Immunization: benefits, types, until the time of administration

Have you brought your little one for the vaccine? Is it also complete with the types of vaccines that your little one should get? Immunization is a routine activity that must be done several times throughout a person's life to protect him from disease. Vaccination is not only for babies, but also children under five to school age. Why is vaccination important? This is the full explanation.

Know the difference between immunization and vaccination

Many people equate the meaning of the terms above, even though these two terms have different meanings.

So, what's the difference? In fact, both of them are included in the disease prevention process. Vaccinations and immunizations are given and occur gradually to strengthen antibodies slowly.

Vaccines are "tools" to form antibodies against a certain disease. This means that vaccination is the process of giving antibodies to ward off disease.

While immunization is the process of making antibodies in the body after being vaccinated so that the immune system is stronger, so that it is immune to disease attacks.

Even so, the term immunization is better known to ordinary people than vaccination. Indirectly, this makes immunization and vaccination mean the same thing even though they have different meanings.

Benefits of immunization for children

The Indonesian Ministry of Health stipulates the type of immunization for children that must be carried out several times throughout the child's life. It is important for you to know the benefits, namely:

Protect children from the risk of death
Effectively prevent disease
Vaccines protect others

How can you protect others? This is also called herd immunity or herd immunity, when the vaccine not only protects people who are immunized, but also has benefits for children who are not vaccinated.

When many children receive vaccine protection, they will help protect some of the children who lack immune systems by reducing the spread of disease.

The more children who get the vaccine, the less the disease will spread. That way, those who don't get immunized can be protected.

What are the consequences if the child doesn't get immunized?

Basically, the notion of vaccination is a need that must be fulfilled since a newborn to maintain his health. There are three important reasons why this is mandatory for all babies:

Vaccination is safe, fast, and very effective in preventing disease transmission
Once immunized, at least the child's body is well protected from the threat of disease
Children actually have a higher risk for disease and experience more severe symptoms if they are not immunized

In addition, if the baby is not immunized or the baby is late, the immunization can be fatal to his health in the future. Because when the child has been vaccinated, his body will automatically be equipped with an immune system that works specifically to attack the virus.

Conversely, if children are not immunized, their bodies do not have a special defense system that can detect these types of dangerous diseases.

Moreover, the immune system of young children is not as strong and works as well as adults. This will make it easier for disease germs to breed in the child's body. Immunization side effects are not comparable to those of unimmunized infants.

Complete basic type of immunization for babies

Based on Permenkes No. 12 of 2017, there are several immunizations or vaccines that are mandatory for newborns until before the age of 1 year.

This type of immunization is usually provided free of charge by health services under the auspices of the government, such as Posyandu, Puskesmas, and regional hospitals.

There are two types of immunization, namely injection and oral or dripped into the mouth.

Oral vaccines contain live but weakened germs, while injectable vaccines usually contain dead viruses or bacteria.

Meanwhile, the vaccine is injected under the skin layer or directly into the muscle (usually in the arm or thigh).

The drip vaccine content will go directly into the digestive tract to stimulate the immune system in the intestine. Meanwhile, the injection vaccine will form immediate immunity in the blood.

The following is a complete list of basic immunizations that are mandatory for infants along with the immunization schedule for infants and children:

Hepatitis B vaccine (12 hours after birth, 2, 3, 4 months)
Polio vaccine (infants 0, 2, 3, 4 months)
BCG vaccine (before 3 months of age)
Measles (9 months and 18 months, not necessary if you have received the MMR vaccine at 15 months of age)
DPT, HiB, HB vaccines (infant age 2, 3, 4 months)

The pentavalent vaccine is a combination vaccine of the HB vaccine and the HiB vaccine (haemophilus influenza type B).

Additional types of vaccinations for infants and children

Still referring to the provisions of Permenkes No. 12 of 2017, babies are strongly emphasized to get several additional immunizations apart from the five mandatory vaccines above.

The type of vaccine of choice can also be given to children to adults according to their needs and conditions.

MMR vaccine (children 12-18 months of age)
Typhoid vaccine (children aged 24 months)
Rotavirus immunization (infant 6-12 weeks, 8 weeks apart)
PCV vaccine (infants 2.4, and 6 months of age)
Varicella vaccine (after the child is 12 months old)
Influenza vaccination (when the baby is 6 months old, repeated every one year)
hepatitis A immunization (children over 2 years, once 6-12 months
HPV immunization (children over 10 years of age)

Giving HPV immunization serves to protect the body from the HPV virus which can cause cervical cancer, sexually transmitted diseases such as genital warts, to anal and penile cancer.

Types of vaccinations for school-aged children

Most vaccinations given to school-age children are repeat or booster from immunization as infancy. In Indonesia itself, there is already a schedule for advanced immunization that is intended for school-age children.

Based on Ministry of Health Regulation no.12 of 2017, the types of vaccinations for school-age children that are being proclaimed in Indonesia are:

diphtheria tetanus (DT)
Measles
Tetanus diphtheria (Td)

The following is the vaccination schedule for primary school age children that has been regulated by the Ministry of Health:

Grade 1 SD: Measles immunization every August and immunization tetanus diphtheria (DT) every November
Grade 2-3 SD: Immunization tetanus diphtheria (Td) in November

Meanwhile, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, other types of child vaccinations that should also be done are:

Influenza: children aged 7-18 years who have the flu every year
Human papillomavirus (HPV): Starting when the child is 11-12 years old, it can also be given when the child is 9-10 years old, if the child's health condition requires it
Meningitis: Children 11-12 years old
Dengue vaccination: Children over 9 years of age who have had dengue fever
Japanese Encephalitis (JE) Vaccine: When going to an epidemic country

Especially for meningitis vaccination, this is included in a special immunization so it must first be consulted with a pediatrician. In addition, the above immunization needs to be consulted with a doctor to consider the child's needs.

Is vaccination sure to make children immune?

Children who have been immunized will rarely get sick because their immune systems have been strengthened by the help of this drug.

Even so, it should be understood that even after the child completes compulsory, follow-up, or supplemental immunization there is still a small chance of developing the disease.

Quoting from the IDAI website, epidemiological research in Indonesia and other countries has proven the protective benefits of vaccination.

When there is an outbreak of measles, diphtheria or polio, children who have received complete immunizations are noted to be very rarely infected. If you are indeed sick because of infection, usually the child's condition will not be so severe that it is life-threatening.

On the other hand, children who do not receive compulsory vaccination at all are likely to experience more illness, complications in the form of disability, or even death.