Introduction
Last decades people started to vaccinate themselves against different diseases. Some diseases are seldom in the United States because of immunization. It brings calmness and confidence to the people and makes frequent early illnesses as rare as possible. Humanity is interested in what vaccines do and starts to search through the internet to find answers. By reading non-credible information, people start to think in the wrong way about vaccines, refuse vaccinations and even agitate not to use them. There is a project called Vaccine Safety Net, which the World Health Organization has provided. According to the WHO website, “The mission of the Vaccine Safety Net is to help internet users to find reliable vaccine safety information tailored to their needs” (WHO, 2020). In order to understand at what age to do vaccination, nurses need to analyze the data collected from the person who will be vaccinated. If this is a newborn, then from him and his mother. Some cases need to be considered in order to understand all the intricacies of vaccination of people.
Case 1
The first case shows that the newborn is born at 3.5 kg, the infant’s exam is regular, but maternal labs are negative. The questions are what vaccinations are required for the child and what to do if the mother’s hepatitis B status is positive or unknown. According to the WHO website, hepatitis B is a life-threatening infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B can lead to chronic liver disease and pose a high risk of death from cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer (WHO, 2020). The only vaccine that is required immediately after birth is the hepatitis B vaccine. If the mother is infected with hepatitis B, the hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin should be given to individual limbs within 12 hours of birth, regardless of birth weight (CDC, 2021). If the status is unknown, it is required to vaccinate and determine the status within seven days to enter hepatitis B immunoglobin.
Case 2
The second case shows the parents who have a two-month-old child as patients in the primary care clinic. Her exam is normal, and there are no contraindications to giving her vaccines. The questions are which vaccines should the child receive at the visit, when she should return from the next visit, and which vaccination combinations can minimize the number of needle injections. First of all, she should receive the second dose of hepatitis B; then, the vaccine combination called Pentacel should be the best variant to avoid many needle injections. According to the CDC website, the pentacle is one of the most common combinations that consists of DTaP, IPV, and Hib vaccines required for two-month-old children (CDC, 2019). However, she also needs to receive rotavirus and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. The next time she will visit a clinic at four-month-old age and receive the same vaccines list.
Case 3
The third case is about a five-year-old child whose vaccines are up to date through 2 years old. She came with her mother in November, but she has never received a vaccine for influenza. Her condition of health is normal, and the vaccines do not contraindicate her. The questions are, which vaccines should be recommended, what anticipatory guidance should be given for a child receiving a flu vaccine at such age, and about contraindications for these vaccines. To begin with, she should receive a combination called Kinrix, which consists of DTaP and IPV vaccines. Also, she needs to vaccinate for influenza twice till February. Vaccinations must be spaced at least four weeks apart, so she needs to vaccinate in November and the early beginning of January to provide health protection. People should be vaccinated from influenza annually by the end of October to be ready for influenza season.
Case 4
The fourth case shows the situation when the 11-years-old girl presents a routine well-child check. Her immunizations are up to date. Her exam is normal, and there are no contraindications to giving her vaccines. The vaccine should be recommended; her mother wants her daughter to have only one vaccination for school and no others. The Tdap vaccination should be the best variant of all available at 11 years old because, after this age, such diseases can risk a person’s life more than meningococcal and human papillomavirus diseases.
Conclusion
To sum up, vaccination and immunization are two serious parts of people’s medical life. Humanity needs to fully accept vaccination not only in the US but across the whole world. Doubts caused by inferior internet articles should be cleared with the help of the Vaccine Safety Net project from the World Health Organization. WHO cannot cope on its own; everyone should read a little more about vaccination to understand the full benefits of this procedure. Vaccines exist not to infect a person, but to cure, which is worth understanding. Otherwise, people will be afraid to be vaccinated further, and the elimination of serious diseases will stop.
References
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Combination Vaccines. Cdc.Gov. Web.
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Table 1. Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for ages 18 years or younger, United States, 2021. Cdc.Gov. Web.
World Health Organization. (2020). Hepatitis B. Who.Int. Web.
World Health Organization. (2020). Vaccine Safety Net. Who.Int. Web.