Wikipedia has this for your heads up about vaccines “It is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins, or one of its surface proteins.” A mouth full huh… I know, but let me save you the stress, simply put vaccines are the medications administered to help produce the antibodies by stimulating the immune system. They contain a weakened or killed version of the disease causing germs. This means that when a particular vaccine is administered on you, you automatically become immune to that very disease.
On the other hand, immunity is the ability to fight and resists germs that cause diseases. Getting your baby vaccinated is the simplest way of protecting them from the germs and virus causing diseases. Normally the immunization boards such as KEPI (Kenya Expanded Program Immunization), outlines various vaccines that must be administered on babies at intervals from birth up until their ninth month.
But with this comes the heated debate on whether to use the regular, or baby friendly vaccines. Truth be told, the regular vaccine packages only includes the basics, but most important vaccines that every child needs. However, the baby friendly vaccines go deeper than the government enrollment and slated time period. They include extra administrations, depending on the doctors’ advice and parents’ preference. Many wonder why the immunization boards wouldn’t settle on one program and roll it out to every hospital to cover all babies. Well, they are distinct and cannot be accessed by everyone. This is why:
Cost effective
Regular vaccines are normally a government roll out program to the county hospitals, being a government roll out means it’s absolutely free and can be accessed by every parent. All it takes is a scheduled visit for the immunization. On the other hand, the baby friendly immunization is administered mainly in private hospital at varied fees; the cost is normally high making it less accessible. Baby friendly is mainly accessed by the financially stable parents who have an extra penny to spend on an enhanced immunization program. It therefore goes without saying that unlike the regular vaccine, the baby friendly vaccine is not cost effective on everyone.
Side Effects
It is believed that baby friendly vaccines derived its name literally from the words that make it, it is presumed to be less painful with no side effects. Many a time babies who receive the regular vaccine administration go through a terrific day battling fever and enormous swelling within the injected part. Alleviation of that discomfort mostly sends mothers on pain killers to help reduce the pain. All matters considered it feels safe having a baby friendly vaccine as compared to the regular vaccine for a peaceful and unaffected immunization.
Unlimited vaccinations
As per the government program the vaccines are only available for babies in between birth and 9 months post-delivery. This means that any other vaccines offered after this must be catered for by the parents, so no matter how much you would want to evade the baby friendly vaccines, you get to a point of no option after the government program takes a halt on you. The baby vaccines are 15 in number; administered on interval until the baby is 2 years old but the government programs only offers 10 of the 15 administered within the first nine months. This means that the baby friendly program offers unlimited vaccination.
Storage
The reasons babies are immunized on scheduled appointments are for the government hospitals to register the number of immunization scheduled for a particular day and plan for it. Regular vaccines once administered, left overs must be disposed to limit storage contamination. This is purely in contrast to baby friendly vaccines that can be stored over time and administered at peril without risking any contamination.
According to Dr. Gathuki, there is no such thing as government recommended vaccines, the rolled out program is a mirror of what the government can afford and not what is recommended. Research conducted and approved by the Kenya Consortium of Medical and Health Professionals shows that every child deserves a full package of 15 vaccinations administered at intervals within the first 2 years of birth. There is an international recommendation done globally on the suitable vaccines for a baby and every government selects a few from the given number to put on their program, this is what translates to ‘the government recommended vaccines.’
He further says, “The government has no recommendation authority; it only offers what it can cater for and not exactly what is needed. Taking a child off the vaccination program after nine months is a risk that no parent should take. Stay woke and strive towards building a healthy developmental milestone for your child.”
The baby friendly vaccines may be a bit pocket draining, but asides that it has every positive benefit your child needs, still in limbo… I hope not.
Have you too been believing there are baby friendly and non baby friendly vaccines?