VACCINATION: "FOR" AND "AGAINST"

The news that the condition of pupils of secondary school № 245 in Baku's Khatai district deteriorated after the Mantoux test caused natural concern among many parents and raised the question: "Is it worth exposing children to the danger of vaccination?" We should say openly that many are raising this question today as parents are divided into two irreconcilable camps here. Opponents of the routine immunization of the population believe that vaccines not only do not protect, but often cause unknown diseases. Vaccination affects the immune system, and after receiving their spectrum, the vaccinated person becomes susceptible to diseases he never had before. Therefore, vaccination weakens the body, especially if a person is vaccinated many times throughout his life.

A sample that causes an allergy

Those who are "for" believe that vaccination should be carried out at the time designated by the pediatrician, and the more accurate the parents, the higher their prophylactic efficacy. Refusing this process, parents put their children at risk.

Mantoux is not a vaccine. The Mantoux test is a test of the activity of human anti-TB immunity. It shows whether organs in the body of a child are affected as a result of tuberculosis. After all, it is known that this disease affects not only the lungs. "However, some parents confuse the Mantoux test with vaccines. The thing is that school-age children are not vaccinated. But parents can opt out of the Mantoux test. However, in this case, the nurse and the doctor, who make this test, should explain the importance of this procedure to parents and children. After all, the child's life might be in big danger. And every parent should take care of the welfare of his child. It is easier to treat any disease in its early stages," the chief pediatrician of the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan and director of the Institute of Pediatrics, Nasib Quliyev, explained to the media after the incident.

The technique of the Mantoux test is to inject under the skin of the tested person a special substance, tuberculin, obtained from destroyed tubercle bacilli. Tuberculin is recognized by the human immune system as a sign of TB infection. If the human body is already familiar with the TB infection, inflammation occurs in the place where tuberculin was injected, usually in the form of a plaque. "From infectious and toxicological points of view, tuberculin is a safe substance. However, due to the high allergenicity of some people, tuberculin can cause allergies in some people. The size of the papule makes it possible to judge the tension (activity) of the TB immunity," Quliyev said. Actually, the indisposition caused by the Mantoux test in school children was that same allergic reaction.

"There is no vaccine!"

This case resulted in another debate among representatives of the two camps. That's what a concerned mother of two told our R+ correspondent. Her eldest daughter is five and youngest is two.

"I am against vaccination. I believe there is no evidence that vaccines completely protect mankind from dangerous infectious diseases. I am convinced that vaccination does not guarantee that a child will not develop the disease, against which he is vaccinated. No vaccine can fully protect against infection. After I vaccinated my eldest child, she came down with fever every time, so I decided that I would not subject my youngest daughter to such a danger. My little girl is now two years old. She was vaccinated in the maternity hospital at birth. I have not taken my child to hospital for any other vaccines, and I do not regret it," she said.

In the medical research community, too, there are such opinions. The well-known Russian homeopath and author of the book "Ruthless Immunization", Aleksandr Kotov, believes that vaccination undermines the immune system. After vaccination, a child becomes subject to diseases that he would not have contracted without vaccination. Vaccination destroys natural immunity given to man by nature. In his view, the risk of many diseases is greatly exaggerated. Therefore, it is always better if a child has chickenpox or measles and develops lifelong immunity against them. The vaccine will not protect someone from these diseases for the rest of his life - revaccinations are needed, and each of them is associated with the risk of complications. When breastfeeding, the mother's immunity is transferred to the child so there is no point in hurrying with the vaccination. Before the child is one year old, his immune system is not mature yet, and it is better not to risk his health and avoid encounters with foreign protein. Moreover, each vaccine contains chemicals and preservatives toxic to the body (mercury salts, aluminium hydroxide, formaldehyde), which may adversely affect the central nervous system, the liver, and the kidneys. There are absolutely no completely safe vaccines - any of them can lead to serious complications that threaten a child with health problems or even death. Total rejection of vaccines will help raise a generation of healthy people, Kotov said.

Ignorance or stupidity?

Most of the medical community regards such an opinion as absurdity and ignorance and parents who share this point of view as illiterate and exposing their children to unnecessary risk. According to them, vaccination only briefly weakens the immune system of a child, but in general, it becomes stronger. Man has no natural immunity against agents of severe infections. Immunization is the only way that protects you from them. Even partial protection is better than none at all. In vaccinated children, even if they fall ill, the disease is milder and produces fewer complications. The so-called childhood infections can also produce serious complications, especially if they affect unvaccinated children and adults who did contract them in childhood: for example, rubella in pregnant women often leads to congenital malformations in the fetus. The small amount of maternal antibodies transmitted through breast milk does not protect against respiratory infections. And the younger the child, the more dangerous an infectious disease is for him. In modern vaccines, the concentration of toxic substances is minimized. Antibiotics, which have to be taken if a child who has not been vaccinated falls sick, can cause the body no less and perhaps even greater harm. Diseases against which vaccines protect can lead to disability and death, and the risk of this outcome is hundreds of times higher than in the case of possible vaccine-related complications. Moreover, widespread rejection of vaccination may lead to epidemics of dangerous diseases.

