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The human being is extremely fragile and dependent in his first years of life. We need the help of our parents for practically everything before we learn to walk, talk, eat, not to mention the social issue involved and all recommendations and medical care, as is the case with the BCG vaccine.
First Care
When having a child, certain precautions need to be taken so that your health is not jeopardized in any way. The treatment of a newborn will never be the same as the treatment we give children at any other stage of life. Since it is there at the beginning, the baby’s fragility asks us to take all the necessary care for the baby to develop healthily.
Some of these precautions are natural, such as the way in which we hold the baby, the environments in which he may or may not be, the type of clothing he needs to protect himself from the wind, cold or heat, among other precautions.
But science and medicine also provide us and indicate the care we need to take with newborns, such as the baby ‘s foot test , weighing, the general assessment of the baby’s condition and also the BCG vaccine, one of the most important things to be made for your child’s health in their first months of life.
Want to know everything about the importance of the BCG vaccine in newborns? Here you can answer your questions about several aspects such as:
What is the BCG vaccine?
- What is the BCG vaccine for?
- When should the BCG vaccine be applied?
- Reactions to the BCG vaccine
By reading and understanding more about each of these topics, you will be able to understand not only the importance of the BCG vaccine, but also the reasons why it is so important.
What is BCG Vaccine?
It is a vaccine created in 1921, applied by intradermal injection and mandatory by law for all children under 1 year. The BCG vaccine is the vaccine that protects babies against tuberculosis, especially in its most serious and worrying states, such as tuberculous meningitis and miliary tuberculosis.
The name of the vaccine comes from the main element of its composition, the bacillus of Calmette-Guérin. It weakens the bacteria that can cause tuberculosis to the baby. That is why it is important to know that all babies should be vaccinated to protect themselves from these diseases and avoid major health complications in the future.
What is the BCG Vaccine for?
The main function of the vaccine is to make the child create immunity , for the body to act against various types of infection, the most dangerous of which is tuberculosis and its variations. There is also concern about the spread of this disease, as it is highly contagious.
A person who has all his vaccines up to date, including BCG, is unlikely to get infected and pass this virus on to others, at least not in its most brutal form. This control, in addition to being beneficial to the health of the individual, is important for society as a whole , as it prevents tuberculosis and its variations from spreading further.
When should the BCG vaccine be applied?
According to WHO (World Health Organization), the vaccine should be applied early in the baby’s life, between 4 and 10 days . A second dose should be applied 6 months later, in case the doctor realizes that the baby’s immune system is not corresponding to the vaccine. In several regions, it is recommended that children take a second dose of the vaccine between 6 and 7 years of age, mainly because this is the age when school starts.
Vaccine Contraindications
Contraindications are for children who weigh less than 2 kg , and it is necessary to wait until the baby reaches enough weight so that their body can react correctly to the BCG vaccine.
Also included in the group of contraindications are children who have a skin problem, either at the vaccine site, or a generalized problem. There is still a contraindication if the baby has congenital immunodeficiency .
BCG Vaccine Reactions
The BCG vaccine reaction usually occurs only at the application site. She is responsible for the famous little arm mark that we all have and is proof that her immune system is working properly with the help of the vaccine.
When applied, a redness forms on the baby’s arm , around the application site, it may be accompanied by secretion or not. After a few days, a cone usually forms, like a small wound that can last a few weeks at most.
There are cases where the baby’s reaction is more intense, with a larger wound and may even cause a drop in the armpits . In cases like this, a doctor will usually prescribe the use of some type of antibiotic.
Taking care of a newborn is not an easy task and can be very demanding of us, often taking us completely out of the routine we were used to in order to enter a totally different life. It is clear that despite all the stress that we can go through, there is no comparison with the joy of creating a human being.
But in order for us to effectively have control over all the care for our baby, we need to be aware of the importance of things like the BCG vaccine and all the benefits caused by it.
Therefore, it is important to remember that the care for our children begins even in the first days of life, where we need to be attentive to all treatments so that they are in good health, as this can affect the rest of the child’s life.
See Also: Why Give the Chickenpox Vaccine?
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
