[ad_1]
Something very moving happened in my hospital last year. A young mother, no more than 20 years old, came to vaccinate her first child. She was carrying her baby in a very "yopy" "kangaroo pouch" and a real "ajebo". After vaccinating her child, she entered my office and sat on the consultation chair.
READ ALSO: Malaria: MSF vaccinates 52,000 children in Borno
I said to myself:
■ "Where does this ajebo come from?"
Probably an American returnee.
■ Perhaps one of these, "doc, I am unable to express my breast milk". or
■ "Doc, why did they make infant formula if your doctors insist on exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months?" Or
■ "Doc, I have intolerable pain in the breast after suckling the baby. Or
■ "Doc, can I increase breastfeeding with water and formula?
In fact, all they wanted to say was, "I do not want my breasts to sag, so I do not breastfeed." So I prepared for fireworks and whipped it. Then I innocently said, "How can I help you and your baby?" I was stunned when she replied, "Doctor, I know polio and measles, what are other childhood diseases that I have to vaccinate? baby against?
I was stunned, disconcerted, in fact, I was unplussed.
Then I said casually, "Did I hear you correctly? Come back, please. "She repeated what I heard earlier, I got up from my chair, went to the place where she was sitting with her baby. shook his hand, then carried his baby and whispered in his right ear – "young man, you're in good hands, you look curious. mother. "The young woman smiles matronly, you see, in medical language," a curious mother is a competent mother. "Forget the old adage that says" Curiosity has killed the cat ", human curiosity marks the beginning of wisdom.
I have quietly educated the young woman with her baby. Then I noticed that I had to write about this curious ajebo in my Sunday column. Most of us, like the young woman, know almost nothing of the deadly diseases of childhood except polio and measles. I am also quite sure that most of us are unaware of the latest changes, with regard to the vaccination of children, according to which the "DTC" triad has been modified to become "DPC plus 2" pentavalent and that a new polio vaccine was introduced. I will explain briefly.
READ ALSO: Ways to control, reduce cancer in children
What's a vaccine?
■ Vaccines are parts of viruses or bacteria (called antigens) or weak live viruses.
■ Vaccines are given to babies before their antibodiesdisappear completely.
■ Most babies receive up to 20 vaccines before the age of one year, depending on the country.
■ Vaccine-preventable diseases account for about 22% of child deaths in Nigeria, or 200,000 deaths per year.
■ Note that most vaccines are free, especially in Nigeria and other third world countries.
■ That's why Bill and Melinda Gates are injecting millions of dollars into Africa for the eradication of polio.
■ Mothers should have their baby vaccinated.
■ On the first day of immunization, mothers will receive a card that will help health practitioners and themselves to keep track of the vaccines their babies have taken and will continue to take.
■ New parents and beginners will learn how to keep track of all the vaccinations their newborn needs.
To make it easier for new timers, you will find below the age, dates and vaccinations required for the baby, and the abbreviated vaccines will be explained shortly.
What are the vaccination ages?
1) At birth ……………. BCG, OPV, HEPBO.
2) At 6 weeks ……… ..OPV1, PENTAVALENT1, PCV (optional).
3} At 10 weeks ……… .OPV2, PENTAVALENT2, PCV (optional).
4) At 14 weeks ……… ..OPV3, PENTAVALENT3, PCV, ROTA VIRUS (optional).
5) At 9 months ……… ..Mesles.
6) At 12 months ……… Yellow fever.
7) At 15-18 months … .MMR, OPV, Chickenpox (optional).
8) at 24 months. ……… Meningitis, typhoid fever (optional)
Please cut this and stick by the bed of your baby, for daily reminders.
Now, explanation of some abbreviations. BCG-Bacillus Calmette Guerine; is the Tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. Tuberculosis causes a lung infection, but can spread to many organs, leading to serious illness, disability and death. OPV – oral polio vaccine; Polio mainly affects children under 5 years old. One in every 200 infections causes irreversible paralysis. Of these, 5 to 10% die when their respiratory muscles are immobilized.
NB – Nigeria was removed from the list of pandemic countries in 2015, as no cases of polio had been reported in two years. In 2017, if no polio case is reported, Nigeria will be officially declared polio-free.
HEPB – hepatitis B vaccine; Hepatitis B can cause chronic liver disease and lead to a high risk of death from cirrhosis of the lungs. liver and liver cancer.
PENTAVALENT VACCINE
– This is a combination of 5 vaccines in one. 1-Diphtheria. 2-tetanus. 3-whooping cough (whooping cough). 4-Hepatitis B. Influenza 5-Haemophilus. 1-diphtheria; is a deadly disease. It is a bacterium that causes a serious infection of the throat and lungs. 2-tetanus; is also a deadly disease. It is a bacterium that causes weakness and paralysis of the muscles, when it is allowed to sink into a deeply dirty wound.
3-whooping cough is a bacterium that causes severe coughing fits. This can lead to fatalilinks, especially in infants. 4-Hepatitis B is a virus that causes severe liver damage. This can be fatal.
5-Haemophilus influenza type B is a bacterium that causes meningitis and bloodstream infections. Most cases are in infants or the elderly. This can be fatal.
Next week we will discuss the "new polio vaccine" and a short note on the types, mode of transmission, signs and symptoms of polio (polio). In order to understand why Bill and Melinda Gates, as well as others, are engaged in eradicating polio. Meanwhile, try to vaccinate your child.
ALSO READ: The Gates Foundation Will Contribute to the Repayment of Nigeria's 75 Million $ Polio Eradication Grant to Japan
Source link
