Electronic version of vaccination guide for children and adolescents

Vaccination of children and adolescents is currently the most economical, effective and safe way to prevent and control infectious diseases. The 14 free vaccines in my country's current immunization program can cover 15 high-risk infectious diseases in children. There is no absolute determination of "must-vaccine" or "IQ tax" for non-immunization program vaccines. All vaccination decisions must be based on the child's health status, past allergic history, and regional epidemic risks, and are determined after evaluation by medical staff at regular vaccination sites. There is no need to blindly follow the trend or deliberately resist. 】

Last week, I spent half the morning in the vaccination area of ​​the community health service center. I met several parents who were struggling: some took the "must-do list of second-category vaccines" collected by Douyin and wanted to arrange all of them for their children who had just entered kindergarten. There were also some old people who dragged their wives and said, "Don't get vaccinated except for free ones. If you do, you will get sick." There was a lot of quarrel between the two parties. In fact, both of these ideas are a bit extreme.

Let’s first talk about the immunization program vaccines that everyone should least worry about, which are often referred to as free vaccines. This is a required vaccination required by the state. If you don’t have all the vaccinations, you will have to make up for them when entering day care or school. Don’t leave anything to chance. I met a parent before who thought it was troublesome and neglected to vaccinate his child against measles. It happened that a child in the kindergarten got measles, and his own child was directly infected. He had a fever for almost a week and was hospitalized for three days. The gain outweighed the loss. Oh, by the way, now you can check all your children’s vaccination records, whether on the Alipay health code page or the official public account of disease control in various places. You can see what is missing at a glance. You don’t have to look through that wrinkled green notebook. The electronic record will also send out vaccination reminders for the next shot in advance, so that you don’t have to remember the date incorrectly.

The most controversial thing is definitely the self-funded vaccines that are not part of the immunization program. Those who hold the view that "self-paid vaccines are IQ taxes" have a core concern that their safety is not guaranteed. In fact, regardless of whether they are free or self-paid, as long as they are domestically approved vaccines, they have gone through rigorous clinical trials and have completely consistent safety standards. However, they are not included in the free scope for the time being due to national financial affordability, disease prevalence and other reasons. But there is no need to go to the other extreme - "the most expensive ones are good, and all vaccinations are available". For example, if your child never eats raw food from outside, and has no chance to go to pastoral areas, then there is no need to arrange anthrax and cholera vaccines, which will increase the unnecessary immune burden. Don't blindly copy the national general list online. If you live in the southern coast, you may give priority to dengue fever vaccine. If you change to northwest pastoral areas, you may give priority to Brucella vaccine. The needs are much different in different regions.

Pick a few vaccines that people ask about most, and you will understand why they cannot be generalized. Take the HPV vaccine, for example. Many people have said before that "it's not good to give it to girls who are too young. Wait until they grow up." The current World Health Organization recommendation is that girls aged 9-14 who have not had sexual intercourse are the priority groups for the HPV vaccine. The immune effect is much better than that of vaccination in adults. my country's guidelines also specify that 9-45 years old All women can be vaccinated. There is no need to miss the best vaccination period due to inexplicable concerns. Oh, and by the way, many places have now begun to vaccinate girls under 14 years old with HPV free of charge. This electronic guide will generally synchronize with local policies to benefit people. You can search for the requirements in your area and save a lot of money. There is also the flu vaccine. Every year, people complain that "if you get a cold, it's a waste of money." Let's be honest here: the flu vaccine protects against severe influenza A and B, which may cause pneumonia and myocarditis. It does not protect against common colds caused by rhinovirus and adenovirus. If the child at home has low immunity, it is recommended to arrange it every autumn and winter. After all, the registration fee, medicine fee, and missed work fee are much higher than the cost of the vaccine, and the baby will suffer.

There is no need to memorize the messy statements on the Internet about the precautions before vaccination. There are rumors about fasting and stopping medication for a week. As long as the child does not have an acute fever, is not in the acute exacerbation phase of a chronic disease, or has a history of severe allergies to vaccine components, most children can be vaccinated. Oh, by the way, some parents asked if they can get the flu if they are allergic to eggs. The previous guidelines did list this as a contraindication. Now the new guidelines have been adjusted. As long as it is not a severe allergy that causes difficulty breathing or shock after eating eggs, and it is just the starting point of a rash, you can definitely get vaccinated. If you are not sure, tell the vaccination doctor truthfully about your child's allergy history, and they will give you an evaluation, which is much more reliable than searching Baidu to scare yourself.

As for the reaction after vaccination, don't be too anxious. Generally, low-grade fever, redness and swelling at the vaccination site, and some fatigue within 24 hours after the injection are all normal immune reactions. Drink more water and rest, and they will subside in a day or two. If your body temperature exceeds 38.5°C, you develop large areas of urticaria, you have trouble breathing, and your energy is particularly low, then go to the hospital as soon as possible. Don’t push it, and don’t accuse the vaccine of having a problem whenever a reaction occurs. The probability of a serious adverse reaction is lower than if you are struck by lightning when you go out. There is really no need to be overly nervous.

You only need to save this electronic version of the guide on your mobile phone. Now the official versions in various places will be updated regularly. For example, when new vaccines are launched and there are new policy adjustments, they will be synchronized as soon as possible. It is much more reliable than the old version you saved a few years ago. Last time I met a parent who had vaccinated their child with the pentavalent vaccine, but they forgot to vaccinate against meningococcal meningitis. Fortunately, a reminder popped up in the electronic record to prevent any omissions. So after each vaccination, you might as well check the electronic record twice to see what vaccinations will be next, and make an appointment in advance to avoid delays. If you are unsure, just leave a message directly on the background of the local CDC official account. Most of them will be answered by professionals. Don’t blindly believe in rumors in the circle of friends.