Poliomyelitis: a schedule of vaccinations for children

Poliomyelitis is an acute infectious pathology in which the virus affects the gray matter of the spinal cord and the medulla oblongata. Its consequences are paralysis, leading to a lifelong disability. It is believed that in Russia, Europe and America it was possible to defeat this dangerous disease, and poliomyelitis vaccinations helped to do this . The schedule in Russia provides for their holding in the first months of the child's life.

Polio

Poliomyelitis is an acute infection that is caused by a virus that has three serotypes. The source of infection are sick people and virus carriers. The disease is transmitted by fecal-oral and by drip. That is, you can get infected by contact, through water, dishes, products that the virus has got into. In the external environment, it is sufficiently stable that it can provoke epidemics. Children from 3 months to 5 years are most susceptible to its action. In typical forms of poliomyelitis, the virus affects the motor nuclei of the brainstem and the spinal cord. Clinically, this is expressed either by meningitis, or by the development of paralysis, paresis, muscle atrophy. The disease can also be asymptomatic or in an erased form. A person who has survived poliomyelitis preserves lifelong immunity. The schedule of inoculations allows from the childhood to develop artificial immunity to this infection. But it must be borne in mind that in the absence of vaccination, even after polio, a person can again become infected with it, but the pathogen will be another type of virus.

Types of vaccines

To date, two types of vaccines have been developed. There are live oral poliomyelitis vaccines (OPV) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV). In Russia at the state level, all measures are taken to reduce the incidence of the population, and to create immunity to a pathology such as poliomyelitis. Vaccination (vaccination schedule will be presented below) can be done both OPV and IPV. Both variants of the vaccine contain all three types of the virus that causes this disease. In our country, both live and inactivated vaccines are allowed. In addition, the latter is part of the combined preparation "Tetrakok", which is used for simultaneous vaccination against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis. The schedule of vaccinations from the latter allows two schemes. In one of them, IPV is used for vaccination, and for OPV revaccination, the other implies the administration of only IPV.

Oral Vaccine

OPV was developed in 1955 by the American virologist A. Sabin. It includes a live, but weakened virus. Externally, the vaccine is a liquid colored in red with a bitter taste. The vaccine is administered through the mouth, by instillation, depending on its concentration, from 2 to 4 drops. The schedule of vaccinations against poliomyelitis for children up to one year recommends instilling vaccine on the root of the tongue to avoid regurgitation. In older adults, it is buried in the palatine tonsil. After the procedure for an hour, you need to exclude food and drink. If the child still bows, re-enter the same dose.

Through the lymphoid tissue of the pharynx, the weakened virus enters the intestine, where it begins to multiply, in response to which the immune system begins to produce antibodies, thanks to which the body's defense is formed. When infected with a real active polio virus, they are activated, so that the disease does not develop or passes in a mild form, without causing paresis and paralysis.

Inactivated vaccine

Earlier, in 1950, J. Solk was offered an inactivated vaccine containing the killed virus. It is injected and is available in the form of disposable syringes, the contents of which are one inoculation against poliomyelitis. The vaccination schedule usually recommends the use of an inactivated vaccine for vaccination. IPV is injected intramuscularly into the thigh or shoulder area. If you use it, you do not need to refrain from eating and drinking.

Numerous studies have confirmed that both vaccines make it possible to develop effective and lasting immunity to a disease such as poliomyelitis. The schedule of vaccinations allows you to use this or that vaccine depending on the individual characteristics of the child. The decision about this usually takes the pediatrician, having preliminary conducted a survey and collecting a detailed anamnesis. Only after the child or adult has been carefully examined, he is allowed to vaccinate a disease such as polio (vaccination).

Schedule of vaccinations

The vaccination schedule, which is the main document regulating the timing of immunization of the population in our country, requires that polio vaccination be carried out in several stages. At the same time, the inactivated vaccine is used in the first of them (vaccination), and the live vaccine is used in the subsequent (revaccination). Such a scheme is considered optimal for obtaining a stable immunity to the disease.

The first vaccination against poliomyelitis (the vaccination schedule will help the young parents to orient) is made IPV at the age of 3 months. The next vaccination is also carried out IPV at 4.5 months, the third (OPV) - at 6 months. Further, a revaccination is carried out, which also occurs in three stages:

• 18 months (OPV);

• 20 months (OPV);

• 14 years old (OPV).

There are also immunization schedules, in which only inactivated drugs are used. In this case, the vaccination is:

• 3 months;

• 4,5 months;

• 6 months.

Then follows the vaccination against poliomyelitis, the schedule of revaccination which includes the following terms:

• 18 months;

• 6 years.

As can be seen, when using IPV, the graph is somewhat reduced. Such schemes are used by many countries, it is not forbidden in Russia either.

It should be noted that if, for some reason, the schedule of vaccinations is shifting, then do not give up subsequent vaccinations. 45 days, which are laid as a gap between the procedures, are the minimum period, and if it is increased, nothing terrible will happen. Formation of immunity for this time will not stop, and you do not have to start immunization first. That is, if any stage of vaccination was missed, then from a disease such as polio, the vaccination schedule will simply continue according to the scheme, and not have to start immunization first. In addition, it should be noted that OPV and IPV are interchangeable drugs.

In addition to planned activities for children, immunization of the adult population is carried out in Russia. This occurs if a person goes to an area where a high incidence of this infection is observed, or as a preventive measure in the event of an outbreak.

Reaction to vaccination

Despite the fact that modern vaccines are usually well tolerated, an individual reaction of the body may follow the inoculation. As a rule, it is more pronounced in OPV. This can be expressed in an increase in temperature to 37.0-37.5 ° in the second week after inoculation. Also for two days there may be a slight diarrhea. Despite the fact that such a reaction is rare, it is normal and does not require special treatment. As a rule, all these disorders go by themselves.

With the introduction of IPV at the site of the injection can be a small swelling, it is also possible a slight rise in body temperature, a violation of appetite, anxiety.

Complications

The only serious complication of this vaccine is vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP). Fortunately, it is extremely rare. As a rule, it occurs after the first use of OPV (less often - with the second vaccination) and proceeds with all signs of this polio (paresis, paralysis, muscle atrophy). The risk of VAPP is great in children with low immunity, malformations, suffering from HIV or AIDS, if OPV is used for vaccination. In order to avoid complications, only IPV is used for this contingent for immunization.

Please note that an unvaccinated person (regardless of age), who suffers from a decrease in immunity (HIV, AIDS) or taking drugs, suppressing it, may get VAPP from a child immunized with OPV, as he releases the virus into the environment within two months after vaccination.

Contraindications

The schedule of vaccinations against poliomyelitis for children identifies the following contraindications for immunization:

• Acute diseases or exacerbations of chronic pathologies - vaccination is postponed for up to 4 weeks after recovery, in the case of a mild acute respiratory viral infection, vaccination can be carried out after normalizing the temperature;

• Severe allergic reaction to vaccine components;

• Immunodeficiency, malignant formations, immunosuppressive states;

• Neurological disorders, which were manifested during previous vaccinations.