Uncertainty about vaccinations for children

Which vaccinations does a child need??

07/21/2014

When it comes to vaccinations, insecurity prevails in Germany. Although most parents vaccinate their children according to the recommendations of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), this is often accompanied by concerns about harming the child.

Vaccinations have proven to be extremely effective in fighting infectious diseases in the past. With their help, diseases such as polio (poliomyelitis), diphtheria or smallpox were significantly reduced. Smallpox is now considered eradicated worldwide, while they demanded hundreds of millions before the introduction of vaccinations in the late 1970s. Paradoxically, however, the success of vaccinations is also one of the reasons for the partially declining acceptance, reports the news magazine „Focus Online“.

Side effects of vaccinations in the focus of perception
For if an illness is successfully pushed back, its consequences in the public consciousness are automatically less present. Discussions about deaths and serious illnesses are ebbing away and instead, possible side effects of vaccinations are becoming the focus of public perception. The Stiko at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recommends in „Immunization schedule for infants, children, adolescents and adults Vaccination to protect against tetanus (T), diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, pneumococci, rotaviruses (RV), meningococcal C, measles, mumps, rubella , Varicella and human papillomavirus (HPV) and influenza.“ However, there is no compulsory vaccination in Germany and the parents themselves have to weigh up which vaccinations their child should receive. Particularly in the case of measles vaccinations, but also in the case of flu vaccines, they have followed the recommendations of Stiko only to a limited extent in the past.

Targeted eradication of certain pathogens
According to the RKI, the elimination of measles, rubella and poliomyelitis by means of vaccination „declared and achievable goal of national and international health policy.“ But this requires a broad acceptance among the population, so that the highest possible immunization rates are achieved. Because only „if high vaccination quotas are reached, it is possible to eliminate individual pathogens regionally and eventually eradicate them worldwide“, reports the RKI. However, as mentioned earlier, the successful repression of the diseases sometimes leads to declining vaccination rates. In addition, some pronounced vaccination recommendations have caused quite a stir in the past. For example, in the context of the swine flu epidemic, when quickly a vaccine had to produce, which was then increasingly associated with serious side effects.

Consider threatening side effects with benefits of vaccinations
The population's reservations about vaccinations are therefore still present today, and many people are skeptical about vaccinations that have to be repeated annually, such as flu vaccinations. The children's vaccinations against serious diseases such as polio or diphtheria offer here a much longer protective effect and are generally accepted by a large part of the population. The modern ones „Vaccines are well tolerated and adverse drug reactions are rarely seen“, explains the RKI. Nevertheless, side effects are not completely excluded. „Typical complaints after a vaccination are redness, swelling and pain at the injection site. General reactions such as fever, headache, body aches and malaise are also possible“, reports the Robert Koch Institute. However, these reactions would usually disappear completely after a few days. However, severe side effects are rarely observed. According to the experts, the threatening side effects have to be weighed against the advantages that a vaccination brings or the symptoms that could arise in the case of a disease. (Fp)