Parotid Gland Vaccination
The parotid glands are two large glands located on both sides of the face. They produce saliva and help indigestion. The parotid gland vaccination is done to prevent an infection caused by a particular type of bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes, which sometimes lead to severe problems like Parotitis (Inflammation of the Parotid Gland) and Mumps (a viral disease).
Symptoms:
Mumps has no symptoms in most children. However, it infects other parts of the body in some cases, causing swelling due to inflammation and enlargement of the salivary glands like parotids, leading to fever and headache. Severe infections may even lead to deafness or brain and spinal cord mining and permanent hearing loss (15%).
Mumps can also cause swelling of the ovaries or testicles in post-pubertal males. In pregnant women, mumps may lead to inflammation of the brain called encephalitis, miscarriage, or stillbirth due to infection of the placenta. The risk is higher if a woman is more than three months pregnant when contracting mumps.
People who have had two doses of Mumps – Measles-Rubella vaccine are much less likely to get infected by mumps than those not vaccinated.
How parotid gland vaccination is done:
The vaccine, produced using weakened viruses, cannot cause mumps even if the vaccine strain virus infects someone.
It is given as an injection in the upper arm, thigh, or deltoid muscle. A booster shot may be recommended after one to three years if there’s a high risk of exposure to mumps.
Precautions:
The vaccine should not be given to people with a weakened immune system or who have a fever, pregnant women, and those allergic to any ingredients in the vaccine. If you have had a bad reaction to Mumps – Measles-Rubella vaccine in the past, tell your doctor before taking this medicine.
Side Effects:
Mild side effects like low-grade fever (99 to 100 ° F), headache, tiredness, or muscle pain may occur for 1 to 2 days after vaccination. These side effects fade away without any treatment and do not cause any long-term problems.
A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) may occur within minutes of administering the vaccine but can be treated with an epinephrine injection to keep your condition from getting worse. Also, one in a million people may get meningitis or encephalitis, swelling of the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord due to infection by the virus in the vaccine.
However, such cases are sporadic, and vaccines had prevented many outbreaks of Mumps in India, where almost all children were vaccinated against mumps before routine vaccinations ended at age two years.
The parotid gland vaccination is available free under Universal Immunisation Programme:
The first dose of the vaccine is usually given between 12-23 months of age. The second dose should be given at least one month after the first vaccine.
Generally, two doses are recommended to provide lifelong protection against mumps. A third dose may be needed in some situations if the child is being exposed to mumps more than once during an outbreak or living in a community with low vaccination coverage. A third dose provides little benefit if given five or more years after either of the initial amounts and thus can be delayed until preschool years (4-6 yrs.)
When they attend daycare centers and playgroups with unimmunized children, if there’s no such exposure, then 3rd dose can be administered after 4 to 6 years of age. Mumps vaccine is effective for life and does not wear off over time, unlike Measles, Rubella, or Polio.
When was the mumps vaccine developed:
According to Wikipedia, the Mumps vaccine was developed in 1967 by Pierre J. Dubois.
The mumps vaccine has been in use since the 1960s.
The uptake of the MMR vaccine across Europe is similar to that seen in North America, with >90% coverage for two doses required to ensure population immunity.
The mumps jab is given around age three/four with a booster at age five/six – just before starting school.
I am not planning on my daughter getting this or any other jabs until she is much older.- My daughter is now ten months old, and she had her first jabs started last week.
I was not looking forward to it, but I think they are good jabs that protect against many diseases.
The nurse at the surgery gave me two leaflets on MMR and another on whooping cough.
They have a lot of information so read them carefully. I do know that vaccines can often be used as a cover-up by doctors for inadequate medical care.- If someone asks if their child has had the vaccinations, many GPs will say Yes whether or not they have or how long ago they were given the vaccine.
– Even if you don’t believe in vaccinations, please ensure your children have been vaccinated unless there is a serious reason why this shouldn’t happen e..g having an allergy.- In North America, it is mandatory to vaccinate children against certain diseases.
Single mumps vaccine:
Mumps vaccine is available as a single antigen preparation and in combination with vaccines for measles, rubella, and varicella.
The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
In addition to the live attenuated viruses, mumps vaccine can be prepared from purified human serum albumin alone or combined with other human proteins.
Today’s vaccines are remarkably safe. That’s why millions of Americans have safely received them.
However, some people have concerns about vaccine safety because some vaccines contain weakened forms of disease-causing viruses that either aren’t harmful or cause only very mild symptoms of these diseases. As a result, in sporadic cases following vaccination, some children develop serious complications such as severe allergic reactions, high fever that could lead to a brain infection, or even death.
Allergic reactions or side effects of any kind happen much less often after the second and third doses than after the first dose. For example, redness and soreness around the injection site are widespread after the first dose. In addition, some children develop a mild fever, rash, or swelling where they get their shot.
In the sporadic event that a vaccine causes a severe problem, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program is available to help.
Congress created this program to provide compensation quickly and efficiently when a vaccine injury occurs.
vaccines cover:
Your child will be vaccinated against many infectious diseases. The most common vaccines given are for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Polio, and Meningitis.
Meningitis vaccine:
The Men B vaccine is given to babies at 2, 4, and 12 months of age. This vaccine protects against meningococcal group B bacteria.
As your baby’s immune system develops, they will build their immunity to the diseases that they are vaccinated against. This usually happens after about 7 to 10 days.
You should know that you can’t catch the diseases from someone who has been vaccinated against them. A person who has had a disease caused by one of these viruses or bacteria cannot infect other people with it. Neither can a person give these infections to someone if they have received the vaccination for them.
Although vaccines cannot provide total protection against disease, they help reduce your child’s risk of developing a severe illness. Most vaccine-preventable diseases are spread from person to person.
Many people don’t feel the effects of these diseases after being vaccinated because the vaccines help their bodies defend themselves.
However, some vaccines need a few weeks or months to become effective, and for this reason, you may be asked to avoid having close contact with an infant who has recently been given certain vaccines.
The number of cases of polio is now deficient in most countries. Even so, it’s important enough that all children continue to receive the polio vaccine as part of their routine childhood vaccinations throughout the world.