Diphtheria, haemophilus B, pertussis, polio, tetanus vaccine

Diphtheria, haemophilus influenzae type B, pertussis, polio, and tetanus are serious diseases caused by bacteria or virus.

Diphtheria causes a thick coating in the nose, throat, and airways. It can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure, or death.

Haemophilus B bacteria can infect the lungs or throat, and can also spread to the blood, bones, joints, brain, or spinal cord. It can cause breathing problems or meningitis, and these infections can be fatal.

Pertussis (whooping cough) causes coughing so severe that it interferes with eating, drinking, or breathing. These spells can last for weeks and can lead to pneumonia, seizures (convulsions), brain damage, and death.

Polio affects the central nervous system and spinal cord. It can cause muscle weakness and paralysis. Polio is a life threatening condition because it can paralyze the muscles that help you breathe.

Tetanus (lockjaw) causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body. It can lead to "locking" of the jaw so the victim cannot open the mouth or swallow. Tetanus leads to death in about 1 out of 10 cases.

Diphtheria, haemophilus B, pertussis, and polio are spread from person to person. Tetanus enters the body through a cut or wound.

The DTaP-IVP/Hib vaccine is used to help prevent these diseases in children who are ages 6 weeks through 4 years (before the 5th birthday).

This vaccine works by exposing your child to a small dose of the virus, bacteria or a protein from the bacteria, which causes the body to develop immunity to the disease. This vaccine will not treat an active infection that has already developed in the body.

Like any vaccine, the DTaP-IVP/Hib may not provide protection from disease in every person.

Your child should not receive this vaccine if he or she has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to any vaccine containing diphtheria, haemophilus, pertussis, polio, or tetanus. Your child also should not receive this vaccine if he or she has a neurologic disorder or disease affecting the brain (or if this was a reaction to a previous vaccine).

Your child may not be able to receive this vaccine if he or she has ever received a similar vaccine that caused any of the following:

• a very high fever (over 104 degrees), excessive crying for 3 hours or longer, fainting or going into shock (within 48 hours after receiving a vaccine containing pertussis);

• an allergy to neomycin, streptomycin or polymyxin B, or yeast;

• a seizure (within 3 days after receiving a vaccine containing pertussis); or

• Guillain-Barré syndrome (within 6 weeks after receiving a vaccine containing tetanus).

If your child has any of these other conditions, this vaccine may need to be postponed or not given at all:

• a history of seizures or premature birth; or

• a weak immune system caused by disease, bone marrow transplant, or by using certain medicines or receiving cancer treatments.

Your child can still receive a vaccine if he or she has a minor cold. In the case of a more severe illness with a fever or any type of infection, wait until the child gets better before receiving this vaccine.

This vaccine is injected into a muscle. You will receive this injection in a doctor's office or clinic setting.

This vaccine is given in a series of shots. The first shot is usually given when the child is 2 months old. The booster shots are then given at 4 months, 6 months, and 15 to 18 months of age. Your child's individual booster schedule may be different from these guidelines. Follow your doctor's instructions or the schedule recommended by the health department of the state you live in.

Your doctor may recommend treating fever and pain with an aspirin free pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, and others) when the shot is given and for the next 24 hours. Follow the label directions or your doctor's instructions about how much of this medicine to give your child.

It is especially important to prevent fever from occurring in a child who has a seizure disorder such as epilepsy.

Contact your doctor if you will miss a booster dose or if you get behind schedule. The next dose should be given as soon as possible. There is no need to start over.

Be sure your child receives all recommended doses of this vaccine. Your child may not be fully protected if he or she does not receive the full series.

Before your child receives this vaccine, tell the doctor if your child has recently received any drugs or treatments that can weaken the immune system. If your child is using any of these medications, he or she may not be able to receive the vaccine, or may need to wait until the other treatments are finished.