COVID-19 Vaccine: Needle Panic, an Obstacle to Childhood Vaccination

Thousands of Peruvian children between the ages of five and 11 will be vaccinated against the COVID-19But many of them must grapple with trypanophobia – needle panic, something pediatric professionals must deal with through relying and distracting techniques.

The experience of the first punctures is recorded in the emotional memory of children and may cause them to not want to go to medical consultations in the future, as the psychologist Ana Asensio (Murcia, 1978), founder of the Vidas en Positivo, which is based in Majadahonda (Madrid).

This irrational fear responds to a protective instinct when seeing a sharp object approach the body and, despite being considered a less serious problem, even without having dealt with needles “, assures the psychologist.

On some occasions, the specialist explains, “People solve fear on their own in a natural way”, for example, due to the obligation to be vaccinated regularly against an allergy, but in other cases the fear of punctures persists and can lead to consequences even in older ages.

In fact, that is, to a quarter of the population, and in 10% of cases, “This fear is so intense that it can develop a phobia”According to the psychologist, who disseminates psychological knowledge through Instagram, where she has more than 80,000 followers.

Distraction techniques

To combat trypanophobia, and thus prevent it from having repercussions in older ages, Asensio recommends different techniques, which vary depending on the age of the child, to make vaccination a much more bearable experience.

In infants, the protocol requires the participation of parents, especially the mother, since breastfeeding before and during the injection, as well as , they work as a remedy to avoid the baby from the prick.

For young children, the psychologist recommends carrying out a previous psychological preparation and two steps that can be accompanied by distraction mechanisms to facilitate the procedure.

In more complicated cases, health workers can do it (through creams, ointments or ointments), which will serve so that, at least, the child does not feel the needle.

If the situation does not improve and, a few years later, the fear of punctures persists, the preparation for older children and adolescents is practically identical to that for young children, but the specialist recommends doing it sitting down, to avoid the danger of dizziness.

The treatment of trypanophobia, asserts Asensio, “It is essential to avoid suspicion of medicine, something that can be very detrimental to our health care” And something that nurses who participate in the massive vaccination campaign against Covid will now have to face.

During his journey as a specialist in mental health, he has seen cases in which his patients presented difficulties in the face of all kinds of elements that would remind them of their passage through hospitals, aim.

In general, the psychologist considers that knowledge about techniques to prevent fear of needles “is very scarce”, and claims the need for them to be introduced in medical centers to facilitate vaccination processes in people of all ages.

The ultimate goal of this type of method is that patients “ such as closing your eyes, asking the person who is going to puncture you not to notify before the puncture or use the mobile at the time of administration.

With information from EFE

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