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InfanrixHexa: a perfectly tolerated hexavalent vaccine
In the large family of vaccines, InfanrixHexa has everything to be noticed. It is indeed a so-called hexavalent vaccine, that is, it protects babies against six diseases at the same time: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio,Haemophilus Influenza b and hepatitis B. A great performance! Suddenly, no need to multiply the number of injections, a single injection is enough to ensure wide protection, which is always more pleasant for children.
But this “super” vaccine also raises a number of questions from parents. By vaccinating their child all at once against 6 diseases, some people wonder if there is not a risk of weakening the organism of their little one, if it would not be better to use less effective vaccines … Faced with the doubts – which could not be more comprehensible – of the families, Professor Daniel Floret, president of the Technical Committee on Vaccinations, wants to be more than reassuring: “the tolerance problems of the InfanrixHexa vaccine do not differ from those of the other vaccines that can be used for this purpose. age. The immune stimulation caused by the vaccine is tiny compared to the daily stimulation of microbes on children. There is no risk of saturation of the immune system. “
InfanrixHexa: when to vaccinate your child?
InfanrixHexa vaccine is recommended for babies of old age 2 months and 4 months, with a booster dose at 11 months of age. Even if the vaccination is very well tolerated by children, some side effects are nevertheless to be expected, such as fever, redness, or even edema at the injection site which can last 2 to 3 days. Also note: when the InfanrixHexa vaccine is combined with pneumococcal vaccine (fighting invasive pneumococcal infections) – which is generally the case since both follow the same vaccination schedule for babies under 6 months – side effects may be increased. However, no worries. While some effects can be impressive (convulsions, sluggish child, etc.), they remain mild and wear off quite quickly. A word of advice: if your child tends to have a fever easily, do not hesitate to give him medicine to prevent it right away.
Hexavalent or pentavalent vaccine: which one to favor?
Opt for a hexavalent vaccine, like InfanrixHexa, or a vaccin pentavalent (the same as InfanrixHexa without hepatitis B protection) is of course a personal choice. And this, even if it is recommended to vaccinate your child against all these diseases. After discussion with your pediatrician, you can choose to “unbundle” the vaccination. There is indeed a monovalent vaccine against Haemophilus Influenza b, another for theHepatitis B. However, there is no vaccine to specifically protect children against whooping cough. Suddenly, if you change your mind and want to vaccinate your little one against this disease, you will then have to resort to the hexavalent or pentavalent vaccine.
As to tetravalent vaccine – against diphtheria, tetanus, polio and pertussis – it is only used for reminders. Note: the fact that it does not protect children against Haemophilus Influenza b infections is not trivial. “Before this vaccination, there were nearly 400 cases of meningitis per year,” explains Professor Daniel Floret. “It is also important to remember that meningitis with haemophilus preferentially affect small infants and that delaying this vaccination is not very reasonable. ”
What about l’Hexavac?
You may remember Hexavac, another hexavalent vaccine whose marketing authorization was suspended in November 2005. This decision should not, however, sow doubt in the minds of parents. Professor Daniel Floret is very clear on this point: “Hexavac was withdrawn because its immune response to hepatitis B was insufficient. Its long-term protection and therefore its effectiveness was not 100% certain ”. No question, therefore, of questioning the importance of these vaccines for the health of babies.