Recently, American researchers published an article in which they said that in countries where the BCG vaccine is widely distributed, the number of cases of coronavirus will be significantly lower.
Scientists believe that BCG vaccination protects the body not only from tuberculosis, but also from COVID-19. “Reedus” talked with Professor, MD, therapist Alexander Karabinenko, who spoke about the feasibility of such a hypothesis.
This hypothesis is now being actively discussed in scientific circles, but it has not yet been confirmed. To say for sure, you need to conduct a global study, which will take a lot of time. We don’t yet know whether BCG really saves us from COVID-19, or maybe it’s a matter of race or completely different things. I think this is not the last working hypothesis, so no one can refute or confirm its reality. There is little data. In addition, we should not forget that in Russia the peak of the epidemic has not yet arrived. Maybe the BCG hypothesis won’t be confirmed at all,” the professor explained to Reedus.
What parents think about newborn vaccinations
Natalya, 25 years old.
“I gave birth to a son, they decided not to vaccinate against hepatitis, and there were no problems, everyone is alive and well. I believe that with the growing number of infected people, young mothers should insure their babies against this terrible disease. The vaccine, tested over the years, is sure to pose no danger.”
Elizaveta, 31.
“I often hear from young girls that vaccination is a stupid and useless injection. That many children later get sick and end up in hospitals. I can say that the reaction to the injection depends on the state of the child’s immunity. You need to get vaccinated correctly, take all tests before going to the doctor (I’m talking about the 2nd and 3rd injections). There is a vaccine for Hepatitis B and there is less talk about it on forums, which cannot be said about hepatitis, which is found in comments at almost every turn. I urge you to protect your children and not listen to the “smart guys.” Both my children are vaccinated, and I’m happy.”
Valeria, 30.
“I have not vaccinated my children and will not do so. Breasts do not risk getting sick if the mother is not infected, why torture them.”
Inna, 25.
“We vaccinated our daughter according to an individual scheme because she had a cold. There are no complaints, the child tolerated everything well.”
Ksenia, 28.
“We suffered a lot after the injection. The son was constantly capricious, did not sleep, and his temperature rose. I was left confused as to whether it was worth doing it at all.”
Elena, 24.
“I think vaccination is necessary. We did it for the first time in the maternity hospital and then according to the diagrams. I’m glad that at least this way I can protect my baby from danger.”
Valeria, 26.
“I don’t understand how you can determine in the first days of a newborn’s life whether he has an allergy to nutritional yeast. Doctors don't do any tests. This vaccination and the methods of its implementation are questionable. I believe that it is better to vaccinate at least at the age of 3, when the baby is developed and many of his body characteristics are clear.”
Olga, 35.
“I refused to vaccinate my second daughter and I see that she is developing better. They did everything for the eldest, but I really regret it. Why inject a child with a virus (vaccines usually contain the virus itself) if he is healthy. And what terrible consequences can there be. Doctors do not warn about this and say that everything will be fine. But they don’t let you see certificates or vaccination protocols. What are they hiding? Scary".
Yulia, 27.
“I am 7 months pregnant. I took all the tests - they showed negative results, but they found antibodies in my body to viruses that appeared in childhood due to vaccinations. It turns out that without the latter, the former would not have appeared. I’m confused about whether to vaccinate my future baby.”
Daria, 25.
“We did all the vaccinations according to the schedules. Only the last one was done later. There were no consequences after the injection, my daughter felt good and was not capricious.”
What to do: vaccinate or write a refusal?
The risk of complications from vaccinations is greatly exaggerated, and their effectiveness is usually underestimated. Refusal to vaccinate leads to an increase in morbidity cases. The most striking example is when, in the early 2000s, in Western Europe and the United States, parents massively refused to vaccinate their children against measles. This in 2011 led to a powerful epidemic of this disease. It was possible to suppress it only by vigorous measures of urgent vaccine prevention.
All the above data is just food for thought. Assuming that what we read will only aggravate parents’ doubts, let us give an opinion on vaccination from the authoritative pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky
.
He literally says the following about vaccinations:
“Not only are there no safe vaccines, but there are also no safe medicines—every time you give your child a pill or antipyretic syrup, you also take a risk. But by not helping him, you risk disproportionately more.”
“For sensible parents who have their own opinion, there is no doubt that vaccinations are necessary. Proceed from the principle: choose the lesser of two evils. This is precisely the art of healing.”
“Opponents of vaccination accuse doctors of stupidity and parents of ignorance, while often distorting the facts and misinforming the population, endangering an entire generation. This is irresponsible and vile."
