Question

At what age, the baby is given the first dose of DPT?
(a)Six weeks old
(b)Fourteen weeks old
(c)Nine months old
(d)2-5 years old.

Answer 1

Hint: DPT is a vaccine that provides immunity towards diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough. It has 5 doses that are given to a baby in between 2months to seven years after birth.

Complete answer:
It is necessary to give the first dose of DPT to a baby 6th week after birth. DPT stands for diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. The DPT vaccine gives immunization against these three diseases.

Additional Information: This vaccine is only for children who are younger than 7. Other vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis are available for older children and adults. The recommended doses of DPT for children are the following:
-2months
-4months
-6months
-15-18 months
-4-6 years
Let us know a little about the diseases for which these vaccines are used:
-Diphtheria: The symptoms of this disease include difficulty in breathing, heart failure, paralysis, or death.
-Tetanus: This disease causes painful stiffening in the muscles that may lead to being unable to open the mouth, trouble in swallowing and breathing, and even cause death.
-Pertussis: The symptoms of this disease include uncontrollable, violent coughing which makes it hard to breathe. It can be fatal in babies and younger children. It causes pneumonia, convulsions, and brain damage to the children. In adults or teenagers, pertussis may cause weight loss, loss of bladder control, passing out and even rib fracture from severe coughing. Pertussis is also called "whooping cough".
So, The correct option is ‘A’.

Note: DPT is a combination vaccine. It has zero or very few side effects. The components of the DPT vaccine include diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and kill whole cells of the bacterium that causes pertussis.