Vaccination with Infanrix

Infectious diseases such as whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus can affect both children and adults. Given the fact that many parents have recently refused to vaccinate their children, this leads to outbreaks of epidemics of childhood infections, and in the near future it may cause a pandemic of these diseases. Experts insist that immunization should be carried out for all children without exception, and so that the process is not too lengthy and vaccinations are easier to tolerate, modern multicomponent vaccines that can immediately protect the body from a number of infectious diseases should be chosen. These drugs include the Belgian vaccine Infanrix.

Characteristics of the drug Infanrix

Vaccination with Infanrix provides specific immunity to the three main infections – whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus. Sometimes such a vaccine is also called acellular pertussis vaccine to characterize its main difference from the domestic vaccine of a similar action called DTP.

The Belgian vaccine does not contain whole cells of pertussis infection, but includes destroyed parts of bacterial antigens that can induce the formation of antibodies in humans. This improves the purity and safety of the drug. It is known that most of the adverse reactions caused by DTP vaccination are provoked by the whooping cough component. Infanrix, in comparison with DTP, contains only 5 out of 3000 whooping cough antigens, which reduces its allergenicity tenfold.

The fact that the use of Infanrix creates weaker immunity has not been scientifically proven. The composition of this vaccine includes pertactin, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, hemagglutinin and whooping cough toxins. Pertactin and hemagglutinin are also antigens of the whooping cough pathogen, and diphtheria and tetanus toxoids in Infanrix are highly purified and inactivated by high temperatures.

Vaccination with Infanrix should be carried out at the same time as the standard DPT vaccination. The first vaccination should be given to a child at the age of 3 months. To complete the immunization cycle, vaccination is repeated at 4,5 and 6 months.

13 months after the last vaccination, revaccination is carried out using Infanrix. It is important to remember that a shift in the timing of vaccination due to temporary contraindications will not worsen the formation of immunity in a child, so it is better, if there are any diseases or temporary exemptions, to refrain from vaccination and do it when the child is completely healthy.

Also, the opinion of some experts that if a child has been vaccinated with Infanrix has not been scientifically substantiated, then after it it is no longer possible to revaccinate with DPT. All specialized medical sources contain information that all vaccines against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria are completely interchangeable, and it is possible to replace monocomponent vaccines with multicomponent ones and vice versa.

The drug Infanrix is ​​required to be injected deep into the muscle. There are no other methods for administering the vaccine. Vaccination using this vaccine can be done simultaneously with vaccination against other diseases, however, the collection of different drugs in one syringe is strictly not allowed.

Specific immunity after vaccination begins to form a month after the third vaccination. At the same time, 99% of those vaccinated develop immunity to diphtheria and tetanus, and 95% to whooping cough. When revaccinated at the age of 18 months, the secondary response of the immune system enhances the result after the primary triple vaccination. In general, the Infanrix vaccine forms strong immunity to all three diseases in 88% of children.

Contraindications, side effects and complications

The main contraindications for the use of the drug Infanrix doctors include:

• the presence of allergic reactions to vaccines such as DTP;
• encephalopathy detected within a week after a previous immunization using Infanrix (while tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations continue to be carried out by other means, since this reaction is usually characteristic of the pertussis component);
• fever after a previous vaccination, large swelling at the injection site, shock, convulsions.

With all the above contraindications, doctors do not cancel revaccination, but try, if possible, to carry it out with the help of other vaccines.

Among the side effects when using the Infanrix vaccine, experts highlight the occurrence of local reactions at the injection site, fever, vomiting and loose stools, loss of appetite, and allergic manifestations.

All of the above side effects can normally occur within three days after immunization. In the first half an hour after the injection, you should stay in the hospital so that doctors can stop the emerging Quincke’s edema or anaphylaxis in a timely manner.

Most often, after the introduction of the Infanrix vaccine, the child’s body temperature rises to 38-39 ° C (less often up to 40 ° C) and redness occurs at the injection site. These symptoms should completely resolve on their own after 3 days of severity.

The temperature these days can be brought down with the usual antipyretic drugs. At the same time, the room where the immunized child is located must be frequently ventilated, and the baby himself must be given plenty of water. With sudden fluctuations in temperature, the occurrence of seizures and other severe symptoms, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help and not self-medicate.

All of the above complications and side effects can be avoided if you prepare in advance for vaccination. Due to the absence of whole-cell pertussis bacilli, Infanrix itself has a milder effect on the child’s body than DPT. Moreover, if each subsequent vaccination is more difficult than the previous one, it makes sense to replace the vaccine with another one. So you can weaken the reaction of the immune system to the introduction of the drug.

It is also not recommended to feed the child before vaccination, because in this case the vaccine has a better effect on the body. Also, doctors advise to clean the child’s intestines on the eve of immunization. If this does not happen naturally, you can make a microclyster.

After vaccination, you should not immediately eat a lot, it is better to follow a diet on this day. New foods should not be introduced into the child’s diet either before or after vaccination for at least a week. It is also undesirable to bathe the child on the day of vaccination.

Most importantly, on the eve of vaccination, the doctor must definitely examine the child and draw up a conclusion about his complete health. With recent contact with patients with respiratory infections, vaccination should be postponed for some time.

Similar vaccines

A complete analogue of the vaccine Infanrix is ​​only the domestic drug DPT. In the rest of the analogue vaccines, in addition to the components for whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria, there are other components.

For example, in the Tetracoccus vaccine, an anti-polio component is also added, as in the Infanrix IPV vaccine. The Infanrix Hexa preparation contains components aimed at combating whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, hemophilic infection, poliomyelitis and hepatitis B. All the same components, except for the hepatitis B antigen, are in the Pentaxim vaccine. Well, the drug Bubo Kok consists of antigens similar to DTP, plus an anti-hepatitis component.

Thus, we can conclude that the highly effective Belgian Infanrix vaccine, which helps in the development of human immunity against three common infections – whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus – is a better and safer analogue of the domestic DPT vaccine.

The absence of the whole-cell component of whooping cough in the preparation makes the vaccine more favorable for the child’s immune system. Physicians observe significantly fewer adverse reactions from those vaccinated with Infanrix. To minimize the likelihood of a fever after vaccinations, experts recommend preparing children for them in advance. In the event of serious adverse reactions, it is important to seek medical attention in a timely manner.

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