9 - Childhood Immunisation Flashcards
How do we know that vaccines work and that they are safe?
Why do we need to vaccinate children?
- Prevent them contracting life threatening illnesses
- Generate herd immunity (especially for the very old and young)
- Prevent antibiotic resistance
- If we don’t vaccinate diseases will return
- Save money (ROI)
What advice do we give to parents complaining that their child develops a cough after their flu jab?
Explain that the vaccine works by causing them to develop and immune response using a low level of the flu. The effects of the jab are far less than the effects of actual flu
Why is it important to flag up when a parent does not attend their child’s immunisation appointments?
It is the human right of the child to recieve the vaccine to stop preventable deaths e.g measles, pertussis
What are the specific and broad benefits of vaccines?
- Prevent illness and reduce burden on healthcare
- Child’s cognitive skills and physical strength improve quicker as not ill so school perforance increased
What document can GPs look at for information on vaccine scheduling in the UK?
Green Book
What are some of the routine immunisations that occur in the UK?
What are some additional immunisations that are not routinely offered but offered to susceptible patients, e.g asplenic?
What is the reason for the spike in measle cases in 2003 and 2012?
- Andrew Wakefield published his MMR and Autism paper in 1999 which caused parents around this time to not get the vaccination and then there was a lag effect due to herd immunity dropping
What is vaccine hesistancy?
Delay in the acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of them!
Why is their vaccine hesitancy?
- Concerns of side effects
- Lack of knowledge
- Wakefield’s paper
- Big Pharma view that companies make child sick to make a dollar
- Information on the media
