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Vaccines have the function of stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies, which have the function of protecting the organism from invasion by bacteria and viruses responsible for causing infectious diseases.
There are vaccines that are part of the national vaccination plan, that are administered free of charge, and others that can be administered on medical recommendation or if the person travels to places where there is a risk of contracting an infectious disease.
Types of vaccine
Vaccines aim to stimulate an immune response in the body and, thus, promote protection against various diseases, which may include fragments of the microorganism responsible for the disease or the dead, inactivated or attenuated microorganism. Thus, vaccines can be broadly classified into two types:
- Vaccines of attenuated microorganisms, in which the microorganism responsible for the disease undergoes a series of procedures in the laboratory, which decrease its activity. Thus, when a vaccine is administered, an immune response against this microorganism is stimulated, but there is no disease development. Examples of these vaccines are BCG vaccine, triple viral and varicella;
- Vaccines of inactivated or dead microorganisms, which contain whole microorganisms but which are not alive or only fragments of these microorganisms, stimulating the body's response, such as the hepatitis vaccine and the meningococcal vaccine.
Thus, from the moment the vaccine is administered, the immune system acts directly on the microorganism, or its fragments, promoting the production of specific antibodies. If the person comes into contact with the infectious agent in the future, the immune system is already able to fight and prevent the development of the disease.
How vaccines are made
The production of vaccines and availability for the entire population is a complex process and involves a series of steps.
The initial phase corresponds to the development of research and processing of the microorganism that will be present in the vaccine. Then, substances are added that favor the immune response process and guarantee the effectiveness of the vaccine. The vaccine manufacturing process can take from months to years and can vary according to the infectious agent that you want to generate immunity to.
For the vaccine to be made available to the entire population, it is necessary to carry out several tests, which occurs in three main stages:
Phase 1
An experimental vaccine is created and tested with fragments of the dead, inactivated or attenuated microorganism or infectious agent in a small number of people, and then the body's reaction is observed after administration of the vaccine and development of side effects.
This first phase lasts an average of 2 years and if there are satisfactory results, the vaccine moves on to the 2nd phase.
Level 2
The same vaccine is now tested on a larger number of people, for example 1000 people, and in addition to observing how your body reacts and the side effects that occur, we try to find out if different doses are effective in order to find the dose adequate, that has less harmful effects, but that is capable of protecting everyone, everyone.
Phase 3:
Assuming that the same vaccine was successful until phase 2, it moves to the third phase, which consists of applying this vaccine to a larger number of people, for example 5000, and observing whether they are really protected or not.
However, even with the vaccine in the last phase of testing, it is important that the person adopts the same precautions related to protection against contamination by the infectious agent responsible for the disease in question. Thus, if the test vaccine is against HIV, for example, it is important that the person continues to use condoms and avoid sharing needles.
National vaccination calendar 2019-2020
There are several vaccines that are part of the national vaccination plan and that can be administered free of charge:
1. Babies up to 9 months
In babies up to 9 months of age, the main vaccines indicated in the vaccination plan are:
| At birth | 2 months | 3 months | Four months | Five months | 6 months | 9 months |
BGC Tuberculosis | Single dose | | | | | | |
Hepatitis B | 1st dose | 2nd dose | | | | 3rd dose | |
Penta / DTP Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, meningitis Haemophilus type B and hepatitis B | | 1st dose | | 2nd dose | | 3rd dose | |
VIP / VOP Polio | | 1st dose (with VIP) | | 2nd dose (with VIP) | | 3rd dose (with VIP) | |
Tire 10 Invasive diseases and acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae | | 2 to 3 doses depending on the vaccine | |
Rotavirus Gastroenteritis | | 1st dose | | 2nd dose | | | |
MeningoC
Meningococcal infection, including meningitis | | | 1st dose | | 2nd dose | | |
Yellow fever | | | | | | | 1st dose |
2. Children between 1 and 9 years old
In children between 1 and 9 years old, the main vaccines indicated in the vaccination plan are:
| 12 months | 15 months | 18 months | 4 years - 5 years | nine years old |
Penta / DTP Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, meningitis Haemophilus type B and hepatitis B | | 1st Reinforcement (with DTP) | | 2nd Reinforcement (with VOP) | |
VIP / VOP Polio | | 1st Reinforcement (with VOP) | | 2nd Reinforcement (with VOP) | |
Tire 10 Invasive diseases and acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae | Reinforcement | | | | |
Meningo C Meningococcal infection, including meningitis | | | | 1st reinforcement | |
Triple viral Measles, mumps, rubella | 1st dose | 2nd dose | | | |
Viral tetra Measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox Indicated when it is not possible to take the triple viral and the varicella vaccine | 1st dose | 2nd dose | | | |
Varicella | 1st dose | 2nd dose | | | |
Hepatitis A | 1st dose | | 2nd dose | | |
HPV Human papilloma virus | | | | | 2 doses (girls from 9 to 14 years old) |
3. Adults and children from 10 years old
In adolescents, adults, the elderly and pregnant women, vaccines are usually indicated when the vaccination plan was not followed during childhood. Thus, the main vaccines indicated during this period are:
| 10 to 19 years | Adults | Elderly (> 60 years) | Pregnant |
Hepatitis B Indicated when there was no vaccination between 0 and 6 months | 3 servings | 3 servings | 3 servings | 3 servings |
Meningo C Meningococcal infection, including meningitis | 2nd Reinforcement (11 to 14 years) | | | |
Yellow fever | | 1 serving | 1 serving | |
Triple viral Measles, mumps, rubella Indicated when there was no vaccination until 15 months | 2 Doses (up to 29 years) | 2 doses (30 to 49 years) | | |
Adult couple Diphtheria and tetanus | Reinforcement every 10 years | Reinforcement every 10 years | Reinforcement every 10 years | 2 Servings |
HPV Human papilloma virus | For boys and girls under the age of 15, 2 doses are recommended at an interval of 6 months; For adolescents over 15 years old who are not immunized, three doses are recommended. | | | |
adult dTpa Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough | | | | Single dose |
Watch the following video and understand why vaccination is so important:
Most common vaccine questions
1. Does vaccine protection last a lifetime?
In some cases, the immune memory lasts a lifetime, however, in others, it is necessary to reinforce the vaccine, such as meningococcal disease, diphtheria or tetanus, for example.
It is also important to know that the vaccine takes some time to take effect, so if a person becomes infected shortly after taking it, the vaccine may not be effective and the person can develop the disease.
2. Can vaccines be used in pregnancy?
Yes. As they are a risk group, pregnant women should take some vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, which are used to protect the pregnant woman and the baby. The administration of other vaccines should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and prescribed by the doctor. See which vaccines are indicated during pregnancy.
3. Do vaccines cause people to faint?
No. Generally, people who pass out after receiving a vaccine are due to the fact that they are afraid of the needle, because they are in pain and panic.
4. Can women who are breastfeeding get vaccines?
Yes. Vaccines can be given to nursing mothers, in order to prevent the mother from transmitting viruses or bacteria to the baby, however it is important that the woman has the guidance of the doctor. The only vaccines contraindicated for women who are breastfeeding are yellow fever and dengue.
5. Can you have more than one vaccine at the same time?
Yes.Administering more than one vaccine at the same time does not harm your health.
6. What are combined vaccines?
Combined vaccines are those that protect the person from more than one disease and in which it is necessary to administer only one injection, as is the case of triple viral, tetraviral or bacterial penta, for example.