All babies are born with a natural immunity, which is further strengthened by breast milk (colostrum). But this protective shield doesn't last forever, leaving your little one vulnerable to all the bacteria-ridden infections that periodically do the rounds.

Though most of these illnesses can be cured with prompt medical attention, it is very important to prevent these deadly diseases from affecting baby in the first place.

Diseases to watch out for

Diseases	Vulnerable Age	Symptoms	Form of Vaccination
Poliomyelitis	4 months onwards	Fever, headache, constipation and vomiting	Oral drops
Whooping Cough	10 to 14 months	Severe persistent cough and vomiting after coughing	Injection
German Measles	12 to 36 months	Sore throat, mild cold, swollen gland behind ears and pink rashes	Injection
Mumps	16 to 24 months	Swollen glands in front of ears, fever and pain on swallowing	Injection
Measles	16 to 24 months	Rashes, fever, dry cough, cold and runny nose	Injection
Chicken Pox	One year onwards	Fluid-filled rashes on baby's chest, abdomen and back	Injection

Vaccines - how they work
Germs, viruses and bacteria all enter baby's body either through inhalation (as in tuberculosis, measles, chicken pox etc.) or by ingestion (as in typhoid or cholera).

Vaccines help the body fight these alien intruders by releasing a controlled number of toxins into the body in very small quantities, thus forcing the body to produce antibodies in defense.

As these vaccines cannot be administered in one huge dangerous dose, they are instead given over a period of time as primary and secondary immunizations.

Vaccines are usually given as medicine drops that are either administered orally or injected. This could result in baby developing a slight temperature. Sometimes, the site of the vaccination could become a hard lump, but there is no need to worry. These symptoms usually subside, though only after giving baby a hard time for a couple of days.

Here is a vaccination schedule that you could print-out to keep track.

Vaccination Schedule

Date	Recommended Age	Vaccine and Dose			Doctor's Signature
	Birth to 2 Weeks	BCG	1st Oral Polio	1st HBV
	6 Weeks	1st Triple Antigen	2nd Oral Polio	2nd HBV
	10 Weeks	2nd Triple Antigen	3rd Oral Polio
	14 Weeks	3rd Triple Antigen	4th Oral Polio
	6 to 9 Months		5th Oral Polio	3rd HBV
	9 Months	Measles
	15 to 18 Months	MMR
	18 to 24 Months	Triple Antigen - 1st Booster	Oral Polio - 1st Booster
	2 Years and after	Typhoid - single dose
	5 Years	Triple Antigen - 2nd Booster	Oral Polio - 2nd Booster	HBV - 1st Booster
	10 Years	TT
	15 to 16 Years	TT	HBV - 2nd Booster

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