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Jan 9 / 2022

The importance of vaccines

The vaccines They can be poked or drinks (depending on the type) and, in healthy children, they do not cause disease, but rather stimulate the immune system to produce defenses and protect them from infection.

Importance of vaccines

According to the WHO (World Health Organization) the two advances that have changed the world health situation, have improved the quality of life and have decreased disease and mortality in humans are: the purification of water and vaccines.

Vaccines protect us against deadly diseasesTherefore, they save lives, especially children. In countries where the entire population is routinely vaccinated, many diseases have been eradicated or their incidence greatly decreased. The vaccine not only protects the child but also those who live with him and are not vaccinated. Therefore, vaccines also provide social benefits.

They are a means of controlling diseases that in the past were very common and serious: tetanus, polio, meningitis. Vaccines give the body the necessary information to fight infection and thus avoid hospitalizations and premature deaths. Currently, in developing countries, where families do not have access to vaccination, children die every day from diseases such as whooping cough, measles or diphtheria. In developed countries we are not so aware of this fact because vaccines have almost completely eliminated these diseases.

An example is smallpox. It was a very serious disease that, fortunately, thanks to vaccines, no longer exists in the world and, therefore, we no longer get vaccinated against it.

As they are administered to healthy children, the control and safety of the vaccines is maximum. They are very safe and effective with mild side effects and with a very rare incidence of serious complications as a consequence of their administration.

In Spain 95% of children are vaccinated. Very few parents do not have their children vaccinated. This may be due to lack of information or due to having erroneous information about the seriousness of the diseases that can be prevented, fear of side effects or due to cultural-ideological objections.

The vaccines included in the vaccination calendar of each Autonomous Community are free for the entire population.

How do they work?

The newborn is immune to many diseases because it has defenses (antibodies) that have been passed to it by its mother through the placenta. This natural immunity disappears around 4 months. Through vaccination we will help create new antibodies in the baby to defend it from possible infections.

In our country, vaccines are started at two months of life. There is a specific vaccine that can be administered at birth.

The route of administration is by injection or orally. The vaccine is a liquid that contains the germ causing the infection.

When the body comes into contact with the body, it produces antibodies or defenses that are stored in the immune system to protect the body from future contact with the same germ.

On many occasions, booster doses are administered that favor the formation of a greater number of antibodies.

The ideal vaccine would be one that is capable of producing an immune response similar to natural infection., provide protection greater than 90% and for many years, was safe and with minimal side effects.

Side effects

Many are parents who worry about the side effects of vaccines. An erroneous information on the matter, can generate rejection to the vaccination.

Vaccination began more than a century ago and it has been done systematically for more than 60 years. The known side effects are of much less importance compared to the serious consequences of the diseases they prevent.

In general, the vaccines are well tolerated and have no adverse effects beyond pain in the puncture area or mild local reactions such as redness and swelling. Like any other medicine, there can be serious allergic reactions to the vaccine itself or to some of its components. Sometimes they can give a slight fever or discomfort that does not last more than two days.

There are rare side effects, as with any other drug.

Vaccines included in the vaccination schedule

The vaccination calendar is specific to each Autonomous Community because each one of them has competences in the matter of vaccinations and, although they all substantially coincide in the basics, small differences can be seen between their calendars.

The vaccination schedule is frequently modified. Medicine is a constantly evolving science and vaccination recommendations change depending on epidemiological data and scientific advances, as well as the greater availability of resources that are allocated to health.

The vaccines included in the schedule are:

  • (DTP): protects against three infections
    • Diphtheria: is a serious disease caused by the toxin of the bacterium Corynebacterium diphteriae and causes heart and nervous system problems with a mortality of 10%. It was one of the leading causes of infant death in the early 20th century. Currently, thanks to vaccination, no case has been detected in Spain for many years. Cases are seen in eastern Europe and the third world. The efficacy of the vaccine is estimated at 97%.
    • Tetanus: serious and fatal disease caused by Clostridium tetani. It produces muscle spasms that prevent breathing and seizures. It is an infectious but not contagious disease. The bacteria that cause tetanus are found in soil and dust, it is highly resistant to heat and disinfectants. Vaccine efficacy is 100% and a booster dose should be administered every 10 years.
    • Whooping cough: produced by Bordetella pertussis. It is contagious by respiratory secretions and causes coughing and respiratory distress. It is a potentially serious disease in babies. The efficacy of the vaccine is 80% and does not cover beyond 12 years.
  • Triple virus: protects against three viruses that are spread through the respiratory tract. The overall efficacy of the vaccine is 100%.
    • Measles: is a disease characterized by fever, skin rash and can have very serious sequelae in the nervous system in young children and adults.
    • Rubella: the disease in childhood is very mild: skin rash and fever. The problem lies in contracting this infection during pregnancy, as it causes very serious malformations: heart defects, mental retardation, deafness and cataracts.
    • Mumps: is a mild infection in childhood where the parotid salivary glands on both sides of the face become inflamed; in young people and adults it can inflame the testicles and cause permanent sterility.
  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib): is a bacterium that is spread through the respiratory tract and can cause sinusitis, otitis, pneumonia, epiglottitis, bone infections or meningitis. The vaccine does not protect against mild infections but it does protect against serious infections (epiglottitis and meningitis). Protection is 100%
  • Hepatitis B: is a virus that is transmitted through blood, sexual contact or through the placenta to the newborn if the pregnant mother has the disease. It produces an infection in the liver that can be chronic for life and cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. The vaccine is more than 95% effective
  • Poliomyelitis: the polio virus causes permanent flaccid paralysis that mainly affects the legs and can cause death. No case has been registered in Spain for many years. The efficacy of the vaccine is 90%
  • Meningococcus C: Neisseria meningitidis bacteria mainly cause sepsis and meningitis, which can cause serious sequelae or death. It is a very aggressive bacteria, like Haemophilus.
  • Chickenpox: it is a very contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. In its first contact, it produces chickenpox and it can remain latent in the body and produce, over the years, a herpes zoster. In general, it is a mild disease but it can have some pulmonary or nervous system complications. Infection during pregnancy is especially serious because it can cause serious sequelae and malformations in the fetus.
  • Pneumococcus: it is a bacterium that can cause otitis, pneumonia, but also more serious infections such as sepsis and meningitis.
  • Rotaviruses: they are the main agents of acute diarrhea in children. The vaccine is administered orally.
  • Human papillomavirus: Papillomaviruses are responsible for genital warts and a good number of cancers of the cervix, genital and anal areas. The only way to avoid cervical cancer caused by these viruses is by preventing infection or by vaccinating. They are vaccines that must be given before sexual intercourse in girls begins.

    • Pediatric Specialist


    (Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)

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