Newborns get a variety of supplements and immunizations right after their birth. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advocate a carefully structured childhood immunization schedule.
If you stick to the program in the coming months and years, you can protect your baby against deadly diseases for the rest of their life. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC closely evaluate the vaccines recommended for infants and toddlers for their effectiveness and safety.
This blog will guide you on the vaccines your newborns need.
1. Hepatitis B
The hepatitis B vaccine protects infants against the hepatitis B virus, which causes liver damage. The first immunization in the series is given to your child in the hospital only right after birth. The second dose is given after 1 or 2 months, with the third dose planned after 6 to 18 months by the pediatrician.
2. DTaP
The DTaP vaccine protects against three deadly diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Diphtheria causes swelling in the throat, tetanus causes severe muscle tightening, and pertussis makes it difficult for children to breathe.
This five-dose regimen starts at two months and is then planned at 4, 6, between 15 -18 months, and then finally the last shot between 4-6 years of age. At the age of 11 – 12 years, children receive a booster shot with a different formulation (Tdap) and then every ten years.
3. Rotavirus
The rotavirus vaccine protects babies from the most common cause of abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and watery diarrhea that can lead to severe dehydration. The CDC advises that it’s best to get rotavirus vaccines between the age of two and four months.
4. Hib Vaccine
The Hib vaccine protects against Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), a bacteria that causes a spinal cord and brain infection that can impair a baby’s hearing capacity and affect the brain and function. It’s a four-dose series given at an interval of two, four, six, and then at 15 months of age.
5. Polio
Before the polio vaccination was developed, the disease paralyzed about 25,000 individuals per year, making it one of the most prevalent and severely impacting diseases. With the development of a vaccine, infants are now protected against it with a four-dosage series given at two, four, between six to eighteen months, and four to six years.
6. Pneumococcal Vaccine
The pneumococcal vaccine prevents Streptococcus pneumonia, which causes ear infections, pneumonia, and meningitis in infants. It’s likewise a four-dose sequence, with doses scheduled at two, four, six, and fifteen months, just like the Hib vaccine.
7. Chickenpox
Chickenpox was often regarded as a rite of passage for children. It, too, had dangerous side effects like encephalitis and pneumonia. The varicella vaccination has made it far less prevalent. Scheduled between the ages of 12 and 15 months and 4 and 6 years, this scientific development has reduced the risk by 90%.
If you’re still left with any of the vital vaccination for your baby, reach out to our expert pediatricians in San Antonia. At A thru Z Pediatrics, we have some of the best pediatricians in town. Our pediatric clinic in Stone Oak, San Antonio, examines your child and guides you about all the vital vaccinations that are incomplete or not yet given to your child.
Contact us now to ensure your child is immune to various diseases.