Baby K is now 13 weeks old. She now smiles at the sound of my voice and makes cute cooing noises. She follows my every move and sees me from across the room. And most of all, she can now hold and cling to my fingers and give us her sweetest smiles and laughter. She's a happy one who shows signs of being smart like her Kuya D, and I'm one proud Mom. Such a loveable little girl, and we are truly so blessed to have her.
Last Monday, we brought her to her pediatrician for her first dose of Rotavirus vaccine. The vaccine is in the form of oral suspension and is not injected into the baby's bloodstream. It is administered in two doses of 1.5mL that contains live attenuated human Rotavirus RIX4414 strain and is recommended to be given to babies within the age of 6 to 24 weeks. The doctor said that the interval between doses should be at least 4 weeks so we set another appointment after a month to complete K's dosage.
Rotavirus is a virus that causes mild to severe gastroenteritis coupled with vomiting, fever and pain in children. The watery diarrhea causes dehydration that may result in hospitalization and worse, death in children. The statistics I saw on the web while doing some research is really alarming and frightening, with about 50,000 unvaccinated children hospitalized and about 20-40 deaths each year.
It is a relief to know that the Department of Health launched a Rotavirus immunization program last year, to benefit 700,000 infants belonging to poor communities in the country. Mothers of infants aged 6 to 24 weeks are all encouraged to bring their children to the Barangay Health Center for a FREE RV immunization.
If you prefer to have your child vaccinated by a private doctor instead, the cost can go between Php 2,500 to Php 3,500 excluding PF (professional fee). Our pediatrician billed us Php 2,600 for K's first dose of the RV vaccine (PF included).
My little K is vaccinated with the brand of RV vaccine pictured below:
Fellow Moms with babies 6 to 24 weeks old, I encourage you all to have your precious child protected from the dangerous and deadly Rotavirus.
yeah! I agree that our kids need to be protected with rotavirus considering the kind of environment we have now. Though its really expensive but its good to know that its now available in RHUs. My little boy didn't had this one before 'coz he got sick and missed the dosage but anyway our pedia told me its but ok since our community is not diarrhea prone. Too good nothing really happens till now. But still if we can really provide protection, then do it without delays.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great news! Preventing our kids to virus infection is a good for us to protect our children and to keep them healthy.
ReplyDeleteI also make sure that my son receives all the vaccines recommended by his pediatrician, like this Rotavirus vaccine. That's my assurance that my son is protected from illnesses.
ReplyDeleteI should tell my sister-in-law to have my nieces have this shots, she works in a government hospital and maybe can get it for free if not cheaper.
ReplyDeleteHmmm a bit expensive but if it's for protection, then why not? They say prevention is better than cure
ReplyDeleteMy daughter had that as well when she was a baby. Baby's vaccination is really expensive.
ReplyDeleteMy kids had this vaccine too. Though expensive but worth having.
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