It's no secret that many infectious diseases do not occur without serious complications. To protect children's bodies from adverse effects, experts recommend vaccinating children whose immune systems have not yet become stronger.
Such vaccinations do not guarantee complete protection from the disease, but significantly reduce the severity of their course. One such drug is Prevenar 13.
Despite the positive results that the drug gives, many parents doubt the use of such a medication, since it can provoke quite serious negative reactions, for example, fever.
However, before deciding to refuse the vaccine, you need to understand what kind of drug it is, why fever occurs after Prevenar vaccination, how dangerous it can be for the body and whether there are ways to alleviate the condition.
What is the vaccine
Prevenar is a new generation medicine used to combat streptococcal infections that can cause complications as a result of the development of various pathological processes.
The serum allows the child’s body to produce immune cells against pneumococcus, which can lead to pneumonia. Not only young patients, but also adults are susceptible to the disease.
The drug is available in the form of a pneumococcal, adsorbed, polysaccharide vaccine solution. Manufacturer: Pfizer. It is due to its specific composition that the drug minimizes the progression of the virus.
After the vaccine, the child’s body begins to produce antibodies to pathogenic bacteria, which allows him to be maximally protected from infection by the virus and the development of inflammation.
The effectiveness of the drug is quite high .
Vaccination is not mandatory and is used only with the consent of the baby’s parents. Prevenar is administered intramuscularly.
Vaccination is indicated in the following cases:
- prematurity;
- predisposition to pathologies of the heart muscle and respiratory system;
- HIV infection;
- allergic reactions.
The vaccine is administered to a child between the ages of two months and 5 years.
Among the main contraindications to vaccination are:
- existing acute infectious pathologies;
- age up to 2 months or older than five years;
- presence of acute chronic disease.
Due to the individuality of each child’s body, a reaction to Prevenar may be in the form of the following side effects:
- hyperemia at the injection site;
- temperature increase;
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- pain in the lower limb where the injection was given;
- nausea and vomiting.
You cannot use the drug on your own . It can only be prescribed by the attending physician for medical reasons. After vaccination, the child must remain under the supervision of a specialist for some time, which will allow monitoring the body’s reaction to the serum.
Prevenar: instructions, side effects, reviews
Pneumococcal and streptococcal infections, when the body's immune defense is reduced, can provoke the emergence of complex pathological processes that can lead to irreversible consequences. These organisms pose the main danger to young children.
Microorganisms can provoke the appearance of pulmonary pneumonia, obstructive bronchitis and pulmonary edema. Timely vaccination of the child’s body will help to avoid the occurrence of such processes. To date, several vaccine options have been developed that allow one to develop immunity against bacteria of the genus pneumococcus and streptococcus.
The vaccine Prevenar 13 is especially popular. These drugs have been well studied in laboratory conditions. As a result of this, they have won the highest expert scores, which proves their effectiveness in relation to the human body.
The vaccine Prevenar 13 is especially popular. These drugs have been well studied in laboratory conditions. As a result of this, they have won the highest expert scores, which proves their effectiveness in relation to the human body.
Contraindications
Like any vaccine, Prevenar has contraindications for use.
These include:
- Hypersensitivity to the drug identified during the previous administration;
- The presence of any acute diseases;
- Hypersensitivity to diphtheria toxoid.
It is also undesirable to give the vaccine to adults, nursing and pregnant patients, and children with congenital infections.
In any case, before vaccination, you should consult a pediatrician and (if there are infections) a pediatric infectious disease specialist.
Administration of the drug in the presence of contraindications is strictly prohibited, because this may lead to the development of undesirable consequences.
Like any vaccine, Prevenar has contraindications for use.
From indications to use. From theory to practice
The pneumococcal vaccine Prevenar is given to children no older than 5 years, but not younger than 2 months..
The instructions for using the Prevenar vaccine are quite simple. The injection is given intramuscularly.
If the child is under 2 years old, then in the anterolateral part of the thigh; older - into the deltoid muscle.
