The baby’s body and immune system are very weak. And for him, any infection becomes dangerous, even without causing any trouble to an adult. Antibodies in the mother’s milk when breastfeeding have little protection for the newborn, but they are completely powerless against many pathogens. To maintain the safety of the body of the baby from serious infections, he is vaccinated. Dead elements of viruses and bacteria, as well as their toxins that are in the vaccine, prepare the baby's immune system to meet the viruses and help prevent the disease or help cope with it. One of the drugs to prevent five dangerous infections is Pentaxim. The vaccination schedule according to the vaccination schedule provides reliable protection for young children from diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type B infections.
Composition of the Pentaxim vaccine
Pentaxim Polyvalent Vaccine consists of several components. One injection can protect the child from five different infections. The composition of the vaccine includes:
- A syringe filled with a suspension for the prevention of ailments such as polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria. Its volume is 0.5 ml.
- A bottle with a lyophilizate, which contains a product intended for vaccination against infection caused only by Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB infection) and contains 10 μg of particles.
The suspension consists of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis harmless derivatives of toxin, which preserved the immune and antigenic properties, as well as dead poliomyelitis viruses of three types.
For vaccination, it is necessary to shake the contents of the syringe, insert it into the vial, once again shake everything thoroughly without removing the syringe. After complete dissolution, the suspension becomes a cloudy liquid with a whitish tint. Following the vaccination schedule, the Pentaxim vaccine is administered intramuscularly to the child. The vaccine is divided into a ready-made suspension and lyophilisate in order to be able to separately vaccinate from the first four infections and the HIB component, as is required in some cases, the vaccination schedule.
The vaccine is manufactured by a large French pharmaceutical concern and is supplied to the USA, European countries and Russia.
Who is recommended to be vaccinated with Pentaxim vaccine?
Pentaxim is recommended for vaccination of children in order to prevent pathologies such as polio, pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus and invasive infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B, belonging to the following categories:
- Starting from three months for all healthy children according to the vaccination schedule. Pentaxim vaccination is carried out according to the national calendar.
- Having an adverse reaction after entering the first dose of DTP, including medical bends from it.
- With allergic reactions.
- Suffering from neurological diseases.
- HIV infected
- With weak immunity and frequent illnesses.
- With perinatal encephalopathy.
- Having atopic dermatitis, dysbiosis, anemia.
In addition, all children with poor and problem health who need to be protected from serious infections can be vaccinated with the Pentaxim vaccine.
How to prepare a child for vaccination?
It is recommended that the following measures be taken prior to vaccination according to the Pentaxim vaccination schedule after a year or up to a year:
- Pass a general urine and blood test.
- Visit a neurologist.
- Have a physical examination at a pediatrician who listens to the lungs and heart, examines the skin and throat, measures the temperature.
- Track the bowel movement on the eve of vaccination. In case of constipation, vaccination should be postponed until it is eliminated.
- In the morning, before vaccination, you should not give breakfast to the child, except for liquid.
- It is necessary to dress the baby according to the weather so that he does not sweat.
- Take water to the clinic and drink it before vaccination.
Immediately after vaccination, it is better not to feed the baby until he asks. Food should be dietary, better to abstain from sweets. In the first two or three days, the temperature may rise, so you need to be attentive to the child and, if necessary, reduce it using Paracetamol. If the drug is ineffective, consult a doctor.
Vaccination schedule up to a year
There are a lot of vaccinations that need to be done to babies up to a year old. In order to be in time in time, a special calendar with deadlines has been drawn up. According to the vaccination schedule, “Pentaxim” is started to be administered to the child up to one year after he turns three months old. Vaccination is carried out in three stages, i.e., every half month. So, the second vaccine will be given in 4.5 months, and the third, when the child is six months old. With timely vaccination of the child from three months to six months, the drug is completely administered to him. If for some reason there is a violation of the time of vaccinations, then there is a schedule of vaccination with Pentaxim after 6 months and up to a year. In this case, vaccinations are also given after a month and a half, with the first and third vaccinations being carried out with the full drug (suspension + lyophilisate), and in the second, the lyophilisate is not used in the bottle.
Introduction of Pentaxim to a child after an acute illness
With an exacerbation of any chronic or acute illness, vaccination is postponed until the child is in remission or complete recovery. The most optimal vaccination period begins no earlier than half a month or a month after the illness or the beginning of remission.
After acute intestinal infection or acute respiratory viral infection, when normal body temperature is established, despite residual effects, even in children in the age category between 2 and 3, Pentaxim vaccination is carried out according to the schedule. Often sick children are vaccinated 5-10 days after the illness, despite the residual catarrhal phenomena. And children who have suffered from meningitis or other diseases associated with the nervous system receive a medical withdrawal from vaccination for at least six months after full recovery.
Vaccination of children with allergic diseases
For children suffering from skin allergic manifestations, the vaccine is administered after a two-three-week break after the exacerbation of the disease ends. And before vaccination for three weeks, it is necessary to take anti-allergic drugs inside and use ointments externally. It should be noted that the Pentaxim vaccination schedule after 3 years remains the same as after a year. The vaccine is administered without using the HIB components. If a child has cyclic spasms of the respiratory tract, then Pentaxim is used no earlier than 2-4 weeks after the recovery of the next attack. Vaccination is carried out with the simultaneous use of hormonal bronchodilators and the use of antihistamines. They are prescribed two days before vaccination and continue to be used four days after it. Next, the attending physician, depending on the condition of the child, adjusts the medication.
What does the Hib component of the Pentaxim vaccine protect against?
The HIB component in the Pentaxim vaccine protects young children from serious infections caused by type H hemophilia bacillus. These infectious diseases in children under the age of five are severe and difficult to treat with popular antibacterial agents because of their resistance to them. pathogen. It is in the absence of vaccinations or non-compliance with the Pentaxim vaccination schedule in children under the age of five that severe pneumonia, inflammation of the epiglottis, meningitis and sepsis often occur. After five years of age, the immune system becomes stronger and begins to suppress a pathogenic infection itself. But one should not think that after vaccination with Pentaxim the baby will be safe from any meningitis, sepsis or pneumonia, because they can be triggered by other pathogenic bacteria, and not just HIB infection.
It should be noted that diseases caused by other bacteria respond better to treatment and do not pose a strong danger, in contrast to the ailments caused by the hemophilic bacillus. In addition, the HIB component of the vaccine reduces the number of acute respiratory viral infections and facilitates their course, because it stimulates a protective reaction at the cellular level of the upper respiratory tract. Therefore, if a vaccine was not given against Hib infection in the first year of a child’s life, then according to the Pentaxim vaccination schedule, after 2 years or before kindergarten, he must be vaccinated.
Booster vaccination
Re-introduction of the vaccine is carried out when the child reaches one and a half years. Vaccination is done in order to maintain the immunity to the five dangerous infections. If the vaccination schedule fails, the intervals between them remain the same. Revaccination is carried out in all cases a year after the last vaccination. The course, consisting of three main vaccinations and one repeated, preserves the child's immunity from diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio and HIB infection for a period of five years. Moreover, with revaccination, only a suspension is administered. If the timing of the Pentaxim vaccination and revaccination schedule is not respected, the doctor is guided by the instructions for using the drug and the recommendations of the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations of the Russian Federation. Subsequently, revaccination is carried out when a child is 6-7 years old from all of the above infections, except those caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B.
Contraindications for the use of Pentaxim vaccination
The drug "Pentaxim" is not recommended for use in the following cases:
- Enhancing Encephalopathy.
- Impaired brain function that occurs after any vaccinations.
- An intense reaction after a previous vaccination, which contained a component of whooping cough, for two days and was manifested by high body temperature, prolonged crying, convulsions and low blood pressure.
- Allergy to the components that make up Pentaxim.
- Exacerbation of chronic diseases. After a two-week remission, Pentaxim vaccination is carried out. The schedule in this case is different.
