Painless vaccination vs normal vaccination | New mom’s must-read

Painless vaccination vs normal vaccination

Painless vaccination vs normal vaccination is one of the most common questions that come up when our little bundle of joy has to be given vaccinations. Let us briefly look into both types of vaccinations in this article.

Vaccinating our babies is of utmost importance as it will protect them against a range of life-threatening diseases. Most vaccines in India are injectables except for polio. The idea of our little babies having to experience the pain of being injected while also experiencing the side effects will break most of our hearts. That is why many parents are opting for painless vaccinations these days. Let us look at the advantages and disadvantages of both vaccinations and explore the topic of painless vaccination vs normal vaccination as well.

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What is a painless and normal vaccination?

The first thing to consider is that in India, the painless vaccination vs normal vaccination option is available only for the Diptheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTP) combination vaccination. Let us start with the normal vaccination first and then move to painless vaccination. Normal vaccination otherwise known as painful vaccination is a whole-cell vaccine (DTwP). In this vaccine, a few whole pertussis bacteria are used as an immunogen and so, it is called the whole cell vaccine. Since the whole bacteria is used, after vaccination, it leads to high fever, pain, drowsiness, and other side effects.

Painless vaccination is comparatively new and advanced when compared to the normal vaccine. Unlike the painful vaccine, the painless vaccine only has a few parts of the pertussis bacteria. That is why it is called the acellular vaccine (DTaP). Since the whole cell is not used, it does not cause any severe side effects like that of the whole cell vaccination. It is to be noted that there would be a little tenderness and pain at the sight of the injection for both vaccines.

Now that we have a basic understanding of both vaccines, let us move forward to know a little bit more about both vaccines before jumping into the topic of painless vaccination vs normal vaccination.

Which vaccine is the safest?

A lot of people, particularly my friends and family have asked me about the safety of both the painless vaccine as well as the normal vaccine. Since the normal vaccine has been around for years, people believe that it is more powerful and safer than the painless vaccine. Also, we are so ingrained in the idea that vaccines are supposed to be painful and there should be high fever and other post-vaccination symptoms for the vaccine to be effective.

These ideas and beliefs are just myths. Both the painless vaccine as well as the painful vaccine are approved by various organizations and governments all over the world. Just because the painless vaccination doesn’t have any serious post-vaccination symptoms, it does not mean that it is less effective. In short, both the painless vaccination and the painful vaccination are equally effective and just as safe as the other vaccine. Having said that, there are a few differences between the two vaccines and the painless vaccination has a few advantages over the normal one. Let us look at it in detail below.

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Advantages of painless vaccination

Painless vaccination has been developed considerably later after the normal vaccination. Due to the advancements in Science, particularly in protein chemistry and molecular biology, the painless vaccination has a few added benefits to that of the normal vaccine. Let us briefly look at these advantages so that it would be easier for you to choose the best vaccine for your baby.

There are three main advantages of the painless vaccination and they are as listed below.

  • One of the most important advantages is that the painless vaccine does not cause high temperatures for a long period of time like the normal vaccine does. There might be a slight rise in temperature for a few hours but it won’t be severe.
  • The next advantage is that it does not cause dizziness. This is important because babies as well as little kids do not know how to explain that they are feeling dizzy and so they will keep crying continuously. This confusion can be avoided by opting for the painless vaccination.
  • Along with the reduced side effects post-vaccination, the other advantage of the painless vaccination is that the pain, swelling, and tenderness at the site of injection are less when compared with the normal vaccine.

Painless vaccination vs normal vaccination

Now that we have looked at the basic definitions, the safety, the effectiveness, and the differences between both vaccines all through the article, let us address the dilemma of painless vaccination vs normal vaccination. I wanted to make a crisp comparison table to put your dilemma of the painless vaccination vs normal vaccination to rest so that you can choose one among the two vaccines.

Bottom Line
Pros
Cons
Bottom Line
Painless vaccination
Pros
Acellular vaccine and so it is painless.
Cons
A little more expensive than the normal vaccine.
Bottom Line
Normal vaccination
Pros
Normal vaccine so it is cheaper than the painless vaccine.
Cons
It is more painful than the painless vaccine.

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Takeaway

I researched all about the painless vaccination vs normal vaccination and gave both of my babies the painless vaccination whereas my friend went with the normal vaccine. Both vaccines have the same function and their efficiency is not that different from the other. The only differences are the price and the post-vaccination symptoms/ side effects. By the end of the day, you know what is best for your baby, so you can choose what vaccine is best for your baby.

I hope that the article has helped you gain an answer to the dilemma of painless vaccination vs normal vaccination. So, be it painless or normal, don’t hesitate to get your baby vaccinated!

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