The course of vaccination depends on age and the time when the first vaccination was given.
- If the vaccination is done at 2 months, then this operation is performed only three times with an interval of 1 to 2 months. At the age of 12–15 months, revaccination takes place.
- For children from 7 to 11 months, the course consists of two procedures with a minimum break of 30 days and revaccination after a year.
- Children from 12 to 23 months also undergo a course of two procedures, but revaccination is no longer carried out.
- The fewest procedures are performed on children aged 2 years and older. For them, the drug is administered once.
But what cannot be changed either with age or with a period of breaks is the period of development of immunity. The post-vaccination period lasts 7 days. At this time, it is better not to go to kindergarten and protect the child’s health.
After vaccination with Prevenar, immunity to pneumococcal infections is developed within 30 days . Therefore, it is better to vaccinate in the summer, 1-1.5 months before the start of the school year.
If you provide proper care for the vaccination site, follow the rules and prepare the child for vaccination, problems should not arise.
How to prepare your baby for vaccination?
No preparation for vaccination is required. Usually, before administering the vaccine, the doctor examines the child and takes the temperature. If no abnormalities are found, the baby is vaccinated.
However, some pediatricians recommend taking a blood test before vaccination to make sure that there are no hidden inflammatory processes in the child's body.
Since Prevenar 13 can cause allergies, children with allergies are advised to prepare more thoroughly - start taking antihistamines three days before the procedure and continue to take them for the same amount of time after it. Any vaccination can cause an inadequate reaction from the body. The Prevenar 13 vaccination is no exception. At the same time, pediatricians note that in most cases, vaccination is well tolerated. However, it is worth finding out what the side effects of Prevenar 13 may be, as well as possible complications.
Can there be a fever after the vaccine?
It is not possible to understand in advance what the child’s body’s reaction to vaccination will be.
This will be influenced by factors such as:
- quality of vaccine purification;
- compliance with the storage conditions of Prevenar;
- general condition of the child during the vaccination period.
After being vaccinated, a natural reaction in the form of an increase in body temperature appears after just a few hours.
The physiological reaction can be divided into 3 degrees of severity:
- mild - the child feels slightly unwell, the temperature rises to 37 degrees Celsius;
- average – general health worsens, which is accompanied by a higher temperature of up to 38 degrees Celsius;
- severe hyperthermia - a violation occurs in vital internal organs, temperature 39 degrees Celsius and above.
In some cases, there is a lack of temperature reaction to the Prevenar injection. This is explained by the individual characteristics of the child’s body, which does not in any way affect the quality of protection against pneumococcus.
How many days does the fever last after Prevenar vaccination?
How long a child’s fever will persist after administration of the Prevenar vaccine depends on the individual characteristics of the child’s body.
During the physiological course of the vaccination period, a typical temperature curve looks like this:
- severe hyperthermia is usually observed only on the first day;
- during the second day the temperature remains at normal levels, rising in the evening to subfebrile levels of 37.5-37.7 ° C;
- on the third day and beyond, body temperature stabilizes and remains at a physiological level.
This graph of temperature indicators characterizes the formation of the body’s classical immune response.
How exactly does Prevenar cause fever?
The main task of vaccination with the drug is to develop immune protection in the body against infectious pathogens.
After pathogenic bacteria penetrate inside after injection, aggression and struggle occurs aimed at destroying the virus. The child seems to be starting to get sick, but the illness is milder, which allows for a stable immune response to pathogens.
At the time when specific immune bodies are formed, substances (cytokines, prostaglandins and others) begin to enter the blood, helping to reduce heat transfer. This is how immunity is formed and infectious processes are eliminated.
What is the norm
The body can respond to a vaccine in completely different ways. However, not every one of them is abnormal and can cause danger .
For example, if after the administration of Prevenar a baby’s temperature rises a few hours later, then this is considered a completely normal reaction.
