Free vaccines for babies in the Philippines: Vaccinating your baby is paramount to keep them safe from serious illnesses. Here are the free vaccines at the health center that are given to babies and young children as their protection against diseases.
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Free vaccines for babies at the Philippines Health Centers
As a parent, we want to make sure our children are always safe. Especially with diseases that could endanger their life. Aside from providing nutritious food, according to experts. One of the best ways to do this is to vaccinate our children against diseases. It must have begun at the time they were born into the world.
But when it comes to calculating the cost to complete the vaccine a baby needs from birth to adulthood, not all Filipino families can afford it. That is why the government launched the National Immunization Program in the Philippines which aims to provide free vaccinations to all Filipino children.
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DOH vaccines for babies Philippines
Under the DOH vaccines for babies Philippines program, there are free vaccinations at the health center given to infants and young children. They are as follows:
1. BCG (Bacille-Calmette-Guerin)
BCG or Bacille-Calmette-Guerin was one of the first vaccines given to infants after birth. It is a vaccine made as a baby’s defense against the diseases tuberculosis meningitis and leprosy or better known as leprosy.
2. Vaccines for babies Philippines: Hepatitis B
Another vaccine that is given at the birth of a baby is the Hepatitis B vaccine. It is given to the baby as protection against Hepatitis B disease and to prevent them from becoming a carrier of it as well.
This vaccine is important because hepatitis can damage a person’s liver and can cause cancer which is a deadly disease.
3. Pentavalent vaccine
The pentavalent vaccine is a combination vaccine consisting of vaccines against the major diseases Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus Influenza.
Three doses of this vaccine should be given to the baby for stronger protection.
The pentavalent vaccine is first given to an infant when he or she is 6 weeks or 1 ½ months of life. The second dose is given when the baby is 2 ½ months old. While the third dose is given after one month or when the baby is 3 ½ old.
It is made as protection against diphtheria disease which causes an infection in the upper respiratory tract and can obstruct breathing when it worsens. The same goes for pertussis, or chronic cough is also known as whooping cough which is dangerous for babies.
The pentavalent vaccine also protects a baby from tetanus which causes stiffness and excessive muscle soreness. The same goes for Haemophilus influenzae type B disease which is very dangerous in young children.
The pentavalent vaccine also contains the hepa B vaccine that completes the dose a baby needs.
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4. Vaccines for babies against Polio (Oral Polio Vaccine o OPV)
Like the pentavalent vaccine, the oral polio vaccine is given to the baby three times or twelve times. It begins to be given when they are 1 ½ months old. Then followed by the second and third twelve when they are 2 ½ and 3 ½ months old.
OPV is given to the baby to protect them against polio disease which can cause disability or handicap in their bones that can make it difficult for them to walk.
5. Inactivated polio vaccine
Apart from OPV, the baby is also given a vaccine called the inactivated polio vaccine. This is an extra protection for the baby from polio that is given when they are 3 ½ months old. Unlike OPV or oral polio vaccine, IPV is given by injection into an infant’s arm or leg.
6. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine o PCV
To protect the baby from the dangerous diseases of pneumonia and meningitis, he is given the pneumococoal conjugate vaccine or PCV. It has three doses given since he steps 1 ½ month old. The next dose will be given one month later and will be completed when the baby is 3 ½ months old.
7. Vaccines for babies Philippines: Measles, Mumps, Rubella o MMR vaccine
The MMR vaccine is given to the baby as protection against measles, rubella, or german measles and mumps. These diseases if left untreated can cause malnutrition and poor mental health in the baby. It can also cause deafness or blindness.
It is given when a baby is one year and one month old. Currently under the DOH’s supplemental vaccination program called Measles-Rubella Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR OPV SIA). Children aged 9 months to under five years of age will be vaccinated against measles, rubella, and polio.
This is as additional protection against the aforementioned diseases that have been recorded with outbreaks in some parts of the country.
The above is the free vaccines given to babies one year of age and younger.
