World Immunisation Week 2022: Importance of vaccines for protection against diseases | The Times of India

It is very essential to vaccinate children against life threatening diseases. “Vaccines will help protect your child against diseases that can cause serious harm or death, especially in people with developing immune systems like infants,” says UNICEF and adds that, “It’s important to vaccinate your child. If not, highly contagious diseases such as measles, diphtheria and polio, which were once wiped out in many countries, will come back.”

Though certain diseases are no longer present within the community, it is still advisable to vaccinate your child because the interconnected world can increase the possibility of transmission of these diseases from areas where they are still present.

Emphasizing on the importance of vaccines for kids, Dr Vijay Yewale, Pediatrician at Apollo Hospitals says, “vaccination is the birth right of every child and following through the vaccine schedule is the responsibility of every parent. A long life means a healthy childhood which consists of nutritious food, exercise, and vaccines. Pneumonia kills more children than any other infection and can easily be prevented with one vaccine.”

The common vaccines that are administered to children are BCG for tuberculosis, HepB for Hepatitis B, vaccine for Polio, DTP for Diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus.