The Havrix vaccine is part of the second group of drugs. Essential for immunity against hepatitis A.
All vaccines are classified into two main classes: planned and emergency.
The drugs of the first group are entered in the vaccination calendar. They begin to put them from the first days of a person's life in order to form immunity. Vaccines of the second category are intended for use in emergency cases, for example, if the patient was in contact with an infected person or after a tick bite. That is, they are used in the presence of special indications.
Havrix vaccine
The medicine is intended for the prevention of hepatitis A. The vaccine is produced by the manufacturer in two versions, “Havrix 720” and “Havrix 1440”. Introduce it intramuscularly. In rare cases, when a patient has a blood disease, the drug can be administered subcutaneously (for example, if blood coagulation is impaired).
It is strictly forbidden to freeze the Havrix vaccine against hepatitis A, its consistency should be checked before use. The suspension should have a uniform consistency. If the drug is stored for a long time, there is a chance of precipitation. To return the drug to its previous structure, it is enough to shake it actively. Vaccine production is in the UK.
The Havrix vaccine contains formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, injectable water, an inactivated virus that provokes the development of hepatitis A, and some other excipients. The vaccine is packaged in syringes or bottles, which are additionally packaged in packs of cardboard.
Indications for use
Vaccination with this drug is necessary if you want to stop the spread of hepatitis A. Residents of developing countries, for example, the Caribbean, the African continent, are most susceptible to this disease.
The Havrix vaccine is recommended if you want to vaccinate people who periodically or constantly come into contact with hepatitis A infected children living in regions where there is a high probability of getting sick. In addition, vaccination will be useful for travelers traveling to countries at high risk for hepatitis A infection; employees of medical and educational institutions working with people. Also, vaccination with the use of "Havrix" is carried out for people with pathological changes in the liver, suffering from hemophilia. This is due to the fact that in such people the body is more susceptible to infection.
Contraindications
It is not recommended to put the Havrix hepatitis A vaccine in patients with marked intolerance to the components of the drug or an allergic reaction that arose during the previous use of the medication. In addition, vaccination is contraindicated for sick people suffering from chronic forms of various pathologies, with diseases that pass from a chronic form to an acute one.
It is necessary to postpone the vaccination if the patient is infected with acute respiratory viral infections, acute intestinal infection, he has a fever.
Pharmacological forms of the vaccine, the mechanism of action on the body
What does the Havrix vaccine manual tell us?
The drug "Havrix 720" is intended for the formation of immunity in children, "Havrix 1440" is used to prevent the development of hepatitis A in adult patients. The virus for the manufacture of the vaccine is grown in the cells of the body, after which a suspension is produced from it, which is then purified by formaldehyde.
Vaccination allowed to eliminate hepatitis A epidemics in different countries by forming an immune response in the population. To activate a prolonged immune response, vaccination should be repeated 6–13 months after the first. If there are special indications, revaccination is repeated after 5 years.
Vaccination rules, application schedule
Before administering a vaccine to a patient, medical personnel should familiarize themselves with the instructions that came with the drug. Doing an intravenous injection of Havrix is prohibited. The drug should be administered intramuscularly. In patients of adolescence and adulthood, an injection is made into the deltoid muscle, and children 1-2 years old are injected into the thigh. An injection under the skin or gluteus is not recommended, as in this case the body will not be able to develop antibodies to hepatitis A.
The structure of the Havrix vaccine should be uniform. If sediment is present at the bottom of the syringe (vial), the medicine must be shaken. If shaking does not bring the consistency back to normal or the medicine for some reason changes its appearance, it should be discarded. At the first vaccination, 1 ml of the drug is used (for adult patients). When vaccinating children, the dose should be reduced by half - to 0.5 ml.
After 6-12 months after the first administration, booster should be given. At the second vaccination, the recommended doses for the patient's age group are indicated. The instructions for use contain information that between vaccinations, an interval of 0.5-1 years should be maintained. The formation of the body's immune response occurs within 1-5 years.
Negative impact
A study conducted with more than 5300 patients revealed that Havrix is able to provoke the occurrence of some negative reactions.
Against the background of the use of the vaccine, infectious diseases of the upper respiratory system and rhinitis can develop. Often, patients note that after administration of the drug there is a loss of appetite, migraine, irritation. In rare cases, after vaccination, the patient may experience paresthesia, partial loss of sensation, dizziness.
From the digestive system, side effects such as diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea can occur. In some cases, skin itching occurs, rashes appear. In a rare case, an overstrain in muscle structures is noted after injection. Local reactions of the body in the area of drug administration are not excluded. They appear in the form of a seal, where a puncture was made, redness of the skin. Fatigue after vaccination is sometimes noted. In some cases, the patient may experience chills, fever.
The human immune system can respond to the administration of Havriks with seizures or allergic reactions. Quite rarely, after an injection, urticaria, vasculitis, angioedema develop.
Features of use
It is important to consider that the drug is not able to protect vaccinated people from infection with other types of hepatitis viruses, in addition, it does not protect against liver pathologies.
It is important to exercise caution when vaccinating people suffering from clotting problems and thrombocytopenia. In this case, the likelihood of bleeding after administration of the drug increases. After injection, such patients should apply a special dressing at the injection site. The manufacturer for this category of patients provides an alternative method of administering the drug - subcutaneously.
If the person being vaccinated has disorders in the immune system, it is not always possible to obtain the full production of antigens. In such cases, the manufacturer recommends the introduction of additional doses of the vaccine. In the vaccination room should be available all the necessary tools that may be needed to provide emergency assistance to a person in the event of anaphylactic shock. After administration of the drug, the patient should remain under the supervision of a specialist for half an hour.
First of all, Havrix vaccination is given to people who are highly likely to become infected, for example, they take care of people suffering from hepatitis A, communicate with patients, and live in regions where the epidemiological threshold is elevated. In addition, at risk are people with a homosexual orientation, drug addicts, those who have a promiscuous sex life. The drug does not affect the concentration of attention and reaction when controlling complex mechanisms and vehicles.
Overdose of Havrix
The company producing Havriks reports that cases of drug overdose are extremely rare. Negative manifestations of vaccine intoxication are similar to those that occur when using the drug in recommended dosages.
Interaction with other drugs
The likelihood of drug interaction with other medicines is minimal, since it is an inactivated vaccine. "Havriks" is well tolerated and combined with drugs for cholera, tetanus, typhoid.
The use of a vaccine to prevent infection with hepatitis A involves the simultaneous use of immunoglobulins. However, injections should be carried out in different muscles of the body, and mixing drugs in the same syringe is unacceptable.
Havrix vaccine reviews
Most of the reviews about the experience with Havrix are positive. Negative effects on the background of vaccination develop quite rarely. Experts note that the drug is well tolerated, and its effect persists for a long time. As a rule, vaccination allows you to develop immunity from hepatitis A for more than 15 years.
On the Internet, you can often find information that the Havrix vaccine is not in Russia, it is impossible to purchase. However, this is not true. In many pharmacies, the drug can be purchased on order.
Where to get the Havrix vaccine?
Vaccination can be done in almost any paid medical center. The cost of the procedure is more than affordable and amounts to 1,500 rubles.
Often, patients treat the likelihood of contracting hepatitis A lightly, believing that such a disease will not affect them. But studies show that the percentage of infected increases every year. Hepatitis A occurs almost without symptoms, so many patients do not even suspect that they are infected.
In Russia , hepatitis A vaccination is not common, although you can get infected with an illness quite simply - without washing your hands, in contact with an infected person. In this regard, people at risk should be vaccinated.
We reviewed the instructions for use with the Havrix vaccine.