Therefore, it is necessary to vaccinate a child. But before that, the child should be prepared for that. After all, one of the reasons for complications arising after vaccination may be the wrong preparation for vaccination. If the child has allergies, he needs to take antihistamines: two days before vaccination and two days after. Before an injection of the DPT vaccine (against pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus), it is necessary to make blood and urine tests and consult a neurologist. In preparation for the vaccination, it is necessary to purchase children's antipyretics with paracetamol (better candles - fewer side effects). It is best to avoid aspirin - there may be complications. Before the vaccination, parents should definitely read the instructions to the vaccine, noting the list of contraindications and the expiry date of the drug. On the day of vaccination, the child's diet (and the mother's as well if the child is breastfed) should not include new products. This ban is in effect for three days (according to some doctors, 7-10 days) after the vaccination.

Prior to inoculation, make sure with your doctor that the child does not have a fever. And if this is happening, it should be avoided on this day. Parents should not be afraid to give up the vaccination if they are in doubt about the normal state of the child or have concerns about the vaccine itself. In addition, be sure to find out if the vaccination room has a first aid kit in the event of an allergic reaction.

After the inoculation, it is better to stay near the doctor's office for 30-60 minutes, because there might be immediate allergic reactions to the vaccine. On the day of vaccination, it is better not to bathe the baby. The child's condition should be monitored for another 2-3 weeks, especially on the third, fifth and 10th-11th days - later allergies may develop during these periods.

Where is it better to vaccinate?

By the way, in Azerbaijan, many parents who have chosen vaccination believe that European vaccines are better than Indian ones, which are given in clinics - they have fewer side effects. They call for extra caution when choosing the DPT vaccine. The Indian version usually includes a so-called a whole-cell pertussis component, which, according to many doctors, causes most of the reactions such as swelling in the place of the injection, fever and cramps. In the vaccines of most foreign countries, they are called acellular or cell-free - the pertussis component is purified and causes fewer reactions. Some believe that vaccines for various diseases should be done separately - so the load on the body will be lower. Others argue that combined vaccines are better and one "general" injection is more preferable than two separate ones - the total dose of the toxic preservative is twice as less. In any case, you should consult a pediatrician on these issues so that he decides which option is suitable for the child.

As for opponents of Indian vaccines, we can say this - many private clinics will assure you that they will inject a Belgian vaccine, but that will be much more expensive. However, the district doctor of a local clinic believes that private hospitals cannot have vaccines produced in other countries because they are ordered and purchased at the state level. If the Ministry of Health decides to order vaccines produced in India, then they will be of Indian manufacturing in all health facilities in Azerbaijan. "If they tell you the opposite, you are simply cheating," the doctor says.

A representative of a private clinic does not agree with this opinion, pointing out that "every private hospital has a licence to purchase medicines, vaccines and medical equipment from any country, and hence, the difference in prices for treatment in private health facilities. And if you want your child to get a safe vaccine, it is better to do so in a clinic that prefers medicines manufactured in Europe."

Vaccination is necessary!

So what are we to do and who are we to believe? No matter what clinic you choose, private or public, the majority of physicians are proponents of mandatory vaccination of children. According to the country's chief pediatrician, Professor Nasib Quliyev, there is no alternative to vaccination in the world. As for the quality of vaccines, they are made by high technology, and all countries of the world have joined immunization: "Rejecting vaccination, parents put their children at risk. An unvaccinated child can get dangerous, infectious diseases at any time." Quliyev said: "According to the results of a study by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, every year immunization saves the lives of three million children in the world."

Quliyev said that in Azerbaijan infants are vaccinated against 10 infectious diseases, and the introduction of the last vaccine started in June last year: "It is against Haemophilus influenzae. These bacilli can cause dangerous diseases in children such as pneumonia and meningitis. Thus, the calendar of vaccination in Azerbaijan has reached the same level as in the most advanced countries of the world."

In April of 2012, Azerbaijan held a week of immunization. The purpose of the initiative of the European Immunization Week was to inform the public about the importance of immunization. Throughout the week, regions were revealed in Azerbaijan where there are problems with vaccination, and these problems will be considered. The goal is to maximize the area covered by immunization.

According to the deputy chief physician of the Baku Main City Health Department, Rauf Nagiyev, every drug coming to Azerbaijan is introduced after it is checked at the centre for the analytical examination of medicines. Nagiyev noted that mild reactions in children after vaccination are natural: "It is the response of the organism. After vaccination, the child may have a slight fever and discomfort, which is normal. After vaccination, the child suffers the disease in a mild form."

The Ministry of Health also informs citizens about vaccination online and has posted the schedule of immunization on the Internet. This is a fully automated electronic service provided on the Internet address http://sehiyye.gov.az/immunoprofilaktika_uzre_veb_resurs.html.