My nephew just turned 9 months old last week and I thank God that aside from his Acute Rhinitis a few weeks back, he has gone through the whole eight months of his life without suffering from any major illnesses. I think that it is also due to the fact that I made it a point to give him all the vaccinations needed for his age - 1 shot of BCG (Bacille Calmette Guerin) , 3 shots of DPT (Diptheria/Pertussis/Tetanus vaccine),IPV (Inactivated Polio Vaccine), HiB (H. Influenza B vaccine) and Hepatitis B vaccine, 2 doses of Rotavirus Vaccine, 3 shots of IPD (Invasive Pneumococcal Disease) vaccine and 1 shot of flu vaccine.
I'm now planning to give his measles shot three days from now before he visits his grandparents (mother side) for the weekend.
So what is Measles? Measles is a viral illness that causes basically high grade fever and rash accompanied by sore eyes (conjunctivitis), colds (coryza) and cough (bronchitis). Rashes appear while patient is still febrile starting on the head and neck and then spreading downwards to the rest of the body. After a few days, fever will disappear and the rash becomes brownish in color. Complications include pneumonia, otitis media (ear infection), encephalitis (brain inflammation) and many others. Management is usually supportive -- which means giving paracetamol for fever and increasing his fluid intke. Antibiotics are only given if complications arise. With these in mind, it is better to give the baby the measles vaccine to decrease his chances of getting infected with the disease. It is not only cost effective but also frees the child from unwanted stress and and for the parents, unwanted worries.
I'm now planning to give his measles shot three days from now before he visits his grandparents (mother side) for the weekend.
So what is Measles? Measles is a viral illness that causes basically high grade fever and rash accompanied by sore eyes (conjunctivitis), colds (coryza) and cough (bronchitis). Rashes appear while patient is still febrile starting on the head and neck and then spreading downwards to the rest of the body. After a few days, fever will disappear and the rash becomes brownish in color. Complications include pneumonia, otitis media (ear infection), encephalitis (brain inflammation) and many others. Management is usually supportive -- which means giving paracetamol for fever and increasing his fluid intke. Antibiotics are only given if complications arise. With these in mind, it is better to give the baby the measles vaccine to decrease his chances of getting infected with the disease. It is not only cost effective but also frees the child from unwanted stress and and for the parents, unwanted worries.
My baby will have her measles vaccine next week. She'll be turning 9 months. ^_^
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