservative-free vaccine.
As a parent, it’s very easy for me to get influenced by headlines and what’s being written on a million websites on the internet. Therefore, doctors and medical professionals play a very important role in sharing factual and scientific information with parents. With the appropriate education, parents and guardians make informed and safe decisions for their children.
What’s #YourCareQuotient? How much do you understand your child when it comes to sleep patterns, feeding and vaccination? Take the easy, interactive quiz that guides you and get the childcare guide now.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger. This is a part of the public awareness initiative supported by Sanofi Pasteur India. Sanofi Pasteur bears no responsibility for the content of the blog. One should consult their healthcare provider for any health-related information.
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