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What experts say about vaccinations
The reluctance of many parents to vaccinate their baby is wrong. The resulting jaundice in a newborn does not symbolize liver pathology, but the breakdown of hemoglobin, which is converted into bilirubin and pigments the skin yellow. Vaccination protects against prolonged periods of jaundice.
Only the following categories of children may have contraindications for vaccinations:
- The mother is allergic to baker's yeast, which is part of the vaccine.
- The child was born premature and weighs less than two kg.
- There are signs of primary immunodeficiency.
The following are not contraindications to vaccination:
- Vacuum extraction of the fruit.
- Difficult birth.
- Asphyxia.
Many young mothers are sure that under such circumstances the child was exposed to stress and was injured, so the injection should not be given. Vaccination is not an additional burden, since, on the contrary, it strengthens the immune system and helps to quickly cope with the consequences of childbirth.
Feedback from young mothers becomes the basis for other parents’ decisions regarding child vaccination. This approach is wrong. You need to make a decision yourself, weighing all the pros and cons.
Arguments for vaccination
- opponents of vaccination do not provide any reliable facts to support their words. At the same time, during the period of mass vaccination, scientists have collected an extensive database, which convincingly indicates that it was thanks to vaccine prevention that dangerous infections were managed;
- the lowest mortality rate from infectious diseases was recorded in countries with a developed system of sanitary and epidemiological control, which specifically includes vaccination;
- there is no evidence that autoimmune diseases are caused by preventive vaccinations;
- Vaccinations are being developed against particularly dangerous infections that lead to severe complications for the body that are not comparable to the risk of developing complications. Diphtheria, whooping cough, and polio lead to disability, and very often to the death of patients;
- The statistics are inexorable: diphtheria leads to death in every 20th case, pneumonia due to measles develops in every 16th sick person, in one case out of 1000 this disease causes encephalitis. Serious complications are much less common: 1 case per 1.5–2 million vaccinations, but they, nevertheless, cannot be completely excluded. Similar evidence exists for the polio vaccine: there is considerable debate for and against it, but no one disputes the severity of the disease.
Is a hepatitis B vaccine necessary?
In the modern world, there are many mandatory vaccinations that must be given to a person at the initial stage of his life at a certain interval in time.
Ardent opponents of vaccination are often people who do not have a medical education and do not relate to biology, virology, or molecular genetics. All their knowledge about the effectiveness of the vaccine is superficial and deliberately false.
Non-professionals are only able to take information out of context and present it as an example as a solid fact. According to experts, the need for vaccinations is that the disease can lead to complex consequences or become chronic (which is especially typical for children).
Another misconception of people who are not competent in this matter is that children cannot become infected, since they are not sexually active and are not drug addicts, so that the antigen gets into their blood.
- Children are often taken to a clinic, where conditions may not be sterile, under which the baby can become infected from a syringe or improperly washed medical instruments.
- In kindergarten, children can fight, bite each other, and come into contact with a possible carrier of the virus.
- During a walk, a child may, out of great interest, pick up a contaminated syringe and injure himself.
The main argument of parents who refuse vaccinations in the first hours of a child’s life is not the desire to burden the baby’s immune system, despite the fact that the likelihood of illness is reduced to zero (because the mother was not infected during pregnancy).
Laboratory tests may be erroneous and show a false negative result for the presence of antigen in the blood. The risk of infection of the baby under such circumstances will increase.
At birth, doctors can only observe obvious pathologies of organs, which cannot be said about changes in the blood. Since Hepatitis B does not appear immediately, there is a risk of not noticing the infection of the baby, as a result of which the disease will become chronic and pose a threat to the health of the newborn.
If all women giving birth refuse the first vaccination in the maternity hospital, the number of babies infected with Hepatitis B will be 17-20 thousand babies annually.
Responsibility for the decision to vaccinate children falls on the shoulders of parents. And only with your own understanding of the whole situation and after consultation with a specialist can you accurately decide whether to vaccinate or not. You should not rely on the opinions of people, which are purely subjective and often unjustified. The life of every child depends on the circumstances and the environment in which he lives.
I have a BCG vaccination. Am I not at risk?
This is an erroneous and premature opinion. So far, all research, hypotheses and statements by scientists are theoretical in nature, since very little time has passed. It is possible that next week another study will appear in which another vaccine will be called a salvation from COVID-19.
It is important to understand that now the only thing we can do for our safety is self-isolation and compliance with all hygiene rules.
At the time of writing this material, 4,149 cases of COVID-19 infection have been confirmed in Russia, 281 patients have recovered, and 34 people have died.
