Q: My son will turn 2 next month. My doctor has prescribed Imovax and Prevenar vaccines starting at 8 weeks of birth. What are these vaccines used for and are they essential?

A:Imovax is injectable polio vaccine, which will replace oral polio vaccine for your child. This injectable vaccine is much more expensive than the oral vaccine but is slightly more safe and effective than oral polio vaccine. Prevenar protects against a proportion of pneumococcal organisms, which can cause pneumonia and meningitis (brain fever). It has to be given four times for primary immunization and the whole course is expensive. If you can easily afford it then give the child a course but if you cannot, then do not lose any sleep over it.