Vaccination is the only reliable way to protect your baby from serious illnesses. In the first year of life, the child receives the maximum number of vaccinations. For the formation of specific immunity against tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria and poliomyelitis, the imported Tetraxim vaccine can be used. The drug has a high degree of purification and can be used to vaccinate babies from the age of three months.
Description of the vaccine
In children, some diseases are especially difficult. To avoid infection and protect the baby from serious consequences, experts recommend routine vaccination. At present, this procedure is considered generally accepted. However, with the advent of a newborn baby in the family, an increasing number of parents are thinking about the need for vaccination. By studying various sources of information, you can stumble upon opposing opinions.
Tetraxim is a highly effective vaccine,which, according to the instructions, is able to develop immunity in the body against such serious infectious pathologies as whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus and poliomyelitis (type 3). The drug is produced by the French company Sanofi Pasteur, the world's largest manufacturer of human vaccines.
Composition of the vaccine
The drug is available as a suspension intended for intramuscular injection. One dose of the vaccine (0.5 ml) is in a dosing syringe. This form of release of the drug is quite convenient to use and excludes a possible overdose.
Combined product contains the following components:
- tetanus toxoid - at least 40 IU;
- pertussis toxoid acellular - not less than 25 IU;
- diphtheria toxoid - at least 30 IU;
- filamentous hemagglutinin - 25 mcg;
- poliovirus type 1 - 40 D;
- poliovirus type 2 - 8 D;
- polio virus type 3 - 32 D.
Substances such as Hanks' medium, water for injection, acetic acid (or sodium hydroxide), formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, phenoxyethanol are used as auxiliary components.
Mechanism of action
Vaccination is designed to produce antibodies to pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus and polio pathogens. The drug contains only acellular (acellular) antigens of diphtheria and tetanus toxoid, inactivated virus of three types of poliomyelitis and components of the cell walls of the pertussis pathogen.
"Tetraxim" helps to form the body's immune response to the attack of disease-causing agents within a short period. It is recommended to complete the full course of vaccination. Babies should receive 3 doses of Tetraxim during their second year of life.
Children older than 3 months are allowed to vaccinate with the French drug. The vaccine is also suitable for revaccination in the second year of a child's life. It can be used to continue vaccinating after other drugs if they cause side effects.
When to vaccinate?
Immunization against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria is carried out according to the generally accepted scheme. All analogues of the domestic vaccine (DPT) against the listed infections are used according to the same scheme. The Tetraxim vaccine is administered to a child three times during the first year of life, starting from 3 months.
The interval between vaccinations must be at least 45 days. This means that if the primary vaccination was carried out when the child was three months old, then the second dose of the drug can be administered only at 4.5 months, and the third - at six months. If necessary, the immunologist can choose a different vaccination scheme. The first revaccination is carried out one year after the last injection of the drug.
Do I need to be vaccinated before the year?
During the first 12 months of life, the baby is shown to have several vaccinations against dangerous ailments. The very first dose of hepatitis B vaccine is given to a child on the first day after birth. However, in recent years, more and more parents are refusing toearly vaccination of children. There are indeed reasons for this.
Many doctors who feel responsible for children's lives recommend against immunization during the first year of life. The fragile body of a child is not yet ready to face such a huge number of pathogenic pathogens, even weakened ones.
Having decided to still vaccinate a child up to a year, you need to carefully approach the choice of the drug. Many parents refuse domestic free vaccines, which are available in children's clinics, and prefer to purchase better quality imported drugs. The replacement for the DPT vaccine is precisely the French Tetraxim vaccine, which additionally contains an inactivated polio virus.
How to prepare a child?
Before vaccination, you should carefully monitor the baby. With the appearance of anxiety, loss of appetite, rash on the skin, vaccination should be discarded. A few days before immunization, you need to pass a general blood and urine test. Laboratory studies are necessary in order to make sure that there are no hidden pathological processes in the body and to avoid further complications provoked by the vaccine.
Do I need a consultation with a neurologist?
