Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material (a vaccine) to stimulate an individual's immune system to develop adaptive immunity to a pathogen. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate infectious disease.

Children from infancy on are vaccinated against these infectious diseases, which, in case of infection, could have serious consequences. These diseases are:

• tuberculosis
• rotavirus
• hepatitis b
• diphteria
• tetanus
• pertussis/whooping cough (acellular)
• poliomyelitis
• Haemophilus Influenza
• mumps
• measles
• rubella
• HPV (Human Papilloma Virus)

In the event of an injury, the vaccination interval is 5 years. Vaccination is voluntary. Side effects caused by vaccination are usually mild and transient. After the vaccine injection fever and injection site pain, redness or swelling can occur.

At the expense of the patient it is also possible to vaccinate against other infectious diseases such a:

• tick-borne encephalitis
• A and B hepatitis
• typhus
• poliomyelitis
• chickenpox
• meningococcus
• pneumococcus
• yellow fever
• cholera
• rabies (in case of animal attack, immunization have to done immediately and is free of charge for the patient)
• HPV (Human Papilloma Virus)
• influenza (new immunization needed every year)

The duration of immunity varies with different diseases and different vaccines. Lifelong immunity is not always provided by either natural infection (getting the disease) or vaccination. The recommended timing of vaccine doses aims to achieve the best immune protection to cover the period in life when vulnerability to the disease is highest.

You can contact the family doctor / family nurse for all questions regarding vaccination. Before vaccination, the patient's medical condition have to be checked.