The Danish childhood vaccination program offers all children free vaccination against ten infectious diseases. The vaccinations prevent diseases that can be serious for the child. For some childhood diseases, almost all children will contract them at some point if they are not vaccinated, as they are highly contagious. This applies to measles, mumps, rubella, and whooping cough.
By following the Danish vaccination program, a child is well protected against these ten diseases:
Diphtheria, which can cause severe and life-threatening throat infections.
Tetanus (lockjaw), which can occur after a wound infection and result in life-threatening muscle spasms.
Pertussis (whooping cough), which can be severe, especially in very young children.
Polio, which can cause permanent paralysis.
Hib infection (Haemophilus influenzae type b), which can lead to meningitis (inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord) or epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis).
Pneumococcal disease (caused by certain types of pneumococcus bacteria), which can lead to sepsis (blood poisoning) and meningitis.
Measles, which causes high fever, cough, cold, eye irritation, rash, and the risk of serious complications such as pneumonia or encephalitis.
Mumps, which causes swollen salivary glands and mild fever, and can lead to meningitis or orchitis (inflammation of the testicles) and permanent damage.
Rubella, which causes mild fever, swollen glands, and rash. Infection of pregnant women within the first three months of pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or birth defects.
Cervical cancer, anal cancer, and genital warts caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV infections occur in over 100 different subtypes. Some of these types cause warts, other types cause genital warts (condylomas), and certain cancer-causing types are responsible for cervical cancer and anal cancer.
On Sundhed.dk, you can see an overview of your child's vaccinations if the child is under 15 years old.
