The first time I held my child, my heart skipped a bit. And the first time our eyes met, the world around me stopped. My child seemed the perfect tiny bundle of joy and I wanted to keep him safe at all costs! So for the next few months my child’s vaccination chart became the most referred to document. Like every first-time mother, I would keep checking it regularly to never miss dates on the vaccination schedule.
I had heard from my friends & cousins about their experiences with vaccinations and the distress each visit caused their babies. I was a little apprehensive about it and braced myself for the worst at the doctor’s office. Thankfully, I had a good paediatrician who answered all my queries patiently and advised me at each step!
He enlightened me about WHO prequalified vaccines and an informal chat convinced me that it was the best choice for my baby.
Reasons why I decided to opt for WHO prequalified vaccine
The paediatrician explained to us how prequalified vaccines work.
WHO provides a service to UNICEF and other UN agencies that purchase vaccines, to determine if a vaccine from a source is acceptable to the agencies. WHO follows an established evaluation procedure for selecting the candidate vaccines and it reevaluates them at regular intervals.
These vaccines also come in combination and as acellular or ‘less-painful vaccines’.
Benefits of combination and acellular vaccines
- It was beneficial for my child as it reduced the number of injections required.
- As a non-medical person, we refer to these vaccines as painless vaccines, because its acellular nature causes less pain. My child did not suffer as much pain as he did during his other vaccinations.
- There was no fever & the little one was able to sleep comfortably throughout the night.
- It rarely caused swelling or infection at the injection site.
- As a parent, it also reduced anxiety for me as the overall vaccination experience went smoothly and I did not end up with a cranky child to attend to.
My doctor’s advice worked like a charm and I am glad I made the right choice in opting for the WHO prequalified vaccine which keeps my child safe from preventable diseases.
What’s #YourCareQuotient? How much do you understand your child when it comes to sleep patterns, feeding and vaccination? Take the easy, interactive quiz that guides you and get the childcare guide now.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger/ third party This is a part of public awareness initiative supported by Sanofi Pasteur India. Sanofi Pasteur bears no responsibility for the content of the blog. One should consult their healthcare provider for any health related information.
References:
