If I take my baby home for the New Year, can I get the vaccine in advance?

The Spring Festival is coming soon! Many parents are planning to bring their babies home for a New Year reunion, but when they think about the conflict with the baby's vaccination time, many parents are troubled. How should the vaccine be given during the New Year?

Parent: We plan to go home for the New Year on February 6, but our baby’s 3-month-old polio vaccine is scheduled for February 8. Can it be given in advance?

Disease Control: No! Vaccination earlier than the prescribed age (months) may affect the immune effect.

"When to get vaccinated" is determined after comprehensive consideration of factors such as the epidemic characteristics and health hazards of the disease, the immune properties of the vaccine, the level of maternal antibodies in infants and young children, and the development of the individual immune system of infants and young children.

For live attenuated vaccines, some young babies still have maternal antibodies in their bodies. While protecting the young children, maternal antibodies will also "kill" the live attenuated vaccines, weakening the immune effect of the vaccine or even making it ineffective.

For vaccines that require multiple doses, a sufficiently long interval between doses is an important condition to ensure the immune effect. If the interval is too short, it will weaken the immune response.

Parents must remember that under no circumstances should babies be vaccinated in advance!

Parent: Can we wait until we return to Shanghai to get vaccinated?

Mr. Disease Control: Vaccination can be postponed appropriately, and appropriately postponing vaccination will not affect the safety and immune effect of the vaccine.

In fact, the "required vaccination age (in months)" is not a fixed day, but a period of time. For example, the 3-month vaccination refers to the first day of the baby's 3 months to the last day before the baby's 4 months. During this period, it is considered on time for vaccination.

However, it should be noted that if vaccination is postponed, the baby will not be effectively protected by the vaccine during the postponed period, and the risk of contracting the corresponding disease will increase.

Parent: But we can’t return to Shanghai until three months later, what should we do?

Disease Control: Remember to bring the "Vaccination Certificate" when you go back, and ask the doctor at the local vaccination clinic to arrange follow-up vaccinations for your baby.

Special reminder: The "Vaccination Certificate" is an important document required for admission to kindergartens, schools, going abroad, etc. Please keep it properly during the Spring Festival travel season and do not lose it!