The latest electronic version of the vaccination guide

Currently, the only authoritative source of the latest official electronic version of the vaccination guide that is publicly available in China is the official website of the National Administration for Disease Control and Prevention, the "Healthy China" government service platform and the official public accounts of the provincial centers for disease control. The version just updated in 2024 has adjusted the vaccination rules for three key groups and added five new priority recommendation lists for non-immunization program vaccines. All so-called "latest guidelines" circulated through unofficial channels may have problems with information lags and missing content.

When I was volunteering at a community health station last week, I met several aunts who took the 2022 "Vaccination Contraindications List" that had been circulated by their friends and asked if they could not get even the flu vaccine because they had coronary heart disease. After reading the latest version of the guidelines, it was found that as long as the blood pressure and blood sugar are controlled stably and there is no acute attack of underlying diseases, vaccinations are recommended, so the aunts felt free to register. To be honest, there is a lot of information on the Internet nowadays, and the guides that many people refer to are old versions from three or four years ago. Even the applicable age for the herpes zoster vaccine still says that they are over 50 years old. Little did they know that the 2024 version of the guide had already adjusted the lower limit for vaccination to 40 years old. I don’t know how many people have missed the best opportunity to get vaccinated.

My own habit is that after downloading the electronic version, I take screenshots of the vaccination requirements for three generations of my family and save them in my mobile phone album. The last time I took my child to get the meningococcal meningococcal vaccine, I forgot the vaccination book at home. I dug out the immunization planning schedule in the screenshot and added the screenshots of the previous vaccination records. The nurse quickly checked it, saving me half an hour of running back and forth in the bright sun. Oh, by the way, the latest version of the guide also includes a very detailed control table for adverse reactions. My nephew had a fever of 37.8℃ after taking MMR. My sister-in-law was in a hurry to give antipyretics, but the guide said that if the temperature is lower than 38.5℃ and there is no other discomfort, physical cooling should be done and observed for 48 hours. Later, the fever went away on its own, and there were no other problems. It is much more reliable than the "fever should be sent to the doctor immediately" randomly searched on the Internet.

The question most people ask now is whether to take the second-price HPV vaccine or wait for the ninth-price HPV vaccine. In fact, the guidelines do not mandate which one must be given. There are now two mainstream views in the academic community: one is from the perspective of evidence-based medicine. The second-price and fourth-price HPV vaccines already cover types 16 and 18 that cause more than 90% of cervical cancers. As long as they are over 9 years old, they can get it. If you get it early, you will be protected. There is no need to wait two or three years to grab the nine-price vaccine.； The other is that if economic conditions permit and seedlings can be obtained, the nine-price product covers more subtypes and has a wider range of protection. It is completely optional. You don’t have to listen to the rumors on the Internet that “if you pay the second price, you get nothing”, there is no such thing at all.

There are also many parents who are worried about whether the immunization plan vaccines must be strictly adhered to the time on the vaccination list and not missed every day? Previously, my neighbor's child postponed the hepatitis B vaccine for half a month because of a cold. I asked the owner group for three days in a row whether it would affect the effect. The guide actually clearly stated that as long as the upper limit of the vaccination age of the vaccine is not exceeded, delayed vaccination only needs to make up the remaining doses according to the procedure. There is no need to restart the vaccination, and it will not affect the final protective effect. There is no need to rush to vaccinate when the child is sick, which may easily induce adverse reactions.

I really want to remind everyone, don't go to unofficial parenting accounts or private communities to download the so-called "latest compiled guide". My best friend downloaded one from a parenting account last year, and it actually said that you cannot take the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy preparations. They are all old from 2021. It is stipulated that the latest version of the guidelines in 2023 clarifies that all types of conventional vaccines can be received normally during pregnancy and lactation. Except for the specially marked live attenuated vaccines that require consultation with a doctor in advance, there are basically no special contraindications. This outdated misinformation is really deceiving.

There is now a lot of discussion about whether adults should get the flu vaccine every year. Some people think that the protection rate of the annual flu vaccine is only 40% to 60%, and you can still get it if you take it. It is a waste of money.； However, some statistics from clinicians show that after receiving the influenza vaccine, even if you are infected with the flu, the risk of developing serious illnesses such as pneumonia and myocarditis can be reduced by more than 80%. Especially if you have elderly people or children at home or often go to crowded places, vaccination is still more recommended. This choice depends on your own needs. There is no absolute right or wrong.

I myself go to the official website of the National Agency for Disease Control and Prevention at the end of every year to see if there are any updated guidelines, and save a copy in my family health folder. I read through it before anyone in my family wants to be vaccinated, write down the questions to ask in advance, and ask the doctor directly when I get to the vaccination point, so I don’t have to wait in line for a long time and make a wasted trip when I don’t know anything about it. Anyway, vaccination is a matter that varies from person to person. You can only refer to other people’s experience. The latest version of the official guideline is the most reliable basis. When you are not sure, it is better to read two more pages than to listen to rumors on the Internet.