Ministry of Health: Whooping cough vaccination for children from 2 months old

On April 22, the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) said that through disease surveillance results nationwide, there are still cases of children contracting whooping cough when they are only 2-4 months old and some cases of other infectious diseases.

Children receiving vaccinations. Photo: VNA

Most children get sick because they are not vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated on schedule.

One of the reasons why children do not receive vaccinations on schedule is because some mothers wait for service vaccines such as Hexa-infarix (6-in-1 vaccine including diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, hemophilus influenza type B) or Pentaxim vaccine (5-in-1 vaccine including diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, hemophilus influenza type B) to vaccinate their children. Waiting for service vaccines will delay the vaccination schedule for children. This is really dangerous because the rate of severe illness and death from whooping cough is highest in children under 6 months of age.

According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), when a child is 2 months old, the antibodies that prevent whooping cough passed from mother to child begin to run out. At that time, vaccinating children at this time is best because it helps children become immune, not get sick, and at the same time avoid the risk of infection outbreaks, protecting public health.

The Department of Preventive Medicine emphasizes that whooping cough is an acute respiratory infection that often occurs in young children. The disease is transmitted by direct contact through the respiratory tract with secretions from the patient's nasal and throat mucosa when coughing or sneezing. The disease is highly contagious, especially among people living in the same closed space for a long time such as households, schools, etc.

The onset of the disease may be without fever or mild fever, with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, fatigue, loss of appetite and cough. Whooping cough is very characteristic with symptoms such as the child coughing uncontrollably, followed by a wheezing phase like a rooster crowing; at the end of the cough, there is often a lot of clear phlegm flowing out and then vomiting.

The disease often progresses severely, leading to death due to secondary infection, causing complications such as pneumonia and bronchopneumonia, especially in children under 6 years old and malnourished children.

To prevent whooping cough, the Ministry of Health recommends that families vaccinate their children with all three doses of Quinvaxem vaccine (5-in-1 vaccine) under the Expanded Immunization Program to prevent diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, and Hemophilus influenza type B. Quinvaxem vaccine under the Expanded Immunization Program is free, safe, and effective.

At the same time, family members must regularly wash their hands with soap; cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing; keep children's bodies, noses, and throats clean every day; ensure that homes, nurseries, and classrooms are airy, clean, and have enough light.

When showing signs of illness or suspected whooping cough, children must stay home from school, be isolated and taken to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment.

The Quinvaxem vaccine vaccination schedule for children is: 1st dose (when the child is 2 months old), 2nd dose (when the child is 3 months old), 3rd dose (when the child is 4 months old) and a booster shot when the child is 18 months old.

According to Vietnam+