Friday, September 07, 2007

Doctor: Immunization Should Start Early

Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Nuch Sarita hosts "Hello" VOA call-in show
06 September 2007


Immunization for children can start even when they are one month old, with shots for tuberculosis, followed by diphtheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough, a doctor said Thursday.

Shots for these diseases should be received three times the first year, once in the second year and once in the fifth year, said Dr. Lor Kim Song, a Cambodian physician in France who spoke as a guest on "Hello VOA."

Hepatitis B immunization should take place at two months, and, he said, at nine months: measles, mumps and rubella inoculation.

The vaccinations for meningococcal meningitis, which are only available in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, are legitimate inoculations and not experimentation, as is sometimes rumored, he said.

This disease requires three vaccinations, or it can recur and kill a child quickly, he said.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Vaccination is one of the misunderstood, yet the best preventive injections in medicine. It can save millions of lives, but even in the U.S., parents are hesitant about it, because their child might get "sick". I wouldn't mind my child getting a little sickness, if it will save his life in the near future.

If every, or most Cambodian children can get access to early inoculation, it will help their future in terms of living longer and fighting deadly diseases.