Being pricked by an injection isn't anything to celebrate but health officials from the Central Health Region say, since if it's for better health, then why not? This week is recognized as Vaccination week. Nurses and health practitioners have been administering vaccines to kids and adults in various communities. Now , some people are sceptical about these vaccines and the possible long term effects they may have on children but Public Health Nurse at the Central Health Region Elsie Velasquez discussed the different types of vaccines and why they do so much more good than bad:..
Elsie Velasquez - Public Health Nurse
"We are celebrating 15 years with Vaccine of the Americas and it is during this period we have more activities occurring. We are trying to promote vaccination of course because you know vaccination it helps to get more people not only children so we are trying to make this more to the people out there - our services are free we provide vaccines from since birth all the way up to old age because it's not only for children it's also for adults as well. So out there you might be seeing some of the nurses going out visiting people at their houses for those children who have not received their vaccines or failed to reach to the health center for their vaccines. They will be visiting institutions just ask city council to provide those sanitation workers their vaccine as well. They will be visiting construction sites for construction workers as well. They will also be going into schools because they always want to catch up with those babies or children who failed to receive their last booster at 4 years of age so we want to catch them as well."
Courtney Weatherburne
"Many people are sceptical right to take vaccines, they have many questions, they want to know what exactly is in the vaccine and how it will affect their children. Could you speak on that if you can provide any information as to what exactly just for the public, what exactly are in the vaccines, the different type of vaccines for children and for adults?"
Elsie Velasquez
"We have several vaccines starting with BCG. That is actually known as a live automated virus meaning that it is so weakened that when it introduced into the system of a baby it really doesn't cause the disease itself however it helps produce immunity against that specific disease which in this case would be tuberculosis so this child gets that protection against TB. Then it is followed up at two months, four months and six months they get what is polio oral drops and that is against poliomyelitis and the penta which is against bacteria, tetanus, hepatitis, haemophilus influenza B. In most cases the one at two months, four months it does causes mild reaction but that is the way the body response in reaction to developing this immunity. So if you might hear them complaining that they have fever that the area where the injection went is swollen but this is normal reaction, that's the body response to it in order to provide that immunity. One vaccine doesn't only protects that particular child but the whole community because most of these vaccines are for vacciniola disease that can be spread from one person to the next so if I get it, then the next person will get it and the next person will get it, that one person get, they rest of our community will get it. So it's a form of protection."
As you heard there are several vaccines that children between ages 1 and 5 are to have taken: BCG, polio vaccine , pentavalent vaccine , flu shots , the measles mumps rebulla vaccine and one called the Booster. Velasquez says these vaccines have worked because there has been no outbreak of polio or measles in Belize as a result of the vaccine. The theme of this week is # Get Vax to celebrate a healthy tomorrow.
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