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How is the DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccine different from the previous primary vaccinations?.
A
The scientific teams that support
the Department of Health are always reviewing the effect of immunizations and
immunization programmes worldwide and constantly reviewing and making changes
where necessary. A recent change includes the following:
The first immunizations your child has - the DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccine - has changed
to the following:
- The polio vaccine does not contain
a live virus, so it no longer carries the slight risk of causing polio. The
vaccine uses inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) instead of live oral vaccine.
(OPV). Inactivated means that the viruses contained in the vaccine have been
killed, so that they can't harm you.
- The new vaccine causes fewer
minor reactions
- There is no thiomersal (mercury)
in the vaccine, which could potentially have a small risk of producing allergic
skin reactions
- The vaccine uses acellular pertussis
vaccine instead of whole-cell pertussis vaccine to protect babies against
whooping cough.
The changes were made to the vaccine because the global immunization programme
against polio has been so effective in terms of reducing the risk of polio
being brought into the UK. This means that it is now safe to change from a
live oral vaccine (OPV) providing protection for the whole community to an
inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) which provides effective individual protection.
This inactivated polio vaccine does not carry carry any of the major risk
associated with giving a live vaccine, such as the risk of the child or person
having polio as a result of having the live vaccine.
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