Currently, there are a huge number of vaccines that can prevent a person from becoming infected with various diseases. Some of them will exert their effect throughout life, but there are those that will have to be repeated. Among childhood infections, chickenpox is common. And if earlier almost every child in childhood had this disease (and it was considered almost inevitable), now a varilrix chickenpox vaccine has appeared.
We will try to figure out who is shown this vaccination, how it works and whether there are contraindications.
The composition of the drug
A vaccine in an amount of 0.5 ml is one dose, in its composition contains:
- 3.3 lg PFU of live attenuated Varicella zoster virus , characterized by its specific activity.
- As auxiliary substances: sorbitol, human serum albumin, lactose, amino acids, neomycin sulfate and mannitol.
The manufacturer produces Varilrix in the form of a lyophilisate, which is used to prepare a solution for administration. This is a yellowish powder or amorphous mass.
The vaccine is packaged in glass vials, to which is added water for dilution and a syringe. The package contains one dose.
Pharmacological action of the vaccine
The vaccine "Varillrix" after introduction into the body can cause a weakened form of chickenpox, which proceeds with almost no symptoms. After immunization within three days after contact with the patient, the drug is able to protect against infection.
Numerous studies have been conducted that have proven the excellent effectiveness of the chickenpox vaccine of any severity. If the vaccine was given between the ages of 10 months and three years, then its effectiveness was 100% for 2.5 years.
For testing, people who were at risk of infection were selected, that is, they did not have this disease before. So, after vaccination they were almost completely protected from infection, and if this happened, the patient tolerated chickenpox easily, without fever and with minimal rashes.
This only confirms that the Varilrix vaccine met the expectations of doctors and can be used not only for vaccinating children, but also adults.
For whom is vaccination vital?
Children most often tolerate chickenpox quite easily, unlike adults.
Given that over the years there are many chronic diseases, as well as serious health problems that can be significantly exacerbated by the chickenpox virus, that is, the category of patients who just need to be vaccinated is:
- Patients suffering from acute leukemia.
- The Varilrix vaccine is needed for those taking immunosuppressants and corticosteroids.
- Those who are undergoing organ transplant surgery.
- In the presence of chronic diseases of the cardiovascular and pulmonary system.
- The presence of neuromuscular disorders.
- Varilrix, the instructions for which contain all the necessary information, is recommended for vaccinating the adult population after contact with a sick person, if the disease has not been tolerated before.
Patients who are at risk should periodically be tested for the detection of antibodies to chickenpox virus so that a vaccination decision is made in a timely manner.
Studies confirm that people with immunodeficiency can develop the disease after close contact with the patient and after vaccination, but it will be much easier to proceed and rashes will be less pronounced.
Indications for use of the vaccine
Any vaccine is strictly specific and has its indications for use. If you consider "Varilrix", the instructions for use contain information about the purpose of using the drug:
- Vaccination is done for preventive purposes, starting at the age of one in children. First of all, immunization is carried out to people at risk who are not vaccinated and did not have this disease.
- As an emergency prevention after close contact with a patient with chickenpox.
This vaccine is not yet included in the list of obligatory ones, therefore parents have the right to choose for themselves whether they should vaccinate their child and themselves or hope that this virus does not affect them.
To whom vaccination is not shown
As there is a risk group that must be vaccinated, βVarilrixβ also has contraindications for use, among them I would like to highlight the following:
- If there is congenital or acquired immunodeficiency.
- In the presence of acute infectious diseases, it is better to refrain from vaccination.
- With exacerbation of chronic diseases.
- During pregnancy and lactation.
- With intestinal poisoning and the presence of temperature on the background of acute respiratory viral infections.
- If there is an allergic reaction to the components of the drug.
- In case of hypersensitivity, the vaccine "Varilrix". Patient reviews claim that serious side effects may appear.
If you decide to get vaccinated, then you should first discuss this issue with your doctor.
Varilrix: side effects
Any vaccine, as well as the drug, may have undesirable effects. Side effects of Varilrix may be different, this to some extent depends on the age of the vaccinee and the general condition of the body.
If we talk about undesirable manifestations in children from 9 months to 12 years old, then they are most often the following:
- Drowsiness.
- The development of respiratory infections, cough and runny nose appears.
- General weakness.
- A slight increase in body temperature.