Free vaccines for babies in the Philippines: Health center vs. Private Clinics
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The immunization issues have caused fear and anxiety for some parents. Many questions the safety of free vaccines provided by the government. Some prefer to buy and pay for vaccinations from private clinics and hospitals to be sure.
But according to the pediatrician and executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, Dr. Lulu Bravo, the vaccines provided by the government are safe.
It is no different from vaccines purchased from private clinics. Statement by Dr. Bravo to theAsianparent’s interview with him on Vaccine Talk: Ask me Anything! health webinar on Facebook:
“As long as vaccines are approved by our FDA and used in our national vaccination program, we can trust them.
Our government will not give a bad vaccine. Because think of us as smart FDA experts. Or what we call vaccine experts. Once the vaccine is approved, it is safe. We say why the private is expensive and the government is free. Because our government buys by volume and will not sell it. They are getting a vaccine that can be shared with us. Those in private clinics because they buy little by little so it’s more expensive.”
Why does your child need to be vaccinated?
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Dr. Bravo added that we should take advantage of the free vaccines at the health center given to our children. Because it will save them from diseases that can threaten their lives.
“We need to tell our compatriots to go to the health center because the vaccine is free. To save the lives of our children. ”
“Did you know that all over the world, 3 million lives of babies are saved by the vaccine every year. So we really have to trust.
Now if the child is not vaccinated, he is in danger. Or we put him in a position with a high chance of getting a contagious disease. ”
The importance of vaccinating your kids
Just like the information stated above, there are different kinds of vaccines, and each kind works as a protection from a certain disease your child may get as they grow.
Vaccinating your kids strengthens their immune system and helps their body fights disease. At a young age, your child’s immune system is not fully developed and that can put them at a greater risk of infection.
Vaccinating them reduces the risk of infections by boosting the body’s natural defenses. It is a safe way of developing protection against different diseases.
With the growing pollution around, your children are exposed to numerous germs every day. They can get it from the food they eat, the air they breathe, and the things they touch and put in their mouth.
Boosting their immune system through vaccination helps their body fight most germs, especially those that bring deadly diseases.
How safe vaccines for babies are?
Vaccines, whether for babies or adults, are tested numerous times in the laboratory before given to people. It takes several years of clinical studies before the vaccine gets licensed. Once it is licensed, it doesn’t stop there. The Food and Drug Administration will continue to monitor and investigate any potential safety concerns related to it.
So, if you are worrying that vaccines might put your kid in danger, then you should remember this mommy. Vaccines are made to help your baby protect itself from viral and bacterial diseases and infections. Those aren’t made to harm your child.
In developing a vaccine, experts use very small amounts of antigens to help your baby’s immune system recognize and fight serious diseases. What are antigens? Antigens are parts of germs that cause the immune system to function. Once your baby’s body recognizes a certain antigen, then it would be easier for their system to fight the illnesses.
According to CDC, vaccines have different ingredients that play important roles in immunization. Vaccines are composed of adjuvants, stabilizers, formaldehyde, and thimerosal ingredients. All of these are necessary to ensure that the vaccine is safe and effective.
First, adjuvants help boost the body’s response to vaccination. Next, the stabilizer. It is important to keep the vaccine effective after it is manufactured. Another is the formaldehyde that is used to prevent the contamination of the vaccine. It protects the vaccine from being contaminated by bacteria during the process of manufacturing.
Lastly, the Thimerosal ingredient. According to CDC, this ingredient is no longer used in most vaccines. However, it is still used in the manufacturing process of multi-dose vials of flu vaccine.
Vaccine side effects
Just like vaccines for adults, vaccines for babies also have mild side effects. Most people who are vaccinated had experienced mild or no side effects. The most common side effects of vaccines for babies are the following:
- Fever
- Body aches
- Tiredness
- Redness, swelling, and tenderness at the site where the vaccine was given.
These side effects usually go away on their own. But mommy and daddy, if your baby experiences long-lasting side effects, though this is extremely rare, it is important to consult your doctor.
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Additional information written by Jobelle Macayan
Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advise or medical treatment. TheAsianparent Philippines is not responsible to those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend to consult your doctor for clearer information.