Afraid of getting the flu? Then you should consider vaccinating. Thanks to this event, a person will maintain his health, not get sick with the flu or get sick, but in a mild form. Immunization is a must, especially when it comes to our kids. Therefore, today we will consider what the Influvac vaccine, as well as Vaxigripp, represents. These are common drugs used in Russia and Ukraine. They can prevent the spread of influenza. Below we consider the composition of both vaccines, their dosages. We also determine which one is better than the other.
Composition, release form of the vaccine "Influvac"
This drug is sold as a suspension that is administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Influvac vaccine is sold in syringes, which should be disposed of after an injection. Needles are also included with the drug.
The composition of this vaccine is as follows:
- Hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of viral strains of types: A (H3N2), A (H1N1), B.
- Auxiliary elements: sodium phosphate dihydrate, potassium, calcium and magnesium chloride, hydrogen phosphate, water for injection.
Dosage of the vaccine "Influvac"
- Adults, as well as children from 3 to 14 years old - 0.5 ml once.
- For babies from 6 months to 3 years - 0.25 ml once.
For children who have never been vaccinated before, it is advisable to administer the drug twice with an interval of 4 weeks.
Immunization should be carried out once a year in the fall.
Foreign effects after vaccination with Influvac
The use of this tool can cause such undesirable reactions:
- From the central nervous system: often - headache; rarely - neuritis, convulsions, neuralgia, encephalomyelitis, paresthesia.
- From the side of the heart and blood vessels: rarely - vasculitis (immunopathological vascular inflammation).
- From the musculoskeletal system: often - arthralgia (joint pain), myalgia (pain in the muscle area).
- General disorders: often - fatigue, fever, pain in muscles and joints, malaise, trembling, chills.
- Other manifestations: often - severe sweating; rarely, skin manifestations (itching, urticaria, nonspecific rash).
- Local reactions: swelling, thickening, soreness, redness.
Composition, form of release of the vaccine "Vaksigripp"
This drug is also a suspension for administration under the skin or intramuscularly.
Vaxigripp vaccine is available in syringes or ampoules.
The composition of the drug is as follows:
- Active elements - hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of such virus strains as A (H3N2), A (H1N1), B.
- Auxiliary components - sodium, as well as potassium chloride and dihydrogen phosphate, hydrogen phosphate dihydrate, water for injection.
The rules of immunization and the dosage of the drug "Vaksigripp"
This flu vaccine may be given:
- Subcutaneously in the upper part of the front side of the shoulder.
- Intramuscularly into the deltoid muscle.
- For small children - in the anterolateral thigh.
The dosage of the drug is as follows:
- Adults and children from 3 years - 0.5 ml once.
- Babies from six months to 3 years - 0.25 ml of the drug.
- For people who have not been vaccinated before, as well as those who have not had the flu at all, this vaccine should be administered 2 times with an interval of 4 weeks. That is, one dose should be divided equally.
- Patients with immunodeficiency should also be administered twice - 0.25 ml with an interval of 1 month.
Side effects after vaccination with the drug "Vaksigripp"
This remedy also has negative effects. How to understand which vaccine - "Vaksigripp" or "Influvak" - is better? To do this, you can see a list of side effects of each drug. So, for the “Vaksigripp” remedy it is like this:
- Often - headache, malaise, sweating, fatigue, pain in muscles and joints, neuralgia.
- Rarely - convulsions, paresthesias, neuritis, encephalomyelitis.
- Very rarely - allergic manifestations on the body, vasculitis.
- Local reactions - compaction, soreness, swelling at the injection site.
Vaccine cost
The drug "Vaksigripp", the price of which varies in different pharmacies, on average can be purchased for 400 rubles. This amount a person will have to pay for 1 dose of this tool. I wonder how much is Influvac then? The price of this drug ranges from 520-570 rubles.
So what to choose?
