Vaccination: What You Need to Know

1. Types of Vaccines:

• Live attenuated vaccines:

• Usually a weakened form of the wild virus, providing immunity similar to natural infection, often requiring only one dose.

• Examples: Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Chickenpox, Rotavirus, Oral Polio, BCG (Tuberculosis), Oral Typhoid.

• Highly affected by circulating antibodies in the blood, requiring strict storage.

• Inactivated/killed vaccines:

• Can be reproduced/replicated.

• Usually produce less robust immunity, requiring 3-5 doses.

• Less affected by circulating antibodies in the blood.

• Mainly provides humoral immunity.

• Prone to spoilage, requiring strict storage.

• Examples: DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus), Injectable Polio, Pertussis, JE (Japanese Encephalitis), Cholera, VGA (Hepatitis A), Injectable Typhoid, VGB (Hepatitis B), Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b), Meningococcal, Tetanus.

2. Types of Vaccines by Composition:

• Whole-cell inactivated vaccines: Polio, Pertussis, JE, Cholera, VGA, Injectable Typhoid

• Acellular inactivated vaccines: VGB, Hib, Meningococcal, Tetanus

3. Vaccination Schedule:

• Children from 0 – 11 months old are the primary target for vaccinations.

• Children from 12 – 23 months old receive booster doses.

4. Special Complications:

• Pertussis: Seizures, cyanosis in episodes, acute encephalopathy, encephalitis.

• Encephalitis: May be caused by measles, rabies, mumps, pertussis.

5. Symptoms After Vaccination Requiring Medical Attention:

• Agitation, restlessness/lethargy, refusal to feed, persistent crying

• Difficulty breathing

• High fever, difficulty lowering body temperature or lasting > 24 hours

• Purple rash on the skin

• Rapidly progressing rash 24 – 48 hours after vaccination

6. Vaccination Achievements in Vietnam:

• Eradication of polio since 2000.

• Maintaining the elimination of neonatal tetanus since 2005.

7. Vaccination Contraindications:

• Common Unreasonable Contraindications:

• Mild fever

• Currently receiving antibiotics

• Pregnant or breastfeeding

• Premature babies

• Non-anaphylactic allergy/substance not present in the vaccine

• Multiple vaccines administered at once

• Vaccination Contraindications in Children >= 1 month old:

• Shock or severe reaction after previous vaccination (fever > 39 degrees Celsius accompanied by seizures or neurological/meningeal symptoms, cyanosis, difficulty breathing)

• Deteriorating health requiring treatment.

• Contraindications according to the manufacturer.

• Vaccination Contraindications in Newborns:

• Do not administer BCG to children born to mothers with HIV who have not received adequate prevention, leading to mother-to-child transmission.

• Contraindications according to the manufacturer.

Note: This information is for reference only. Please contact your doctor for accurate advice on a vaccination schedule that suits your child’s health condition.