Vaccines: what they are, types and when to take

Vaccines have the function of stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies, which have the function of protecting the organism from invasion by bacteria and viruses responsible for causing infectious diseases.

There are vaccines that are part of the national vaccination plan, that are administered free of charge, and others that can be administered on medical recommendation or if the person travels to places where there is a risk of contracting an infectious disease.

What are worth for

Vaccines are used to prevent diseases such as chicken pox, mumps, whooping cough, dengue, diphtheria, meningococcal disease, pneumococcal disease, yellow fever, typhoid fever, flu, Haemophilus type B meningitis, hepatitis A and B, HPV, polio, rabies, gastroenteritis serious illness caused by Rotavirus, measles, tetanus and tuberculosis.

Most vaccines that prevent these diseases are part of the national vaccination plan and are free of charge.

How they work and what types

There are two types of vaccines, those that have in their composition very weak or inactivated live infectious agents, and those that use dead, altered agents or just particles of the microorganism that causes the disease.

These vaccines are introduced into the body and your immune system acts against this agent, producing specific antibodies. If a day later the microorganism invades the organism, it already has specific antibodies to fight it and prevent a disease from occurring.

National vaccination calendar 2018

Several vaccines are part of the national vaccination plan and can be administered free of charge:

1. Babies up to 9 months

In babies up to 9 months, the vaccination plan is as follows:

	At birth	2 months	3 months	Four months	5 months	6 months	9 months
BGC Tuberculosis	Single dose
Hepatitis B	1st dose
Penta / DTP Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus type B meningitis and hepatitis B		1st dose		2nd dose		3rd dose
VIP / VOP Polio		1st dose (with VIP)		2nd dose (with VIP)		3rd dose (with VIP)
Pneumo10 Invasive diseases and acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae		2 to 3 doses depending on the vaccine
Rotavirus Gastroenteritis		1st dose		2nd dose
MeningoC Meningococcal infection, including meningitis			1st dose		2nd dose
Yellow fever							Single dose

2. Children from 1 to 9 years old

In children between 1 and 9 years old, the vaccination plan is as follows:

	12 months	15 months	Four years	nine years old
Penta / DTP Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus type B meningitis and hepatitis B		1st Reinforcement (with DTP)	2nd Reinforcement (with VOP)
VIP / VOP Polio		1st Reinforcement (with VOP)	2nd Reinforcement (with VOP)
Tire 10 Invasive diseases and acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae	Reinforcement
Meningo C Meningococcal infection, including meningitis	1st Reinforcement
Triple viral Measles, mumps, rubella	Single dose
Viral tetra Measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox		Single dose
Varicella			Single dose
Hepatitis A		Single dose
HPV Human papilloma virus				2 doses (girls from 9 to 14 years old)

3. Adults and children from 10 years old

In adolescents, adults, the elderly and pregnant women, the vaccination plan is as follows:

	10 to 19 years	Adults	Elderly (> 60 years)	Pregnant
Hepatitis B	3 servings	3 servings	3 servings	3 servings
Meningo C Meningococcal infection, including meningitis	2nd Reinforcement (11 to 14 years)
Yellow fever	Single dose	Single dose	Single dose
Triple viral Measles, mumps, rubella	2 Doses (up to 29 years)	1 dose (30 to 49 years)
Double adult Diphtheria and tetanus	Reinforcement every 10 years	Reinforcement every 10 years	Reinforcement every 10 years	2 Servings
HPV Human papilloma virus	For boys and girls under 15 years old, 2 doses are recommended with an interval of 6 months; For adolescents over 15 years old who are not immunized, three doses are recommended.
adult dTpa Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough				Single dose

Learn more about the triple viral and tetravalent vaccine.

Watch the following video and understand why vaccination is so important:

Does vaccine protection last a lifetime?

In some cases, immunological memory lasts a lifetime, however, in others, it is necessary to reinforce the vaccine, such as meningococcal disease, diphtheria or tetanus, for example.

It is also important to know that the vaccine takes some time to take effect and therefore, if a person is infected shortly after taking it, it may not be effective.

Most common vaccine questions

Can vaccines be used in pregnancy?

Yes. As they are a risk group, pregnant women should take some vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, which are used to protect the pregnant woman and the baby. The administration of other vaccines should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and prescribed by the doctor.

Do vaccines cause people to faint?

No. Generally, people who pass out after receiving a vaccine, are due to the fact that they are afraid of the needle, because they feel pain and panic.

Can breastfeeding women get vaccines?

Yes. Vaccines can be given to nursing mothers, in order to prevent the mother from transmitting viruses or bacteria to the baby. The only vaccines contraindicated for women who are breastfeeding are yellow fever and dengue. Learn more about the yellow fever and dengue vaccine.

Can more than one vaccine be taken at the same time?

Yes. Administering more than one vaccine at the same time does not harm your health.

What are combined vaccines?

They are vaccines that protect the person from more than one disease and in which the administration of just one injection is necessary, as is the case of the triple viral, tetraviral or bacterial penta, for example.