Multicomponent vaccinations always scare parents. The Tetraxim preparation, which contains pertussis toxoid, is no exception. It is this component that most often causes negative reactions of the body from the nervous system. To avoid complications, it is recommendedseek medical advice beforehand. He will assess the baby's condition by reflexes and the presence of such deviations as trembling of the chin, cramps.
In some cases, the child is prescribed an ultrasound examination of the brain, neuronosography. Diagnosis allows to exclude high intracranial pressure and other neurological disorders. For children prone to seizures when the temperature rises to 38-39 ° C, immunologists recommend administering vaccines that do not contain pertussis toxoid.
When not to get vaccinated?
Each drug used to vaccinate children and adults has its contraindications. Vaccinations with the combined remedy "Tetraxim" are not carried out in the presence of the following deviations:
- allergic reaction to a previous vaccine;
- hypersensitivity to the components of the drug;
- encephalopathy;
- birth head injury;
- bronchial asthma;
- convulsive seizures;
- the child has symptoms of SARS.
In the latter case, vaccination is postponed for a while. It should be borne in mind that Tetraxim, like the domestic DTP vaccine, is considered quite strong and can cause a different reaction of the immune system. At the same time, the Tetraxim vaccine is more purified, which significantly reduces the risk of complications. The vaccine is used with caution in children with thrombocytopenia.
How is the vaccine made?
Vaccination of the child should take place in the vaccinationoffice by specially trained medical personnel. Before injecting, the nurse should shake the syringe with the drug until a homogeneous white suspension is formed. Make an injection only intramuscularly.
Children under two years of age are shown to inject the drug into the anterior lateral (anterolateral) muscle of the thigh. Older children are vaccinated with Tetraxim in the shoulder muscle.
Before injecting the drug, make sure that the needle does not enter the blood vessel. Intravenous and subcutaneous administration of the drug is prohibited.
Interactions with other vaccines
The manufacturer claims that the Tetraxim vaccine can be used simultaneously with other medicines. The only exception is immunosuppressive therapy. The medicine can be given along with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to different parts of the body. Simultaneous immunization with Act-HIB and Tetraxim is well tolerated by children.
Side effects
A highly purified drug rarely causes a negative effect on the body, unlike its domestic counterpart, the DTP vaccine. Complications of vaccination are most often manifested as a slight reddening of the skin at the injection site. Such a reaction of the body occurs in almost every child. Less often there are seals and painful sensations. Similar symptoms usually develop within the first 48 hours after the vaccine is given.
Temperature also possiblebody up to 38 °C. Parents of 10% of children vaccinated with the Tetraxim vaccine face such a side effect. Reviews suggest that after vaccination, children may lack appetite, sometimes sleep is disturbed, irritability appears. If necessary, the child should be given antipyretic medicine.
Reaction to primary immunization may manifest as leg pain. This symptom usually disappears completely after 24 hours. If the pain syndrome does not go away, you need to seek help from a doctor.
If the child is prone to allergic reactions after the administration of the drug, urticaria, itching of the skin may appear. For such children, doctors recommend starting antihistamines at an age-appropriate dosage a few days before vaccination.
Pentaxim or Tetraxim? Reviews
Another popular vaccine from the French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur is Pentaxim. The tool is also intended for the prevention of diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Additionally, the combined vaccine allows the body to develop immunity against Haemophilus influenzae and three types of hepatitis. The tetanus toxoid is combined with the hemophilic component in a separate syringe.
"Pentaxim" is one of the few vaccines that allow you to get protection immediately from 5 diseases that are dangerous for the baby. If there is no need for vaccination against hemophilic infection, Tetraxim may be suitable for the child. The cost of the funds is about 300 rubles.
Both vaccines deservemany positive recommendations. Many parents purchase these drugs to safely immunize their children. Vaccines are interchangeable. However, it should be remembered that "Pentaxim" contains an inactivated component of the causative agent of poliomyelitis. This means that further vaccination is continued with the help of "live" drops. An immunologist develops an individual vaccination scheme for a child.