To date, both vaccines are considered the most common flu for children and adults. Both drugs give the same result. However, parents do not stop terrorizing pharmacists and family doctors to advise which of the two vaccines, Vaxigripp or Influvac, is better. The fact is that both drugs almost do not differ from each other. Indications for use, release form and even their composition is similar. But in such a point as side effects, there is a difference. So, the Influvak remedy has a much larger list of possible negative manifestations, while the Vaxigripp drug has this list much shorter. If we consider the cost of these vaccines, then there is also something to cling to. The drug "Influvac" is slightly more expensive than its competitor. Therefore, if you choose from these two criteria, you should make a choice in favor of means "Vaksigripp." Its price is lower, and there are fewer side effects. But it’s better to find out what people think about these two vaccines, and based on their feedback, decide for themselves what to choose.
The drug "Influvac": reviews
About this tool, Internet users write mostly only positive opinions. So, those patients who were vaccinated with this drug note that the injection itself is painless, because the needle in the syringe is very thin. It is also rare that anyone notes that problems have occurred after vaccination with this agent. People, on the contrary, praise the drug "Influvac" for the fact that it almost never causes unwanted reactions in the body. Also, women and men choose this particular vaccine, because it is imported, which means that it is better purified than domestic. In addition, the composition of the drug is improved annually, because new strains of influenza appear, therefore, the developed immunity may not work.
There are, however, negative responses from people. The first thing that parents pay attention to is that the Influvac product is sold in a standard dosage. That is, it turns out that for adults and for children, the syringes are the same. This is very inconvenient, because if you make a vaccine for children, then the excess amount of the drug must be drained. It turns out that it is spent inefficiently. There are also people who say that after vaccination with Influvac, their health was greatly shaken. To prevent this from happening, an injection is necessary only when the person is completely healthy. That is, he should not have any colds. And if a person listens to the doctor and follows all his recommendations regarding vaccination, the Influvac drug will receive only positive reviews. As for the cost of this tool, people note that its price is quite adequate, and it suits many.
The drug "Vaksigripp": reviews
This vaccine has been approved by patients. One makes an injection with this drug for free, while others buy it at their own expense. However, both of them note the effectiveness of this vaccine: for a year people do not get the flu. True, there are exceptions when, nevertheless, a person picks up this virus, however, the disease proceeds much easier. Also, people say that although the drug “Vaksigripp” is not the best of the existing ones, it is affordable. And this is an important factor. After all, often all family members have to be vaccinated, and this can greatly affect the family budget. Therefore, people choose a cheaper tool - Vaksigripp. Positive reviews are also written by parents who are satisfied that the drug is sold separately for children, that is, in special syringes of 0.25 mg. And you do not need to pour out excess liquid, since the dosage is accurate.
The opinion of experts
And what do immunologists and pediatricians say about these vaccines? Which is better: Vaksigripp or Influvak? Doctors are unanimous in this regard. They believe that in terms of their properties and effect, these drugs are approximately the same. They do not single out any of them specifically. And the fact that the supposedly “Influvac” product is cleaner, this, according to doctors, is an insignificant sign that does not affect the production of immunity, as well as its perception by the body. Therefore, if at work they offer to carry out free vaccination, for example, with Vaxigripp, then it is advisable to agree. Since it is foolish to look for the Influvac drug in pharmacies, because these vaccines will be the same in terms of effectiveness. Well, if you do not have such an advantage, then really, you can purchase any of these two tools yourself. The main thing is to pay attention to the shelf life of the drug, as well as follow all recommendations for proper storage and transportation.
Now you know which of the two remedies - Vaxigripp or Influwak - is better. And they realized that in fact there is no difference in them. The nuance is that the first remedy can be sold in a special small dosage (for children). While part of the Influvac preparation will have to be poured out, because the children need to inject only 0.25 mg, and 0.5 mg is in the syringe. Another point is that Vaxigripp suspension is slightly cheaper. Well, doctors do not allocate these funds, believing that they are about the same in effectiveness.