It is a combined vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, three infectious diseases that may have very serious consequences, in particular if contracted in the first months of life. And how it works and when it must be administered
The vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis represents one of the most effective and safe preventive measures to protect the population from three potentially very serious infectious diseases. Administered in pediatric age as part of the hexavalent vaccine, the DTPA/DTPA vaccine is also recommended in adulthood through references. It is recommended in different situations, such as in pregnancy, to guarantee early protection to the newborn, and in the professional field, in particular for health and school workers.
In addition to clarifying what the DIFTerite-Tetano-Tertossi vaccine is, it is important to understand how the calls, the indications for adults, the most common side effects and the specific recommendations during gestation work. In this article we will try to clarify these aspects.
What is the DIFTIRITE-TEAN-TEPTODO VACCINO
The trivalent-tetan-tetan-tetaneous vaccine is a combined vaccine that protects against three infectious diseases that may have very serious consequences, in particular if contracted in the first months of life.
Dipterite is a disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diptheriaewhich can infect the upper airways (or more rarely the skin) and release a toxin capable of damaging the fabrics. The bacterium is transmitted by air through the respiratory droplets (cough, sneezing) or more rarely through contact with objects contaminated by the secretions of a patient. Dipterite manifests itself with:
- sore throat;
- fever;
- Appearance of a grayish membrane on the surface of the tonsils and throats.
The severity of the disease depends on the spread of toxin, and the possible complications concern the respiratory system, the heart, the kidneys and the nervous system.
Tetan is an acute non -contagious infectious disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium Tetania bacillo that grows only in the absence of oxygen (i.e. it is anaerobio), and is present in nature both in vegetative form (that is, it is able to reproduce) and in the form of spore. The bacterium in vegetative form produces an extremely powerful and toxic toxin for central nervous system cells. This disease is not transmitted from person to person. The contagion generally takes place through the penetration of the spores contained in the ground through a wound; In the absence of oxygen, spores can be transformed into vegetative forms, which produce toxin.
Toxin acts on the cells of the nervous system, interfering with the adjustment of the activity of the muscles and causing contractions and spasms. The risk of death is high and depends on the timeliness with which the treatment is undertaken. For an in -depth analysis of the vaccine against tetanus (antitotanic) we refer to the reading of this article.
Pertosso is a very contagious infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bordella Pertussis. The contagion takes place by air, through droplets of saliva spread in the air when the patient counts. The bacterium of Pertosse causes airways infections and the disease is characterized by a very intense (paroxysmal) and long -lasting cough. In the newborn and in children under one year, pertussis can be very serious and in some cases fatal.
The Trivalent DTP vaccine contains:
- Tetanian toxins and inactivated and made -made diphtheria (in technical terms they are called tossoids);
- the ACELLLULAR ANTIPERSTO VACCINO, which contains some components of the bacterium that causes pertussis;
- aluminum salts as adiuvanti, that is, to stimulate the response of the immune system;
- traces of some substances used in the production and conservation of vaccines (for example antibiotic neomycin or formaldehyde).
But why the distinction between DTPA and DTPA?
In the past, two types of diphtheria-tetan-topexic vaccine were distinguished: one pediatric, with a greater dose of antidifteritis and antiperthit (DTPA) and one for adults, with a lower dose of these two vaccines (DTPA). The capital and tiny letters therefore indicate the different quantities of content antigens. In young children, in fact, a higher dose of antigens is needed to obtain an effective immune response.
The DTP vaccine is now used almost exclusively in adults (in the DTPA formulation). In children this vaccine is generally administered within the hexavalent vaccination, together with the antipolio, the anti-epatitis B and the Avanti-Haemophilus Fluvae, and together with the antipolio in the references carried out between 5 and 6 years of age and during adolescence.
DTPA/DTPA vaccine: the call
As established in the national vaccination calendar, the DIFTyal-Tetan-Terethosse vaccine is administered (as a hexavalent vaccine) in the third, fifth and eleventh month of life. Recalls are subsequently carried out between 5 and 6 years of age and during adolescence, with the DIFTyal-tetan-tape-open vaccine. The primary cycle of the first year of life and the two calls are mandatory.
Once the vaccinations provided for the pediatric age is completed, references are recommended every 10 years. In fact, the protection against these diseases does not have a long duration and it is believed that the 10 -year interval is the best one to be able to maintain immunity, in particular as regards the one against tetanus.
DTPA vaccine and adults
The DTPA is one of the few vaccinations provided in the vaccination calendar for the adult population, since the ten -year recall is recommended, especially useful for maintaining protection against tetanic toxin.
For some professional categories, the compulsory anti -ethotanic vaccination is provided (for example, agricultural workers, breeders, urban clearness, etc.), while the antipertosso vaccine (and consequently the DTPA) is recommended for health workers, school operators and the subjects who provide assistance to infants.
Side effects of the DTPA and DTPA trivalent vaccine
The side effects of antitanic vaccination are similar to those reported for other vaccinations. The most frequent ones are pain and swelling at the point where the injection, fever, malaise, headache was carried out.
In small children, the DTPA vaccine can cause prolonged crying crisis (with an incidence around a case for 1,000 doses of vaccine) and feverish convulsions (incidence lower than a case for 10,000 doses). In very rare cases (about a case out of 1 million doses of vaccine) serious allergic reactions may occur.
The DTP vaccine is contraindicated if the subject has previously had serious allergic reactions against the vaccine or one of its components. In addition, vaccination must be postponed in case of acute disease.
Finally, the vaccine against Pertosse (and therefore also the DTPA) is contraindicated in the subjects who have had an encephalopathy in the 7 days following a previous vaccination.
DTPA vaccine in pregnancy
Vaccination against Pertosse is recommended during the third quarter of pregnancy to protect the newborn during the first months of life from a disease that could have high risks. The antibodies produced by the mother after vaccination pass to the fetus through the placenta and remain in the circle in the newborn for at least two months.
To obtain greater effectiveness, the ideal period for vaccination is between the 27th and 32nd week of pregnancy.
The antipertosso vaccine is recommended in all pregnancies, regardless of the time interval that have passed by the previous vaccination. Pertosse protection has, in fact, a very short duration.
Since in Italy the vaccine against single pertussis is not on the market, the dtpa for vaccination is used. This does not involve greater risks, on the contrary protects mothers and newborn even from other diseases.
Available studies do not document an increase in risks for the fetus associated with maternal vaccination and the side effects for the mother are the same that can appear in vaccinated adults. There are no specific contraindications for the vaccine against pertussis in pregnancy, if not those that generally concern the DTPA vaccine (therefore hypersensitivity to the vaccine or its components, acute disease in progress).
