Haemophilus b and meningococcal conjugate vaccine

Before your child receives this vaccine, tell the doctor about all other vaccines your child has recently received.

Also tell the doctor if your child has recently received drugs or treatments that can weaken the immune system, including:

• an oral, nasal, inhaled, or injectable steroid medicine;

• medications to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders, such as azathioprine (Imuran), etanercept (Enbrel), leflunomide (Arava), and others; or

• medicines to treat or prevent organ transplant rejection, such as basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf), muromonab CD3 (Orthoclone), mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf).

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.

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with this vaccine. Tell your doctor about all medications your child receives. This includes prescription, over the counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

0.5 ml intramuscularly at 2, 4, and 6 months of age and a last dose given anywhere from 12 through 15 months of age, for a total of four doses.

The first dose may be given as early as 6 weeks of age. The fourth dose may be given as late as 18 months of age.

Data not available.

Syncope has occurred in association with administration of haemophilus b-meningococcal conjugate vaccine. Syncope can be accompanied by transient neurological signs such as visual disturbance, paresthesia, and tonic-clonic limb movements. Procedures should be in place to avoid falling injury and to restore cerebral perfusion following syncope.

Apnea following intramuscular vaccination has been observed in some infants born prematurely. Decisions about when to administer haemophilus b-meningococcal conjugate vaccine, to infants born prematurely should be based on consideration of the infant's medical status, and the potential benefits and possible risks of vaccination.

Prior to administration of haemophilus b-meningococcal conjugate vaccine, the healthcare provider should review the patient's immunization history for possible vaccine hypersensitivity. Epinephrine and other appropriate agents used for the control of anaphylactic reactions must be immediately available should an acute anaphylactic reaction occur.

Safety and effectiveness of haemophilus b-meningococcal conjugate vaccine in children younger than 6 weeks of age and in children 19 months to 16 years of age have not been established.

Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with haemophilus b-meningococcal conjugate vaccine. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. haemophilus b-meningococcal conjugate vaccine is not FDA approved for use in females of childbearing age.