Being a parent in Mumbai, it may seem sometimes overwhelming to ensure that your child is healthy. Amidst overcrowded clinics, monsoon season diseases and exposure in school, there is no deficit of challenges. Combine this with an unending flood of social media advice, and even opposing views of friends and family, and one can start feeling uncertain about what is right.
Such questions as, Are vaccines safe? or Can they cause side effects? are so natural. What must not be forgotten is that in Mumbai, childhood vaccinations are strictly controlled and aimed to prevent children against severe diseases. Although such mild side effects as low-grade fever or slight soreness in the area of the injection may occur, severe side effects are extremely uncommon.
We will give a closer look at the most widespread myths of vaccinations, and distinguish fact and fiction, so that you may be completely sure of your choices towards your child.
Myth 1: Vaccines Can Cause the Disease They’re Meant to Prevent
Fact: Vaccines cannot make your child ill. Pediatric vaccines in Mumbai use either inactivated germs, harmless pieces of germs, or germs that present as really weak germs (not enough to cause disease in healthy children). All vaccines, including live vaccines such as MMR, are weak enough that the immune system can learn how to fight these germs safely.
Local Insight:
“Parents ask about MMR as their child has a mild fever after the vaccine. This is expected and shows the immune system is learning about the germ, not that the child is unwell” says Dr. Vivasvan Parekh, pediatrician at Vivasvan Parekh Child Care Clinic, Mumbai.
Think of vaccines like practice for the germs, the immune system is learning without the chaos of an infection.
Myth 2: Vaccines Cause Autism or Serious Long-Term Effects
Fact: In spite of the widespread fears, there is no evidence of autism and vaccinations. Numerous studies conducted in all countries all over the world have proved that there is no link between autism and serious long-term conditions caused by vaccines.
The majority of the reactions are mild in nature as they include sore arms/ slight swelling or low grade fever that is an indication of your child developing protection within their body. Serious reactions are very low and strictly observed. The vaccine safety systems in India are one of the strictest systems on the planet that monitor each dose of children to ensure their safety.
The vaccines also avoid the visits to hospitals and powerful drugs that have their own threats. Vaccines prevent severe health issues in the future because they protect your child when he or she is young. The knowledge of vaccine rumors in India will enable parents to make coherent and informed decisions to have healthy and fit children.
Myth 3: Natural Immunity is Better than Vaccination
Fact: Catching diseases in nature can sometimes build some immunity, but this comes at an exacerbated cost – hospitalisation, long-term difficulties, or even death. Vaccinating trains your child’s immunity safely without exposing them to risk.
Why Vaccination Matters:
- Safe Immune Training: Trains immune system to fight off infections without the down side of getting sick.
- Prevent Serious Complications: Protects against ill effects from important diseases such as measles, chickenpox or whooping cough.
- Protect the Community: Your immunised child protects more vulnerable members of your family and community, especially infants and older family members.
- Timely Protection: Vaccines assure your child at the time when they need protection most. Ultimately vaccines provide certainty to parents!
Mumbai Tip: With regard to the monsoon, illnesses such as measles or hepatitis A may experience increased incidence in schools. Vaccination gives your child timely protection at a point where exposure risks are high and helps to keep children safe, healthy and active.
Myth 4: Healthy Children Don’t Need Vaccines
Fact: It is a widely spread myth that the only children that require vaccines are sick or weak. The fact is that even healthy children are able to become infected with serious diseases and not realize it, pass it to other people. Vaccines are not only a safeguard to your own child, but also to the entire society.
The following is the reason that vaccination is necessary, even in healthy children:
- Protection for Your Child: Regardless of the strength or activity of your child, vaccinations cover harmful diseases that can occur without any warning.
- Community Safety: Vaccinated children contribute to herd immunity, securing those who are vulnerable (infants, elderly family members, and children with weak immune systems).
- Prevent Silent Spread: Healthy children have the potential to be the carriers and transmitters of infections even without any signs. Vaccination prevents this process of spreading.
- Reliable and Predictable Immunity: Childhood immunizations are well planned to ensure that all children receive immunization at the necessary age before they can be exposed to severe diseases.
- Peace of Mind: When your healthy child is insured, you do not have to worry about illness that can be prevented because you know that your child will be healthy.
Myth 5: Vaccines Contain Harmful Toxins
Fact: The term “toxin” can be frightening, but vaccines contain things like thiomersal, aluminium and formaldehyde in tiny amounts that are altogether safe for children and below the levels found in our bodies.
