Vaccine Queries

Your child has been crying nonstop and running a temperature through the night. You try desperately to pacify her and wonder what could be wrong. Oh yes! Realisation dawns on you. She was given a dose of the DPT vaccine the previous day. But isn’t a vaccine supposed to keep the baby healthy, you wonder. Why is she ill?

Obviously your doctor has forgotten to tell you about the side effects of the DPT vaccine — a deed that amounts to callousness. But, this is not a stray incident; a lot of doctors in the U.S. have also been accused of holding back information from parents.

According to a recent article published in the journal Pediatrics, a large number of physicians in the U.S. do not provide vaccine information statements to parents as precribed by law.

So, when you go for your child’s next round of vaccination,

• Ask your doctor about the whys and hows of the medicine.
• How is it beneficial for your child; what disease does it prevent.
• What are its side effects, when they are likely to occur and how they should be treated. Also find out what symptoms should prompt you to contact him again.
• Make sure your child does not have a condition that would make her ineligible for a particular vaccine.