Related Experiment Videos
[Side effects of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough]
M E Regalado1, B Nieves Rodríguez, M T Ghersy
1Cátedra de Puericultura y Pediatría, Escuela de Medicina J.M. Vargas, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas.
Insights
Common side effects of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine in children include fever and local pain. Most children experienced mild reactions, with no severe neurological events reported.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric immunology
- Vaccine safety research
- Public health
Context:
- The diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine is a crucial component of routine childhood immunization schedules worldwide.
- Understanding the spectrum and frequency of adverse reactions is essential for vaccine acceptance and monitoring.
Purpose:
- To systematically document and analyze the systemic and local reactions following DTP vaccination in a large cohort of young children.
- To compare side-effect profiles between two different DTP vaccine manufacturers and investigate the influence of age and dosage on reaction incidence.
Summary:
- A study involving 730 children aged 2 months to 5 years assessed side effects within 48 hours of DTP vaccination.
- The most frequent systemic side effects were fever (66.0%), malaise (37.8%), and loss of appetite (25.0%). Local reactions included pain (41.6%), redness (28.0%), and nodules (20.1%).
- No severe adverse events like convulsions or neurological damage were observed. While both vaccines showed similar profiles, the national vaccine was associated with significantly more localized pain. Increased age correlated with more localized pain, and higher doses correlated with more pain and nodules.
Impact:
- Provides valuable data on the real-world safety profile of the DTP vaccine in a pediatric population.
- Informs healthcare providers and parents about expected side effects, aiding in informed consent and management.
- Highlights the need for continued surveillance and potential adjustments in vaccination strategies based on age and dosage.
Abstract:
Both the systemic and local reactions caused by the immunization with the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough were studied. Side-effects, 48 hours after the vaccination were determined in 730 children between the ages of two months and five years and 11 months. Over 13% of the children were free from side-effects. Eighty-seven percent of the children immunized showed the following side-effects in percentages of frequency: fever, 66.0%; malaise, 37.8%; loss of appetite, 25.0%; sleep disorders, 20.4%; vomiting, 7.9%; and continuous crying, 7.6%. With respect to local disturbances: pain, 41.6%; reddening, 28.0% and subcutaneous nodules, 20.1%. None of the children had convulsions, hypotonic episodes or immediate neurological damage. Two types of DTP vaccines, one from the Connaught (Canadian) Laboratory and another from the National Institute of Hygiene (Venezuelan) were used. No significant differences were found in the appearance of the side-effects between the both, except for localized pain (P less than 0.01) with the national vaccine. The results obtained in relation to age and the number of doses were: there was a significant increase of localized pain as ages increased (P less than 0.01). There were significantly greater number of localized pain and subcutaneous nodules with greater numbers of doses (P less than 0.01).