Immunization Late? This is What Parents Should Do
Providing immunization to children is one way to prevent disease transmission. The government has even set 5 basic vaccinations that children are obliged to get before they are 1 year old. Unfortunately, not a few children are late in immunization because their parents often forget. Whether it’s because of a busy schedule or even think that immunization is not important. So, what happens if the child is late in immunization? How do you make parents always remember the child’s immunization schedule? Come on, find out the answers to all of these questions in the review below.
Immunization is very important so it shouldn’t be too late
The benefit of immunization is to prevent and reduce the risk of complications due to dangerous and infectious diseases.
When a child has been vaccinated, his body will automatically be equipped with an immune system that works specifically to fight viruses, bacteria, or germs that cause the disease.
Conversely, if children do not receive immunizations, they will be more at risk of contracting dangerous diseases and experiencing severe complications.
Children who do not receive vaccinations are also at risk of passing their illness to other people. As a result, disease outbreaks and death rates will be even higher.
What if the child is late in immunization?
With such a busy life, there are times when you as a parent may forget your child’s immunization schedule.
This makes children late or even missed immunizations. However, you don’t need to worry too much.
If you are a few days behind schedule, consult a doctor immediately. Usually the doctor will advise the child to do follow-up vaccinations.
This also applies if you are late or miss vaccinations that your child must get in a series, for example polio.
Vaccinations polio itself consists of four series and children must get it all.
According to the government program, children need to get polio vaccination immediately at birth, aged 2, 3, and 4 months.
When a child gets a polio vaccination late, you don’t need to worry about having to start over from scratch.
Keep giving the next type of immunization on schedule. It doesn’t matter what distance the delay is from the previous immunization.
One thing that needs to be underlined is it is never too late to submit immunizations that have already been missed.
Remember, vaccination not only protects children from various dangerous diseases, but also prevents person-to-person transmission of the disease.
So, not only will your child benefit from vaccination, other children will also feel it.
Tips for not forgetting and being late for the child’s vaccination schedule
Since vaccination plays an important role in preventing infectious diseases and dangerous complications, it is important for parents to always remember their child’s immunization schedule.
So, so that children are no longer late for immunizations, here are some things parents can do.
1. Create a reminder on the phone
Nowadays cellphones have become important items that you must carry with you wherever we go.
Not only has a negative impact, if you use it wisely, cellphones can provide many benefits.
One of them is a means of reminders for the childhood vaccine schedule. Yes, you can take advantage of the reminder feature on your cellphone.
It’s easy, mark the date the child should receive the vaccine then set a reminder alarm so that it will ring on that date.
So, you don’t need to worry anymore about missing the baby’s vaccine schedule.
You can also add vaccines according to the schedule, for example hepatitis B immunization or MMR immunization.
This will make it easier for parents to remember what kind of vaccine their child will receive.
2. Take notes, notes, notes
Even though it is fairly old-fashioned, keeping a special journal or note about all the developments or needs of your little one can also be an effective way to remember a child’s vaccine schedule.
This habit means that children will no longer be late for immunizations.
Yes, for some parents, writing directly on paper makes it easier for them to remember something rather than having to write it down on a gadget.
You can also view your child’s vaccine schedule in a notebook that your doctor or health provider has provided.
Keep this notebook carefully, so you can easily find it whenever you need it.
3. Remember the date of birth of the child
Another easy way to keep your child from being late for immunizations is to remember their date of birth.
In principle, the vaccination schedule for children will be based on the date of birth of the child each month.
So, there should be no more reason to forget your child’s vaccination schedule, right?
It is important that parents pay attention to late immunization
Health services usually provide free vaccinations, such as regional hospitals (RSUD), Puskesmas, and Posyandu.
Don’t hesitate to ask or ask explanation to doctors and midwives regarding the immunization program that the child will carry out later.
Ask for an explanation of the type of vaccine used, the brand of the vaccine, the side effects of immunization and other things to watch out for after immunization.
If you feel you don’t understand, please consult your doctor until you really understand.
One more thing that is no less important, the things that doctors record in the vaccination logbook must also be understood by parents. Don’t let only the doctor understand.
Although the doctor wrote the vaccination logbook, it was the parent’s book. So, it is important for parents to understand it too. That way, children will no longer be late for immunization.
Hello Health Group and Hello Sehat do not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please check our editorial policy page for more detailed information.
