Vanessa Castellano
Pediatrician (MN 111.169)
At this time, prior to the start of classes, consultations for pediatric controls increase. That is why it is important to take advantage of this opportunity to review the vaccination scheme and find out which are the vaccines that should be applied as part of the return to the classroom. The pediatric consultation is a very special moment, and often at this stage it is the first time that pediatricians address children to talk about vaccines and the importance they represent to protect their health and we can even explain the importance of protection towards others if they get vaccinated.
Vaccination of school age is strategic because it fulfills the function of reinforcing the immunity of the vaccines they received during childhood to achieve long-term protection.
The vaccines they must receive at this age protect them against 8 diseases: the second dose of triple viral (against measles, rubella and mumps); triple bacterial or DPT (against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, pertussis or whooping cough); the inactivated vaccine against poliomyelitis, a viral disease that is in the process of being eradicated in the world; and Argentina recently incorporated the second dose of the varicella vaccine into the National Calendar; the latter also for the older ones who were born after October 2013.
To be protected against these diseases, there are optionally other combined vaccines in which, with a single application, it is prevented against more than one disease, such as quadruple vaccines for the joint prevention of diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough or pertussis and which also includes that inactivated against poliomyelitis.
The administration of these vaccines on the same day is recommended to reduce the stress or anxiety that the vaccination process can generate in both children and their parents. In this way, vaccination opportunities are optimized and delays in updating the calendar are avoided.
Vaccines serve both to protect children and those around them, avoiding transmission and infections. In addition, many diseases are controlled thanks to reinforcements during this stage.