- Thiomersal: Preserves multi-dose vials and it’s not toxic.
- Aluminium salts: Help the immune system respond better, at levels that are lower than breast milk or formula contains.
- Formaldehyde: Makes vaccines safe by inactivating germs, and is in ultra-low amounts than what is in our body.
Mumbai Clinic Insight:
“Many parents are concerned about vaccine ingredients. But as a paediatrician, when we talk about thiomersal, you are not putting your child at risk because it is in an amount that is safe. Thiomersal serves as a preservative especially in multi-dose vials. Similarly for Aluminium, it helps your immune system mount a better antibody response and even in vaccines, it is in an amount lower than breastmilk or infant formula” – Dr. Parekh , Vivasvan Parekh Child Care Clinic Mumbai.
Vaccines are carefully manufactured to be safe and effective to protect your child from unnecessary risks.
Myth 6: Too Many Vaccines at Once Can Overwhelm the Immune System
Fact: A child’s immune system is very robust, confronting thousands of exposures to many germs every day. Vaccines make use of this natural strength; they do not overwhelm it. To be clear, it is safe to provide multiple vaccines at the same time—you are not going to overwhelm your child’s immune system and you will have your child vaccinated on schedule.
Mumbai Tip:
This may be especially important in Mumbai, given how busy the clinics can be. If you try to combine vaccines in one visit to the doctor, you will benefit in areas that will help you and your family (as well as your doctor) stay on the immunization schedule, the fewer visits there are with the doctor, the better, especially considering that children may be in high risk situations like the monsoon, and the flu/cough season during which more children have outbreaks of measles, hepatitis A and chicken pox.
If you complete your vaccines on time, it is a great way to help protect your child and the community, and keep your child healthy and with confidence, especially while under the challenges of the city.
Myth 7: Vaccines Are Only for Children
Fact: Vaccines are not just for children. Immunity is not permanent, it fades over time, and boosters therefore are important for adults as well. For children, we need multiple doses of the same vaccine to provide full protection. Vaccination is a lifetime commitment that protects your child; when they are adults, their vaccinating history can protect your whole family against serious diseases.
Now, what vaccines do kids need in India? The schedule of recommended vaccinations has some standout shots including BCG, polio, DTP, MMR, hepatitis B, and many others, and the schedule includes booster doses at the appropriate ages. By doing so, parents from Mumbai can ensure their children have full protection against disease while simultaneously playing their role in the health of their community. You can think of vaccination as building a shield that gets a little stronger with every dose and keeps your child protected from preventable illness throughout their life.
Conclusion
Vaccines are some of the most potent and effective tools in the maintenance of good health of your child. Even with all the myth and misinformation such as the claim that vaccines cause autism, carry toxic substances or are not essential to healthy kids, the reality on immunization is quite simple, it is not only one of the safest methods to keep your child and the people around him and her safe but also against such severe diseases.
You make your child have good immunity and the safe way to do so is by adhering to the recommended schedule of vaccinations to kids in India and visiting reliable pediatricians at Vivasvan Parekh Child Care Clinic, Mumbai. Vaccination is not only a matter of personal security, but communal security which creates a wall of herd immunity, keeping all of us safe.
Proper information provided by medical personnel will enable you to make certain decisions about the health of your child. Be informed, be on time, and provide your little ones with the best kick on starting a healthy and happy life with the help of Vivasvan Parekh Child Care Clinic, Mumbai.
Take action today—book your child’s vaccination appointment at Vivasvan Parekh Child Care Clinic, Mumbai, and give them the protection they deserve!
FAQs
Q1: Can my child safely get multiple vaccines in one visit?
Yes. Children’s immune systems are strong. Combining vaccines is safe and reduces clinic visits.
Q2: How do I schedule vaccines during the monsoon in Mumbai?
Book early morning slots to avoid crowds and ensure timely protection before peak school exposure.
Q4: What minor side effects should I expect?
Mild fever, soreness, or redness at the injection site. Serious reactions are extremely rare.
Q5: How do vaccines protect the community?
By creating herd immunity, vaccinated children reduce disease spread to infants, elderly, or immunocompromised family members.
Q6: How do I know my child’s vaccine is right for them?
Mumbai pediatricians customize vaccine plans based on age, health, exposure risk, and local disease patterns.