- Any disease that is accompanied by high body temperature. Immunization is done only two or four weeks after the complete healing of the patient. With mild ailments, the baby is vaccinated immediately after the disappearance of the main symptoms of the disease.
Particular attention in vaccination should be given to children who have impaired blood coagulation.
Pentaxim: vaccination schedule and route of administration
The vaccine Pentaxim is administered strictly intramuscularly. For babies before the age of one year, the best introduction of the drug is the middle of the outer surface of the thigh. For older children, an injection is made into the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. Pentaxim is strictly prohibited to enter the buttock. This is because the thick subcutaneous fat layer prevents the absorption of the drug into the blood, and it turns out to be useless. For injection, take a syringe with a suspension and shake it several times to make the contents homogeneous. The needle in the kit is attached to the syringe.
When using the Pentaxim vaccination schedule after a year, in cases when it is necessary to administer the chemiline component, the cap is removed from the vial and the entire suspension in the syringe is introduced into it. The vial is shaken until the lyophilisate is completely dissolved, but not more than three minutes. A ready-made turbid solution with a white tint is immediately administered to the child. If suspicious particles or color changes are detected in the solution, it cannot be used. Sometimes only a syringe vaccine is administered without using the drug from the vial.
Polio vaccinations
Polio is a serious disease that affects the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and endocrine system. The disease is characterized by high mortality. One of the dangerous complications of the disease is considered paralysis. There are two vaccine options for polio. In one case, the vaccine contains live, attenuated viruses (drops), and in the other, only virus proteins. When using a live vaccine, the child should be given five doses of vaccinations that are given in three, four and a half, six, eighteen and twenty months. Pentaxim polio vaccination schedule: in 3; 4,5; 6; 18 months, i.e., for the formation of stable immunity, four vaccinations will be required that will form a stable immunity.
To what age is it allowed to vaccinate a child with Pentaxim?
The Pentaxim vaccine contains acellular pertussis, tetanus, polio and diphtheria component, they are used for vaccination regardless of age of both children and adults. However, the component for infection caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B is recommended only for children whose age does not exceed five years. It turns out that a complete vaccine - a suspension in a syringe and a lyophilisate in a vial - can be used to vaccinate children only up to five years of age. The part of the drug in the syringe is used not only for children after 3 years according to the Pentaxim vaccination schedule, but also for any adult individual if they have not been vaccinated before against pertussis, diphtheria, polio and tetanus.
However, according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, it is not used in the Russian Federation and the CIS countries for revaccination of children and adults previously vaccinated with the Pentaxim vaccine. To further maintain immunity against these four infections, ADS-M is used, which contains a lower dosage of antigens. But it should be noted that in the USA and Western Europe, Pentaxim without the Hib component re-vaccinates children and adults, regardless of age.
Possible complications after vaccination
After vaccination with Pentaxim according to the schedule, possible complications appear in the form of local and systemic effects:
- Local - painful sensations at the injection site at rest (short crying of the child) or with pressure. Hyperemia and the occurrence of compaction. Leg swelling is possible (it occurs very rarely on the HIB component). It can appear a few hours after the injection and last no more than a day. A component of pertussis infection can cause compaction and swelling of more than five centimeters in diameter. These phenomena occur within two days after vaccination and do not require any therapy, but pass on their own.
- Systemic - sleep disturbance, the appearance of irritability, a sleeping state, lack of appetite, vomiting, anorexia, cramps, hives, loose stools, prolonged crying, low blood pressure, rash, a slight increase in temperature, and in some cases up to 40 degrees, are possible.
Most often, sleep disturbance, increased irritability, long-term crying, loss of appetite are noted. Other systemic reactions are very rare.
Conclusion
The existing Russian system of preventive vaccinations for children is regulated by law and is called the national vaccination calendar. Vaccinations for children are optional.
Some parents refuse the planned vaccination of babies, citing the fact that they often have various complications. But it should be noted that the national Pentaxim vaccination schedule is one of the best ways to protect children from serious infectious diseases.