Can different vaccines be administered at the same time?

A parent complained to the doctor, "My child received two shots of vaccine yesterday afternoon, and had a high fever of 39.5°C in the evening. Our family was troubled the whole night, we were really devastated!" Will the child have a big reaction if he or she receives two different vaccines at the same time?

1. Different vaccines follow certain principles and can be administered at the same time.

At present, a large number of studies have shown that two or more vaccines enter the body and act on different immune cell receptors in the body to produce immune responses. Different responses will not cause immune interference and will not aggravate adverse reactions. Many combined vaccines currently in use, such as diphtheria, pertussis, and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines, contain multiple antigens or multiple serotypes of pathogens. In other words, one shot of vaccine can prevent multiple diseases at the same time, obtain multiple protections, and reduce repeated injections. This is the future development trend of vaccines.

2. What are the benefits of getting different vaccines at the same time?

Reducing the number of vaccinations can provide children with timely immune protection and reduce the financial burden and time cost of parents.

3. How to deal with discomfort?

Some children may experience systemic reactions and/or local reactions after vaccination.

Systemic reactions include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, etc. Fever is usually low-grade and often transient, occurring within a few hours to 24 hours after vaccination, often lasting one or two days, and rarely more than three days. When systemic reactions are mild, generally no treatment is required, and you should rest and drink plenty of water. If you find that your child's temperature persists or tends to rise, and your baby is in a poor mental state, you should seek medical attention in time to find out the cause.

Local reactions mainly manifest as redness, swelling, heat and pain at the injection site. Generally, the redness and swelling are not large in scope and the symptoms are mild. Most of them do not require treatment and will disappear on their own after two or three days. The most common treatment method: within 24 hours, you can apply raw potato slices or ice compresses; if a nodule appears after 24 hours, use hot compresses, but pay attention to the temperature to avoid burns.

Note: Hot compresses are strictly prohibited for local reactions caused by BCG vaccination!

In general, administering several vaccines at the same time can complete the immunization program according to the recommended time and give children the best protection. The benefits of vaccination still outweigh the risks.