This article is prepared by Lilian with medical references provided by Dr Cheang Hon Kit, Consultant Paediatrician/Neonatalogist of a private hospital in Penang.

Vaccination

This topic is popular in our forum at MyMomsBest under Childcare. Questions asked includes:

• What is the recommended vaccination schedule?

The below is a guideline from a private hospital. There may be slight variations depending on each hospital's policy.

• Is my baby going to be sick or in pain after the jab?

Not every vaccination is going to cause fever and pain. However, there are certain jabs that may make a baby feverish. Usually, the doctor will prescribed some paracetamol for your child after taking jabs like DaTP/Polio/Hib, chicken pox, MMR .

* = DTa P (Diptheria, Tetanus & Pertussis combination vaccine) a stands for acellular is a new improved version of vaccine which has been shown to cause less side effects, such as fever, painful swelling, fits, etc. But DTaP is more expensive compare to the older version. Only the private hospitals are using it.

• I heard that there are two options to polio vaccine. What are those?

Polio drops are commonly given by dropping the vaccine in liquid form into the baby's mouth. The other alternative is the injectable killed polio vaccine. Compared to the widely used oral live attenuated polio vaccine, the new generation injectable polio vaccine has less vaccine-associated complications.

• What is BCG for? Why does it produce a scar?

BCG is to prevent TB, especially TB meningitis and a severe form of TB in the lungs (called miliary TB) in young children. It is just the nature of the vaccine which produce a very intense immune reaction on the injection site, hence resulting in a scar. Some may even have keloid formation. The scar is a clinical evidence to prove that the person has been given the BCG jab. Some countries health ministry gives BCG at the buttocks purely for cosmetic reasons.

• I heard that if I bring my child for the Hib vaccination at an older age, he will get less jabs. Is this true?

Since May 2003, government clinics have started giving HiB vaccines to newborn babies. It is incorporated with the DTP/Polio vaccine according to the Malaysian immunisation schedule at 2,3 & 5 months. For those who has not received this vaccine, the schedule is as follow:....

It is advisable to get a baby vaccinated against Hib (an infection affecting the brain) from an early age because of the severity of the illness. Otherwise, it can be too late for treatment when diagnosis is delayed. The jab given to a smaller baby is in a smaller dosage and thus, more repeats are required.

More on the next page:

• The MMR debate (useful link on the facts and some mothers' opinions)