For tuberculosis
On the 3rd–7th day of life, the newborn, also at the request of the parents, is vaccinated against tuberculosis with BCG (BCG is an abbreviation for the French “Bacillus Calmette-Guerin”). This is a live vaccine - that is, a live, but greatly weakened microorganism of the BCG strain. It is believed that introducing a child to such a weakened microbe in the future makes it safer and easier to become acquainted with the real tuberculosis microbacterium. There are strict indications and contraindications for this vaccination. To whom it is not performed in the maternity hospital: premature, weakened children, children with diagnosed congenital heart disease and for a number of other contraindications. But if the child’s health does not cause concern, it seems unreasonable to me to refuse BCG - and here’s why. Tuberculosis is a very dangerous disease; it is transmitted by airborne droplets. The sooner you get vaccinated, the better: we only have immunity to tuberculosis if we have the pathogen. It is important to understand that tuberculosis is widespread in our country - slightly more widespread than in many European countries. And this is due to the fact that there is different sensitivity to diseases among different ethnic groups. Our ethnically diverse population is thought to be highly susceptible to tuberculosis. For example, the population of Indians of North and South America during the Conquest, unlike Europeans, was extremely sensitive to childhood infections - measles and chickenpox.
If there are no contraindications, I would still recommend it. Another thing is with the Mantoux reaction. This is not a vaccination, but only a test of the reactivity of immunity to the microbacterium tuberculosis. In this case, a foreign protein is introduced - tuberculin, close to the one produced during tuberculosis. For some reason, everyone is very afraid of a positive Mantoux reaction, and such a reaction of fear in a pediatrician is excessive. Prescribing further preventive treatment for tuberculosis is sometimes also unnecessary: if the child is healthy, if no one in the family suffers from tuberculosis, there is absolutely no need to support the child with chemotherapy at the first contact with the tuberculosis microbacterium. In addition, a positive Mantoux reaction also occurs with helminthic infestation (infection) or when the child is prone to allergic reactions.
From the point of view of reducing the burden on the child of foreign vaccines or vaccine-like drugs, the reaction of some parents who refrain from the Mantoux reaction may be justified.
DTP
The vaccine calendar also includes DTP - vaccination against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus. Parents often object to these vaccinations, saying that such infections no longer exist and there is no need to be vaccinated, which is a big misconception. These diseases are quite common; for example, whooping cough can be transmitted from parent to child. DPT vaccination (Tetrakok, Infanrix) is three times and is carried out at 3, 4, 5 and 6 months. This is followed by one revaccination at 18 months. If a child begins to be vaccinated not at 3 months, but later, then vaccines containing the pertussis component are administered to him three times with an interval of 1.5 months, and the fourth time - a year after the third administration. Subsequent age-related revaccinations in our country are provided only against diphtheria and tetanus and are carried out at 7, 14 and then every 10 years throughout life. Let me note that the current vaccination calendar was planned many years ago, when there were no antibiotics against diphtheria and whooping cough that we have today, and in order to get tetanus, you need a very serious rotting wound surface, and if someone gets massively injured, then they administer tetanus antoxin anyway! So if a child has an allergic mood, poor health indicators, or parents are generally worried about vaccination, then you can safely refuse DPT! But if people live in conditions where there is no constant monitoring of the child by a pediatrician, if there is no clinic nearby, then it is better to vaccinate the child! Regarding the dangers of preservatives present in this vaccine, I can say that, of course, they exist, and not to say that this is good. I do not presume to make a judgment about the quality of domestic vaccines, although I myself prefer foreign vaccines: it is believed that they contain fewer preservatives and other additional substances, and, accordingly, are better tolerated by the child, causing fewer post-vaccination complications.
Healthy solution
In addition to vaccinations and along with them, there are other effective methods
immunoprophylaxis, much safer for the body.
Hardening, proper nutrition, fresh air, hygiene, regimen and other elements of the health program are truly powerful weapons against infections. Immunology scientists have been monitoring families who refuse vaccination for many years. The children have grown up and have not suffered a single childhood infection, not even chicken pox, and there are no allergy sufferers among them. But parents were responsible for the lifestyle of their children - breastfeeding
up to 2-3 years (although there were also “artificial” ones), complementary foods from fresh, not canned foods, freshly squeezed juices, many hours of walks in any weather, massage and gymnastics, hardening with simple and accessible methods.
Gradually, the physiological development of the immune system, combined with this lifestyle, formed a healthy body
, who passed through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adolescence without problems and entered adulthood.
