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6in1 vaccinations are so-called combined or multi-component vaccinations, which contain antigens that immunize against several diseases. At the same time, they limit the number of injections, which minimizes the stress that accompanies the child during each injection. 6in1 vaccinations are used in infants up to the age of two. How are the 6-in-1 and 5-in-1 vaccinations different from traditional vaccines?
What are 6in1 vaccines?
The 6in1 vaccine is a type of vaccination that uses a multi-component preparation, which allows a child to be vaccinated against several different diseases during one visit. For full immunity, four doses are required during the first two years of life. It is a highly combination vaccine that works very similar to the 5-in-1 vaccine. These types of vaccinations are created with the use of modern technologies, contain a minimum of auxiliary substances and are safe.
In numerous reviews on advantages of the 6-in-1 vaccine above all, a much smaller number of injections is mentioned than in the case of reimbursed vaccinations. From the moment of the first vaccination visit until the child is two years old, the child will not receive 17 injections, but eight. Thanks to this, he is exposed to less stress related to the visit to the doctor and the injection. In addition, the combination vaccine will immunize them against several serious diseases at the same time. These include:
- tetanus, which attacks the nervous system and muscles, causing painful contractions throughout the body, known as opisthotonus. It can lead to arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest;
- polio, leading to paralysis of the respiratory muscles and, ultimately, death;
- diphtheria, which damages the central nervous system and internal organs;
- Haemophilus influenzae type b infection, causing inflammation of the middle ear and upper respiratory tract. It also often leads to sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis;
- whooping cough, which causes severe coughing fits, shortness of breath, apnea and even pertussis brain damage;
- Hepatitis B, or hepatitis B, which may be accompanied by jaundice and gastrointestinal symptoms. The disease increases the risk of cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Although vaccinations for the above-mentioned diseases are included in the compulsory vaccination program, they are available for free only when the traditional doses are administered. The 6-in-1 multi-component vaccine requires out-of-pocket costs.
Combined and traditional vaccines
Combined vaccines are preparations containing several components that enable the acquisition of immunity to more than one disease. These types of preparations include some mandatory vaccines that have been administered for years, including the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, and the DTP vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Combined vaccinations also include the 4-in-1 vaccine (DTaP-IPV) against pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus and Heine Medin’s disease (polio).
- Read more: Mandatory vaccinations for children – what should you remember?
They are also a special type of medical product highly combination vaccines 5in1 (DTaP-IPV + Hib) and 6in1 (DTaP-IPV + Hib + HBV). They allow to build children’s immunity to five or six diseases, respectively, in the first two years of life. Such vaccination packages are common in many European countries. Parents often wonder which of these packages to choose. In the case of the 6-in-1 vaccine, the child will be additionally immunized against the hepatitis B virus. This vaccination is not included in the 5-in-1 option. Keep this in mind before making your final decision.
Contrary to pentival and hexavalent vaccination, traditional vaccination requires individual injections for each disease included in the compulsory vaccination program. The 6-in-1 vaccine will immunize your child against six different diseases after four doses of the preparation. In this way, we reduce the number of necessary punctures, but we will pay for them out of our own pocket. Meanwhile, traditional vaccines are reimbursed and we will make them free of charge. It is also worth mentioning Fr. advantages of traditional vaccination. While on the one hand more injections are required, on the other hand, in the event of complications, it is easier to determine the cause. If an adverse reaction occurs after the 6in1 vaccine, it is practically impossible to tell which component may have caused it.
- Read more: Combined vaccines – advantages and disadvantages of 5-in-1 and 6-in-1 vaccinations
Information is emerging about the presence of mercury in combination vaccines. In fact, the preservative is mercury ethyl (thiomersal). It does not pose a threat because it is used only in trace amounts, and the body has no problems with its excretion. Moreover, its use is now being abandoned and it will not be found in the 6-in-1 vaccine from most manufacturers.
6in1 vaccination and possible complications
Combination vaccines are modern, safe and well tolerated by children. They contain fewer antigens for specific diseases than single vaccines, so they do not burden the body of a small patient. They do not cause serious side effects, apart from redness and pain at the injection site and elevated temperature, ranging from 37,5–38 degrees Celsius. There are also cases of drowsiness, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting or constant crying. If the disturbing symptoms persist for more than two days, it is worth going for a medical consultation with the child.
In the case of vaccinations, including the 6-in-1 polyvalent vaccinations, there is a minimal risk of an undesirable systemic vaccine reaction. Such complications include anaphylactic reaction, enlarged lymph nodes, thrombocytopenia, a sudden drop in blood pressure, seizures, and apnea.
How much does the combined vaccination package cost?
Combined vaccinations 5in1 and 6in1 are a paid alternative to reimbursed vaccinations. The price of one dose of a combined vaccine may vary depending on the facility, but it costs about PLN 140-170 for a 5-in-1 vaccine and PLN 190-200 for a 6-in-1 vaccine. Therefore, for a full package of four vaccines you should pay 700-800 PLN.
The full 6-in-1 vaccination package is slightly more expensive than the 5-in-1 vaccination.
Contraindications for the 6-in-1 vaccine
The combined vaccine, like the traditional vaccine, should not be given to a child who has a cold and fever. If a small patient has had an allergic reaction to the first dose of the vaccine, the second dose is not given. The contraindications to the 6in1 vaccination also include:
- taking medications that lower immunity;
- coagulation disorders;
- thrombocytopenia;
- allergy to antibiotics – polymyxin or neomycin;
- epilepsy;
- if the mother bleeds in the perinatal period, single vaccinations are used.
6-in-1 vaccination myths
In recent years, myths about the vaccination safety 6in1 and other vaccinations given to children according to the immunization schedule. Parents’ concerns are mainly related to NOP, or adverse vaccine reactions. Although the symptoms vary in severity after the injection, in most cases they are temporary and pass quickly. More serious reactions (such as allergic reactions) are very rare – much rarer than the dangerous complications of the diseases against which we vaccinate children.
- Find out more: Vaccinations – facts and myths
It is also a myth that vaccines induce autism. No reliable medical research confirms the link between immunization and autism. The misconception of the relationship between these two phenomena may result from the fact that the first symptoms of childhood autistic disorders appear in the first three years of life. So they coincide with compulsory vaccinations. Statistics show that autism is equally common in vaccinated and unvaccinated children.