Today, one of the most significant dangers threatening the health of young children is hemophilic infection (HIB). It develops very quickly and can entail the most serious consequences, even death. Therefore, recently in our country, a preventive drug - “ACT-HIB” (vaccine) is administered to children and some adults through an injection. Russia included it in its vaccination calendar only in 2011.
What is a hemophilic infection?
The bacterium that causes hemophilic infection is called Haemophilus influenzae, or Afanasyev-Pfeiffer's bacillus. There are 6 varieties of this stick, but the most dangerous is the type b stick. It causes a severe course of the disease and further complications. Approximately 85% of adults and 35-40% of children are carriers of Haemophilus influenzae. The figure is quite large, but this is not surprising, because hemophilic infection belongs to the category of conditional pathogens, so its presence in the body in small quantities is considered normal.
The largest percentage of carriers of HIB infection is observed in kindergartens, approximately 5%. This disease is transmitted by airborne droplets, so the risk of infection in public places is quite high. In kindergartens, this infection can be transmitted through household items: dishes, towels and toys. The severity of the disease depends on how many bacteria enter the body. With a relatively small person, it becomes just a carrier, with a large hit, the disease begins to develop. And although the wearing of the infection proceeds unnoticed, the slightest weakening of the immune system will immediately make itself felt a serious infectious disease.
Hemophilic infection most often affects children from six months to 5 years. The most dangerous age for the development of this disease is from 6 to 12 months, so the drug "ACT-HIB" (vaccine) during this period is especially necessary.
Why is hemophilic infection dangerous?
"ACT-HIB" (vaccine) for good reason is highly recommended by pediatricians, because infection with weakened immunity can cause a number of serious complications, such as:
- meningitis - it leads to serious brain damage, the percentage of fatal outcome of this disease is high compared to others, it is 15%;
- epiglottitis - a disease can lead to asphyxiation, that is, suffocation;
- pneumonia - this disease, caused by a hemophilic infection, is distinguished by a particularly severe course and a high percentage of deaths;
- sepsis - although it occurs quite rarely, but has serious consequences;
- bronchitis - not as dangerous as pneumonia, but fraught with a transition to a chronic form;
- otitis media - in severe cases, it threatens with partial deafness.
This is not to mention the fact that HIB infection causes the development of acute respiratory infections and arthritis. The insidiousness of hemophilic infection lies in the fact that the initial symptoms in most cases do not cause anxiety in parents. Clinical signs, as a rule, become noticeable even when complications occur. Type b bacillus is particularly resistant to antibiotics, therefore it causes many difficulties in the treatment of hemophilic infection (HIB). The vaccine does not guarantee that the child will not get sick, but will help ease the course of the disease.
Vaccine
"ACT-HIB" (vaccine) is made by the French company "Sanofi Pasteur". It was registered in Russia in 1997, until 2010 the vaccine against HIB infection was put on a voluntary basis. Only at the end of 2010, due to the high percentage of incidence, was it included a vaccination calendar legally.
"ACT-HIB" - a vaccine, reviews of which are very controversial. However, it is highly recommended for parents with children under 5 years old. This is especially true for babies belonging to the following risk groups:
- premature babies;
- artificially fed children;
- immunocompromised children with frequent colds;
- babies with chronic diseases, due to which their body can not fight infections;
- children attending public educational institutions.
"ACT-HIB" (vaccine) is injected not only to children, but also to adults suffering from immunodeficiency.
How does the vaccine work?
A hemophilic drug is based on a defective antigen coupled to a tetanus toxoid protein molecule . It does not contain the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae type b and therefore cannot provoke the disease. Combining antigen with protein solved several problems at once:
- in children, a stable immunity to bacteria was formed;
- it turned out to reduce the reactogenicity of the vaccine and make it the safest.
Hemophilus vaccine compared with its counterparts, and two more - vaccines "Hiberix" and "Pentaxim", has passed more clinical trials, the results of which are more than satisfactory. It was found that the immunity formed in a child persists for 4 years. This gap is quite enough, because in the fifth year of life, the baby starts to produce the right amount of antibodies against HIB infection.
This kind of vaccination involves not only personal protection against infection, but also strengthens collective immunity. Studies have shown that in pre-school institutions with the help of vaccination, the incidence rate was reduced from 40 to 3.
