Immunization Against Major Communicable Diseases

What is the act of introducing a vaccine into the body called?

Vaccination.

Define a vaccine.

A product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease.

What is immunization?

The process by which a person becomes protected against a disease through vaccination.

What is an antigen?

The sub-part of a pathogen that triggers antibody formation.

What type of immunity is created by the body’s own immune system after exposure to an antigen?

Active immunity.

What type of immunity is obtained without using one’s own immune response, e.g., maternal antibodies or immunoglobulin treatment?

Passive immunity.

What is community (herd) immunity?

Indirect protection that occurs when a large portion of a community is immune to a contagious disease, reducing spread to the unimmunized.

Name three physical barriers the body uses to keep pathogens out.

Skin, mucus, and cilia.

Give two key public-health benefits of vaccines besides individual protection.

Prevention and control of infectious-disease outbreaks.

List four common myths about vaccination.

Vaccines cause the disease they prevent; they overload the immune system; herd immunity makes personal vaccination unnecessary; vaccines contain unsafe toxins/infertility/autism myths.

Which vaccine prevents tuberculosis?

BCG vaccine.

Which two vaccines are used to prevent poliomyelitis?

Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV).

What single vaccine protects against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and hepatitis B?

The pentavalent vaccine.

Which vaccine prevents pneumococcal disease?

PCV (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine).

Which oral vaccine protects infants against severe diarrhoea from rotavirus?

Rotavirus vaccine.

At what age is the first measles vaccine dose given in the EPI schedule?

9 months of age.

How many doses of OPV are given under Nigeria’s EPI?

Four doses (at birth/within 2 weeks, and at 6, 10, 14 weeks).

State the recommended storage temperature for vaccines in the cold chain.

+2 °C to +8 °C.

What does AEFI stand for?

Adverse Event Following Immunization.

Differentiate a serious from a non-serious AEFI.

Serious AEFI poses health risk, may require hospitalization, be life-threatening, cause disability or death, whereas non-serious AEFI is mild, short-lived, and not life-threatening.

List the five cause-specific categories of AEFI.

Vaccine product–related reaction, vaccine quality defect–related reaction, immunization error–related reaction, immunization anxiety–related reaction, and coincidental event (not described explicitly but implied).

What is a vaccine product–related reaction?

An adverse reaction due to inherent properties of the vaccine itself (e.g., local swelling from pentavalent vaccine).

What is an immunization error–related reaction?

An adverse event caused by incorrect handling, storage, or administration of a vaccine.

What is an immunization anxiety–related reaction?

An event caused by the recipient’s fear or stress, such as fainting, rather than the vaccine itself.

Why must the cold chain never be broken?

To maintain vaccine potency from manufacture to administration.

At what age and how many doses is HPV vaccine given in the EPI?

Two doses for girls aged 9–13 years, 6 months apart.

State the route and dosage of BCG vaccine for newborns.

0.05 ml intradermally in the left upper arm.

Where and at what dose is IPV administered?

0.5 ml intramuscularly in the right upper outer thigh at 14 weeks.

Which vaccines are routinely administered at 9 months of age in Nigeria?

Measles, Yellow Fever, Rubella, and MenA vaccines.

Name four ways an individual can acquire immunity.

By having the disease, active immunization, passive immunization, and receiving maternal antibodies.

List five factors that affect an individual’s resistance to disease.

Nutrition, age, disease condition, general health status, and stress.

What does EPI stand for and in what year was it initiated?

Expanded Program on Immunization, initiated in 1979.

State two primary objectives of the EPI.

To reduce morbidity and mortality from communicable diseases and to ensure delivery of potent vaccines.

What was Nigeria’s EPI later renamed?

The National Program on Immunization (NPI).

How many doses of pentavalent vaccine are given and at what ages?

Three doses at 6, 10, and 14 weeks.

What vaccine is given to prevent meningococcal disease and at what age?

MenA vaccine at 9 months.

Give the recommended dose and route for vitamin A supplementation in children.

100,000–200,000 IU orally at 6 and 12 months, then every 6 months until age 5.

What is the usual treatment