Question
A 63-day-old infant was diagnosed with bronchopneumonia at 38 days old and was hospitalized for 5 days, receiving intravenous drip and nebulizer treatment twice a day. After discharge, the infant continued with nebulizer treatment for an additional 18 days. Now, the infant’s cough has mostly subsided, and nasal discharge has decreased. The question is whether to continue with the nebulizer treatment and whether it is safe to replace the ipratropium bromide suspension with 2 ml of normal saline, alternating with budesonide suspension for inhalation. Furthermore, the infant has only received the second dose of the hepatitis B vaccine; the third doses of BCG and hepatitis B vaccine were supposed to be administered at one month of age but have not been yet. Is there any impact?
Answer
After 5 days in the hospital and an additional 18 days of nebulizer treatment, this has been a lengthy course. Since there are no symptoms currently, there is no need to continue with nebulizer treatment. The infant is now over two months old, and besides the polio vaccine that should have been administered at two months, the third doses of BCG and hepatitis B vaccine have not yet been administered. This may have some impact on the child, at least in terms of not being able to gain protection from the vaccines. Therefore, it is advisable to promptly administer any missed vaccines after the child’s recovery.