Q: My month old baby is due for her DPT vaccination. I have heard that normal injections cause pain to the baby for at least three days. Are there any painless injections available in the market? None of the doctors in my city have painless injections. Can I get these injections from another city and carry them with me? Would this affect the quality of the vaccine?

A:You are referring to DPT vaccine, in which the cheaper (whole cell P component) usually results in pain and fever at local site for 2-3 days. The acellular P component vaccine (much more expensive, especially for the total course of 3 vaccines) is equally effective as the cheaper vaccine but the pain and fever following vaccination are virtually nil. You can carry the vaccine from another city but have to absolutely certain that this is done at the right temperature in a thermos with ice till the vaccine is given. It is surprising that paediatricians in your area do not stock this vaccine.