Such a joyful picture is rather an exception to the rule. In young people 25-30 years old, a “bouquet” of chronic foci of inflammation is found. The immune system is already “worn out” at this age. Opponents of vaccination believe that the reason for this is an incorrect lifestyle from childhood and numerous vaccinations up to one year
especially. Later, an imbalance of adaptation systems leads to frequent illnesses, more and more serious.
Fortunately, it is within our power to correct the situation. Establishing a correct lifestyle is not so difficult, and the benefits it will bring are invaluable. Vaccinations may also have a place in your family's overall health picture
You just need to approach them carefully, carefully weighing the pros and cons.
There is no need to rush to give the first vaccinations to a newborn
and a child in the first year of life. During this time, you will have time to carefully study the issue, find out the epidemiological situation in the region, listen to the opinions of different doctors and make your own informed, responsible parental decision.
Whatever decision you make, let it be conscious and prepared. Keep your finger on the pulse, find out the latest news in immunology
.
Scientists are developing new, safer vaccines, and researchers are providing new data on the effects of vaccination. Understanding these issues is not easy, but it is vital. And we will try to help you with this. In any case, a healthy lifestyle, movement, hardening, and fresh air will be your reliable support in strengthening your immune system
and protecting against infections. The health of your family and children is in your hands.
The article uses materials from the book of a professor from St. Petersburg
Northwestern Medical University named after.
I.I. Mechnikova, Doctor of Medical Sciences Nadezhda Venediktovna Shabashova, author of a textbook for immunologists - “Clinical Immunology”.
Tips for parents
Of course, it would be better to look at a clinical blood test, which, by the way, almost no one does, they vaccinate everyone! - and this is still a live vaccine, but if there is no way to test it, then in the absence of contraindications - the child is healthy and has not been sick for the last month, does not have an exacerbation of chronic diseases at the time of injection, children 13-15 years old can be safely vaccinated. The years will pass unnoticed, and childbearing age will come very soon, it is better to take care of this before the age of 15. After this, immunity is believed to last for life, there is a lot of evidence for this. I understand that sometimes a vaccine is what the companies that produce it want to make money on. A fire is fanned around an absolutely insignificant reason. It is impossible to vaccinate a child against everything for which vaccines exist without harming his health. In addition, there are no contraindications for a healthy child to get sick, for example, with the flu: in ten to twenty years the same virus will return, and the person will already have a strong immunity to it. Let the child get sick, because during illness he grows as a person and begins to understand a lot about himself. Some parents try to vaccinate their child against everything; for some reason it seems to them that then everything will be fine with their child. We don't have such a guarantee! As the Lord decides, so it will be: if this is His plan, what should happen will happen, and in general, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans. Well, you can’t put straws everywhere! It is widely believed that there is a general weakening of immunity due to vaccinations. I would say that linking a decrease in immunity with vaccination can only be done at the level of intuition. In fact, there are no such studies - they are impossible to organize: there are no comparable groups of children with the same health indicators, living in the same conditions, with the same eating style, etc. You can find many explanations for the decline in immunity in subsequent generations, and when there are many of them, as a rule, the true reason is not known. So, for example, in the old days many children were born into families, but the population did not grow much: there was a high infant mortality rate, and those who survived both childbirth (at that time it was a huge risk) and a childhood infection were strong. Now everyone survives in our country - and this is the happiness of a particular family at the expense of the health of the entire population. For better or worse, we cannot help but treat children for scarlet fever. Natural selection does not work in the population beyond the first trimester: in the first trimester there are pregnancy losses, in the second there are few, and in the third, during childbirth, there are almost none; this is a rare case of mortality in childbirth.
Further, the eating style has changed. It must be said that there are a lot of different bacteria in our intestines, and we do not live with them separately, but in symbiosis, like a tree and a mushroom: the bacteria we feed live there. And if we eat a lot of sweets, we weaken good bacteria, dysbiosis develops in the intestines, which causes many links in our immunity to become short-circuited. So, in terms of consumption of sweets, the eating style has changed dramatically: if a hundred years ago sweets were a holiday food, and the average European ate 3.5 - 4 kg of sugar per year, now - almost 20 times more: somewhere around 60 kg of sugar, including sugar-sweetened drinks, sweet fermented milk products, etc. - sugar everywhere! Many people's daily diet now includes recreational eating: we are not hungry, but we have fun by eating sweets, food has become a pleasure. And the fact that there is much more sweet in the diet affects the condition of the gastrointestinal tract and the condition of the skin, for example, acne has aged. If earlier this was a pathology for 12-17 year olds, now we are offered a lot of cosmetics for aging skin that is prone to acne - acne occurs in women of fifty years of age. This is not due to changes in hormonal status - stop eating sweets, treat intestinal dysbiosis, the skin will become better.