- Small rashes on the skin, which in a brighter form are characteristic of chickenpox.
- At the injection site, soreness and slight swelling.
- Urticaria was very rarely observed.
If the vaccine was administered in adolescence or in an adult, the following manifestations were observed:
- Slight soreness at the injection site.
- Swelling.
- Hyperemia.
- Fever with fever up to 39 degrees.
- Some complain of a headache.
- From the gastrointestinal tract, nausea, vomiting and pain in the epigastric region can be observed.
- Lymphadenopathy
- Cramps may bother.
- Muscle pains.
In persons at risk, vaccination did not cause side effects that would be very different from those observed in the remaining category of citizens. Most often it was pain and swelling at the injection site, which took place in a couple of days. Some noted an increase in body temperature. Most often, adverse events were diagnosed in patients with leukemia. Apparently, the combined use of the vaccine and immunosuppressive therapy gave such an effect.
Rashes on the skin, characteristic of chickenpox, could also appear, but in a very small amount and did not affect the general condition of the patients.
During re-vaccination, no aggravation of side effects was observed. Varilrix is ββwell tolerated, reviews of patients even with weakened immune systems indicate that with the appearance of small rashes, fever, as a rule, does not develop, and if there is an increase in temperature, then for a very short time.
Vaccine Administration Method
If you carefully study the information on the Varilrix vaccine, the instructions for use indicate that it is necessary to use the drug subcutaneously.
Before this, the contents of the bottle with lyophilisate must be diluted with the solvent that comes with the package and shake well until completely dissolved. Only after this, the composition can be typed into a syringe.
The prepared solution for vaccination should have a slightly yellowish or pinkish color without various impurities and inclusions. Before administering the drug, it is necessary to inspect the bottle for the presence of foreign particles; if they are detected, you should not be vaccinated.
If the packaging and the vaccine are all right, then you can proceed to the administration procedure. First you need to treat the injection site with an antiseptic solution and wait until it evaporates from the skin, otherwise there is a danger of inactivation of the virus, and there will be no effect from such a vaccination.
You also need to remember that the drug must be administered immediately after dilution.
Drug overdose
Despite the fact that the vaccine in one bottle contains a single dose, but there have been cases and overdoses of the drug completely by accident. The human factor cannot be discounted. In this situation, the side effects are much more serious:
- The appearance of severe convulsions.
- The man fell into a lethargic dream.
Agree that this can not be compared with a headache or runny nose after vaccination.
Vaccination schedule
The "Varilrix" instructions contain detailed information about the timing and doses that should be used for vaccination. If we are talking about babies from one year to 13 years, then for vaccination it is enough to use one dose in the amount of 0.5 ml once.
If the child is older than 13 years old, and also had contact with the patient or is at risk, the drug is administered at a dose of 0.5 ml twice with an interval between doses of 6 to 10 weeks. "Varilrix" is also administered to adult patients twice with an interval of several weeks.
It is worth mentioning separately about vaccination of patients at risk. This includes patients with acute leukemia, with severe chronic diseases, and patients undergoing radiation therapy and immunosuppressive treatment. Vaccination of such patients is carried out during the period of complete hematological remission of the underlying disease. Before vaccination, it is also necessary to do a blood test, which should show the number of lymphocytes at least 1200 / ΞΌl. A person should have no symptoms indicating weak cellular immunity.
When vaccination is carried out in the acute period (if urgently needed), chemotherapy should be interrupted one week before vaccination and for a period of about 7 days after. During radiation therapy, vaccination is contraindicated.
For the group of patients who are going to have an internal organ transplant, vaccination should be carried out several weeks before the start of immunosuppressive therapy.
There are cases of urgent need for the introduction of a vaccine, this happens after contact with chickenpox. In such a situation, the Varilrix vaccine, the instructions for use on this emphasizes, should be introduced in the first 96 hours after contact, and even better within 72.
Drug interaction with other drugs
Before vaccination, the doctor must definitely find out, not only whether there are any contraindications for the patient, but also ask what medications the patient is taking and whether the procedure is being done.
If the patient was given immunoglobulins, then vaccination with Varilrix can be carried out after three months, not earlier. The same applies to blood transfusion.
