Catch-Up Vaccination: A Savior To Your Child Health

While COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting our daily lives, it is important that our children get their recommended vaccines even during this outbreak as these Vaccines protect them from some serious diseases. Not getting a child vaccinated at the right time leaves them susceptible to different viruses.

Vaccines train the immune system of your child to fight infections by triggering the immune system to produce antibodies.¹ As per the World Health Organization (WHO), immunization comes under the essential health care services,² and hence, parents should get their children vaccinated while taking all the necessary precautions in stepping out for their vaccination.

I have a 2-and-a-half-year toddler who is due for her recommended Vaccines and my concerns have been similar to those of other parents. I was constantly thinking about how I would get her vaccinated, especially when even visiting a doctor has become scary. With things already messed up due to the COVID-19, I missed my child’s vaccination too! As if my existing worries weren’t enough, this made me tensed even more and I started feeling guilty about my child getting exposed to diseases. For me, nothing was more important than getting my child vaccinated, especially during these tough times. But as they say, when a door closes, a window opens. Thank God that I have my pediatrician’s number on speed dial, which is how I kept in know of my child’s vaccination schedule. To my relief, he helped me understand that a little delay in vaccinating a child is fine. Taking my young one out of the house was a concern during the lockdown but missing out on her vaccines was something that I just couldn’t afford. With the world shutting down suddenly, I was constantly in touch with my pediatrician over the vaccines for my daughter. My pediatrician advised me about catch-up vaccination, which is something that I had never heard of before.

What is catch-up vaccination?

Catch-up vaccination is the practice of giving vaccines to people who did not receive vaccine at the recommended age. Catch-up vaccines may be given to a person who has not been previously vaccinated, or who has missed a scheduled vaccine dose, or who has not completed the vaccine series.³

Catch-up Vaccination aims to provide optimal protection against diseases as quickly as possible by completing the recommended vaccination schedule in the shortest and most effective time frame.³

To know more about catch-up Vaccination, you should ideally speak to your pediatrician and get their counsel.

Here’s the best part. After becoming aware of catch-up Vaccination, I visited my pediatrician without delaying any further and got my daughter vaccinated. While I did follow the government guidelines of social distancing, I was so relieved to have my daughter immunized against deadly diseases. Despite getting a little late for my child’s vaccination, I found solace in the fact that my daughter could receive her due recommended Vaccines. With my experience, I would recommend you opt for catch-up Vaccination in case you have missed your child’s original vaccination dates. I would like to highlight that a catch-up vaccine is not available forever, but just for a short time, so please avoid any further delays. While I am completely free from the worries of my child’s vaccination, I would want you too to experience the same bliss by following up with your Paediatrician and asking them about the option of catch-up Vaccination.

References:

1. CDC. Explaining how vaccines work. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/understanding-vacc-work.html. Accessed October 2023.
2. WHO. Vaccines and immunization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/vaccines-and-immunization#tab=tab_1. Accessed October 2023.
3. WHO. Catch up vaccination. https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/essential-programme-on-immunization/implementation/catch-up-vaccination. Accessed October 2023. CL Code: NP-IN-PVU-WCNT-240002