Vaccination schedule
The vaccine "ACT-HIB", the instructions for use of which is familiar to every doctor, is given to babies from the age of two months. If the initial vaccination is done in the first half of the child’s life, then the scheme looks like this:
- the first time - the vaccine is given on a fixed day;
- the second time - re-vaccination is carried out after 30-45 days;
- the third time - the last vaccination is prescribed a year after the first.
If the first vaccine was given in the second half of the year, the scheme, accordingly, changes, that is, one stage is removed from it and vaccinations are done with an interval of 1 month. If the vaccine is given after a year, then 1 injection is enough.
"ACT-HIB" - a vaccine, the instructions for which require strict compliance with the requirements. The injection is done intramuscularly or subcutaneously. Babies who are under 2 years old are given an injection in the front of the thigh, and older children in the shoulder, or rather, in the deltoid muscle.
Features and composition
In Russia, one of the safest and most convenient injections is the ACT-HIB vaccine. Instructions, reviews of foreign and Russian doctors claim that this drug can be mixed in the same syringe with other vaccines, for example, with a vaccine against DTP. The main advantages of this medicine include the following nuances:
- practically does not give side effects, therefore it is allowed for babies from birth;
- provides tremendous assistance in the development of the right amount of antibodies;
- retains immunity for a long time;
- shows good results in the fight against type b stick.
Hemophilus vaccination is effective due to the constituent elements that have high activity. It:
- sucrose;
- sodium chloride;
- treated water for injection;
- trometamol;
- compound of polysaccharide and tetanus protein.
This composition allows you to maintain the immune system at the proper level even in the smallest children.
The body's response to vaccination and possible complications
ACT-HIB is a vaccine that is fairly easy to tolerate. In almost all cases, the immune system responds adequately to the injection, only in a small percentage of vaccinated the reaction is insufficient. A protective mechanism to combat the disease is formed within 14 days after administration. More than 90% of the vaccinated population is kept at the same level from 4 to 5 years.
Usually, the use of the vaccine does not provoke any side effects, in some cases, redness, swelling or thickening of the tissues at the injection site may be observed. In addition, an injection can cause the following complications:
- edema;
- itchy skin;
- rash;
- vomiting
- anxiety and prolonged crying;
- increase in body temperature;
- urticaria;
- cramps.
As a rule, this symptomatology is observed when two vaccines are mixed. It passes without a trace of medical intervention during the day. It should be noted that the introduction of a vaccine can provoke an increase in the interval between respiratory movements in infants. This is especially true for premature babies born before the 28th week.
Vaccination preparation
In order to avoid complications, the introduction of a hemophilic vaccine, like any other, needs to be prepared. To do this, you need to talk with your doctor or pediatrician and clarify all the necessary information about the properties and side effects of the drug. A few days before the proposed vaccination should:
- conduct a full examination with a doctor;
- protect the baby from contact with sick people;
- if the baby eats breast milk, mother should not introduce new products into her diet - this is fraught with various allergic reactions.
Each person’s body reacts differently to a vaccine. To facilitate or avoid an unexpected reaction, it is recommended:
- after vaccination, remain under medical supervision for half an hour;
- take daily walks, but only in areas where there is not a large concentration of people, this is the only way to prevent infection;
- the first three days you can bathe your baby in the shower for no more than 3 minutes;
- exclude the introduction of new products into the diet of a baby or mother.
A hemophilic vaccine can cause allergies to certain components, therefore, for preventive purposes, you need to take drugs such as Suprastin or Zodak (as recommended by a doctor).
Contraindications
According to the instructions, the vaccine is contraindicated:
- people with individual intolerance to the components of the drug;
- children with an allergic reaction to this vaccine or other vaccinations;
- children with an allergic reaction to tetanus toxoid.
To fully absorb the components of the drug, the body must be absolutely healthy.
Vaccine release form and storage conditions
A vial of medicine and a syringe with a solution for injection are available in thermal packaging. The purchase of this drug is permitted only to medical institutions.
Ampoules with the vaccine are stored in the refrigerator, the optimum temperature is 2-8 degrees Celsius. If the drug is stored at low temperatures, it loses most of its active properties. The term of use of the vaccine is 3 years, after which it is disposed of.