Vaccination against pneumonia in children from pneumococcal infection

Vaccination against diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is called a pneumococcal infection, began in our country not so long ago. Therefore, this vaccine raises many questions from parents. Why vaccinate babies for pneumonia and other pneumococcal infections and how should such a vaccination be carried out correctly?

• The vaccine acts on pneumococci, protecting the child from pneumonia, endocarditis, otitis, meningitis, arthritis and other infections caused by this type of streptococcus. Even if the disease appears, its course will be easy.
• Pneumococcal vaccines rarely cause adverse reactions.
• There are very few contraindications for this vaccine.

• Vaccine components, although extremely rare, can cause severe allergic reactions.
• In Prevenar vaccine, there are not all pneumococcal serotypes that can cause infections in children.
• Immunocompromised children suffer poorly from this vaccine.

Vaccination is not done if:

• The child revealed intolerance to pneumococcal vaccine.
• The baby has an acute illness or any chronic illness has become exacerbated.
• The body temperature of the child is elevated.

You can learn more about pneumococcus by watching the following video.

Pneumococcal vaccine rarely produces side effects; they are usually presented:

• The appearance of a seal at the injection site, pain, and redness. It happens in 5% of kids.
• A slight increase in temperature in 1% of children.
• Drowsiness, tearfulness, irritability, decreased appetite, lethargy.

The introduction of pneumococcal vaccine can cause an immediate allergic reaction - urticaria, bronchospasm, anaphylactic shock. If the vaccine is given to a premature baby, he may stop breathing.

Other complications can be:

• Severe local reaction - on the limbs, there is redness and swelling more than 8 mm.
• High body temperature - more than 39 degrees.
• Swollen lymph nodes.
• Abscess at the injection site.
• Diarrhea and bouts of vomiting.
• Exacerbation of chronic disease.

To prevent the occurrence of a reaction to pneumococcal vaccine, you need to monitor the baby for 2-3 weeks before the vaccination date. Making sure that the baby is completely healthy, his body temperature is normal, the oropharynx is not hyperemic, there is no rhinitis, and chronic diseases are under control, we can safely inoculate against pneumococcus.

Since studies have shown that babies up to 2 years old are most susceptible to pneumococci, vaccination against such bacteria can be called a justified step. All the diseases that this vaccine protects against are very serious and pose a great danger to young children.

Currently, vaccination against pneumococcal infection is carried out with two foreign drugs - the American vaccine Prevenar and the French drug Pneumo-23. The first vaccine can be administered to babies from 2-3 months, and the second - only from 2 years of age.

The introduction of pneumococcal vaccine can be combined with any other vaccinations, except BCG. In this case, injections are made in different parts of the body.

Depending on the age of the baby, the pneumococcal vaccine is administered according to this scheme:

1. Babies from two to six months are given the vaccine 3 times (the interval between vaccinations is from 1 to 1.5 months), after which revaccination is performed at 11-15 months.
2. Children over the age of seven months up to 23 months are vaccinated twice (the interval between vaccinations is the same), and the child is revaccinated by the age of two.
3. After 2 years, the vaccine is administered once.

A popular pediatrician advises vaccinating children against pneumococcal infection, as this will help to avoid serious diseases. The most severe pathology caused by pneumococci is meningitis. Such a disease often ends in death, and 30% of the surviving babies still have neurological problems. Vaccination helps reduce the occurrence of meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae by 90%.

In the first year of a child’s life, only Prevenar is vaccinated. The vaccine is administered three times before the year - usually babies are vaccinated at three, four and five months of age.

Before the baby is vaccinated against pneumococcus, the child should be examined and determined whether he is completely healthy at the moment. It is best to get vaccinated on the day your pediatrician takes healthy children. This will prevent the simultaneous infection of ARVI from sick children in the queue. Antihistamine drugs are indicated only for children with allergies.

Pneumococcal vaccine is administered intramuscularly. Children younger than two years old are given a shot in the muscles of the anterior surface of the thigh, and babies older than 2 years of age are injected into the shoulder (the deltoid muscle).

If the injection site becomes red, it becomes dense and painful, you need to take care of it properly. You can bathe the child, but the treatment of the injection site antiseptics It is not recommended, as is the use of a compress or patch.

Some parents are opposed to such vaccinations, because they believe that the vaccination schedule for children under 2 years of age includes too many vaccinations.At the same time, they agree to learn more about the vaccine and, if necessary, for example, with frequent diseases, vaccinate their children.

Other parents treat the pneumococcal vaccine positively, believing that it is better to protect their baby from possible risks than to later regret the lost opportunity. And since such a vaccine is included in the national calendar, this cannot be an accident, respectively, the drug was checked and the need for such vaccination for Russian children was assessed.

Watch the following video from the Union of Pediatricians of Russia about pneumococcal infection.