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How long are vaccinations good for |
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A hundred or more years earlier, the single biggest cause of death amongst children and adults was disease. Even though diseases may not have been known as they are known today, they caused such death and destruction that even a slight cold and cough was thought to be of grave concern. Today however, with the advent and acceptance of vaccinations, we are safe in the knowledge that not only we, but our children and future generations are protected from the gruesomeness that disease can bring. Vaccinations, which were not at first accepted by society, are a part of our daily routine today. It is accepted norm for everyone to have been vaccinated for a specific number of diseases. Children, even before the get to the age of 2 yrs, have received almost all the required vaccinations to protect them from everything from whooping cough to mumps. Parents are always worried however about the side effects of these vaccinations and how long the protection will last. On the whole there are no serious side effects of vaccines. How long vaccinations are good for depend on the specific vaccine that is in question. How long vaccinations are good for determine their acceptance
in society and the medical field. One of the core vaccines given to children is MMR. This has been known to have a very long immunity, definitely averaging on 15-20 years for each of the diseases. If there have been cases of adults or adolescents contracting the disease, it is of a very mild nature since the immune system retains the memory of the vaccine. Another core vaccine is DTP. The vaccine for Diphtheria lasts for about 10 yrs, for Tetanus too 10 yrs (booster shots are required every 10 yrs), and for Pertussis it is thought to be through childhood though the effect may weaken with time. For Hib vaccine, how long the vaccination is good for is not known. Polio vaccine is another important vaccination that is given. How long the vaccination is good for depends on the type. OPV probably has life long immunity while for IPV it isn't known how long the immunity lasts. Another core vaccination is the Meningitis C vaccine. How long this vaccination is good for in unknown but is thought to be about 5 yrs. The same goes for Pneumococcal virus vaccine (polysaccharide and conjugate) in that the duration of immunity is not known. The BCG vaccination for TB has been known to be 80% effective in providing immunity for about 15 yrs. So how long the vaccination is good for is very vaccine specific, and thus booster shots are recommended whenever needed so that the person continues with the protection against diseases. Childhood Vaccination
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