Parents delay kids vaccination for fear of getting Covid
September 07, 2020 12:10
Parents are delaying vaccination for kids by avoiding hospital visits to prevent their exposure to coronavirus, even as pediatricians call it a disturbing trend as skipping timely administration of vaccines can have long-term impact on children's health.
The experts said parents should take their children for timely vaccination, especially in the first year of a child's life.
"I had a patient yesterday who came to me after three months for vaccinating their child for polio. There are certain vaccines that you cannot catch up. For instance, the rotavirus vaccine is limited to a specific time. The last dose can be given by seven months. The vaccines act best when they are administered on time," Rahul Nagpal, Director, Pediatrics, Fortis Hospital Vasant Kunj said on Sunday.
Vineet Kwatra, Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Medeor Hospital said there were few patients in the first three to four months of the pandemic outbreak due to the lockdown, fear of contracting the infection and lesser number of clinics which were functional.
"Parents are still very hesitant and are unnecessarily delaying vaccination. There are vaccines which are administered at six weeks, 10 weeks and 14 weeks, and they should not be missed. They can wait for a month or so but not beyond that.
"Under normal circumstances, a vaccine can be delayed by seven days. In the second year of a child's life, vaccines can be delayed by one or two months but not beyond that," Kwatra explained.
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