Principles and Practices of Immunization

Immunization is a rapidly developing field with new vaccines and immunization techniques being introduced into India practically everyday.

However, there is a lot of confusion regarding the incorporation of the newer vaccines into the presently existing immunization schedules.

Commercial interests, understandably, guide the guidelines and recommendation circulated by the pharmaceutical companies, without taking into account the epidemiological profile of various infecting agents in our country.

Furthermore, the schedules of some of the older vaccines, as suggested by the Government of India and other agencies, are often dictated by the issue of logistics and cost, apart from the vaccine efficacy.

This has created a lot of confusion regarding the need for various vaccines, the combinability of various vaccines and the appropriate schedule to adopt in order to ensure the maximal protection for an individual child. "Principles and Practices of Immunization" aims to inform the pediatricians and the professionals on the details of various vaccines, their efficacy, the schedules and effects of administration and the developments likely to emerge in the near future. The chapters also incorporate the guidelines regarding various vaccines issued by various agencies including the Government of India, Indian Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice.

The detailed aspects of relevant disease control programmers in India, namely, Universal Immunization Program and Polio Eradication Initiative, have also been included.

For the students, each chapter is followed by multiple choice question to test their knowledge and understanding of the topic.

This volume should update the pediatricians on significant developments in the field of vaccines and adopt appropriate practices, particularly with reference to the Indian milieu.