When deciding to use Varilrix, the instructions for use are required for careful study. It spells out the various nuances of using the drug, and among those indicate that after vaccination should not be used to treat salicylates for a month and a half. This refinement was added after several cases of Reye's syndrome were identified on the background of varicella vaccination.
If you look at the calendar of preventive vaccinations in the Russian Federation, you can come to the conclusion that the Varilrix vaccine can be used simultaneously with inactivated vaccines. An exception is the rabies vaccine.
Very often, together with vaccinations against measles, rubella and mumps, the Varilrix vaccine is administered, parental reviews confirm that combined vaccination does not reduce the body's immune response and does not increase the reactogenicity of vaccines. The same can be said about the introduction of the vaccine together with vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
The vaccine against measles, rubella and mumps can even be administered simultaneously with Varilrix, only in different places. But it is also necessary to take into account the fact that if the doctor did not prescribe these vaccines at the same time, it is better if the interval between them is about a month to achieve the maximum level of antibodies.
If other vaccinations are indicated, the time interval between their administration should be at least 30 days.
When vaccination is carried out simultaneously with several drugs, it is necessary to take into account contraindications to each of them. Probably, it is not worth reminding that all vaccines are administered by different syringes and in different places. You can not do multiple vaccinations simultaneously in the same place.
It is undesirable for patients at risk to administer Varilrix simultaneously with other vaccinations.
Important instructions when using the drug "Varilrix"
Any doctor knows that in the treatment room there should be drugs in case of anaphylactic reaction of the body to the drug. This also applies to the vaccination room.
After vaccination, each patient should be under the supervision of a doctor for half an hour, this applies not only to babies, but also to adults. Although basically it has positive "Varilrix" reviews, including children.
If a woman who plans to have a baby in the near future is vaccinated, then it is advisable to protect herself from pregnancy for three months after vaccination.
In patients who have acquired or primary immunodeficiency, it is necessary to check the number of lymphocytes in the blood before vaccination.
If Varilrix (vaccine) is administered, the instruction warns that this drug should not be administered intramuscularly or intravenously, but only subcutaneously.
Rarely enough, but there have been cases when the vaccine virus was transmitted to healthy people. In this regard, those who have just been vaccinated should avoid contact with pregnant women, especially those who are in the short term, as well as with people at risk.
If, after vaccination, rashes characteristic of chicken pox appeared on the skin, then any contact with women in the position and with those who are immunodeficient should be excluded.
After Varilrix (vaccine) is introduced, the manual states that there is no danger of weakening attention and the ability to concentrate, so those who drive a car should not be afraid.
Vaccine storage rules
In order for the vaccine to have as few side effects as possible, it must be properly stored. If we talk about the Varilrix vaccine, then its shelf life is 1 year, provided that it is at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees.
In order to check the expiration date, data on the production date must be indicated on the packaging, as well as the time of its end. The quality of the vaccine is not affected by freezing. The composition for dissolving the lyophilisate can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
If you have to transport the vaccine in the hot season, then refrigerators must be used for these purposes.
Vaccine Reviews
This drug began to be used relatively recently, unlike other vaccinations, so some parents, and adults are not in a hurry to the treatment room to prevent infection. The Varilrix vaccine received reviews that were mostly positive, despite the short term of use.
Parents note that babies tolerate vaccination well enough. There are cases of fever, but in children this is a normal reaction to almost all vaccinations. It largely depends not on the specifics of the drug, but on the characteristics of the body.
Many mothers note that for several days the children remain swollen at the injection site and a little soreness, but all this quickly passes.
There are reviews in which parents express claims to the drug, since after vaccination after a couple of years, chickenpox virus infection still occurred. Doctors even claim that the vaccinated patient will be much easier to tolerate the disease, but some mothers say that this is not at all.
Almost all parents are sure that if the vaccine is given correctly, taking into account the characteristics and contraindications, then complications, as a rule, do not arise. Side effects are very rare.
Everyone knows that it is better to get sick with childhood infectious diseases, which include chickenpox, in childhood, as adults are much more difficult to tolerate such infections. Therefore, recently Varilrix has also received good reviews in adults. Almost everyone who has been vaccinated claims that the body perceives normally, there are practically no side effects. In rare cases, headaches, a runny nose or a cough were observed, but this is still better than sitting at home on the sick-list with a temperature under 40 degrees and sprinkled with red pimples.
Take care of your health and the health of your little ones.