This condition is explained by the natural reaction of the immune system to the administered agent, which contains several harmless pathogens or their elements.
It is necessary to ensure that the child’s body reacts correctly, which is important for the formation of the immune system and the consequences that may arise later after vaccination.
According to numerous observations, children's temperature lasts no more than one day, after which it returns to normal. With this process, experts do not recommend taking any action to reduce it.
It is only important to provide the baby with comfortable conditions that do not allow overheating and excessive sweating, which can provoke a deterioration in well-being and the development of complications.
Contraindications
Only a doctor can decide whether Prevenar is suitable for a child to be vaccinated
Prevenar vaccination is contraindicated if there is a history of an allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine, as well as in the following cases:
- Hypersensitivity reactions to previous administration of Prevenar drugs (including anaphylactic shock, severe generalized allergic reactions);
- Hypersensitivity to diphtheria toxoid and/or excipients;
- Acute infectious or non-infectious diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases (vaccination is carried out after recovery or during remission).
- If an acute or exacerbation of a chronic disease occurs, the child receives a deferment until complete recovery or a period of remission. The pediatrician determines the required duration of delay from vaccinations, guided primarily by the risk of complications. In most cases, the delay is about 1 month. In case of meningococcal meningitis and other severe diseases of the nervous system, vaccinations are postponed for a longer period - up to six months from the onset of the disease.
- The main contraindications to vaccination, which provide grounds for medical withdrawal from vaccinations, are strong reactions and post-vaccination complications after the administration of the previous dose of the vaccine. A strong reaction is understood as an increase in body temperature above 40 °C with the occurrence of swelling and redness at the site of vaccine administration over 8 cm in diameter, severe allergic reactions, anaphylactic shock, the development of infectious diseases and damage to individual body systems.
Abnormal reaction
The response to the vaccine is considered abnormal when the high temperature does not return to normal for several days, even after taking antipyretics.
In addition, it is observed:
- dryness and pallor of the skin;
- allergic rashes;
- fainting conditions;
- convulsions.
Such reactions indicate incorrect action of Prevenar, which means contacting a qualified specialist.
The process of inflammation at the injection site can also be dangerous.
How to lower the temperature and is it possible to do this?
If a hyperthermic vaccine reaction is not observed at temperatures up to 38 degrees Celsius, then lowering the temperature is not recommended. When the mercury reaches more than 37.5 Celsius, then young patients up to a year are given antipyretics.
When health worsens, older children are allowed antipyretic drugs.
Physical methods of temperature normalization
To increase the effectiveness of medications, you must adhere to the following rules:
- provide the room where the child is located with optimal temperature (within 17-19 degrees Celsius) and air humidity (50-77%);
- regularly ventilate the room;
- wear non-squeezing clothing made of lightweight fabrics;
- ensure complete peace;
- do not overfeed;
- monitor your drinking regime.
Only following the listed recommendations will help alleviate the condition of the little patient.
Medications
Depending on how much the temperature has risen, the tactics for using antipyretics will depend:
- if low-grade fever is observed, then use long-acting antipyretic suppositories (Nurofen, Viferon);
- for hyperthermia of 38 degrees Celsius and above, they give drugs in the form of syrup, which contain paracetamol;
- at values from 38.5 degrees Celsius, the combined use of a suppository and suspension is required.
Before using the antipyretic syrup, it is recommended to carefully study the attached instructions, which will help prevent an overdose.
Expert opinion
Nikolaeva Elena Sergeevna
Practicing pediatrician.
Ask a Question
With the severity of hyperthermia, which does not stop within four hours, the risk of developing convulsions and seizures increases, which is dangerous not only for the health, but also for the life of the baby. In such situations, you need to urgently call an ambulance.
What is prohibited
If the temperature reduction tactics are chosen incorrectly, this can lead to even more serious consequences.
Strictly contraindicated:
- give the child aspirin;
- do vinegar and alcohol rubdowns;
- take warm baths, wet wraps.
Also, doctors do not advise giving food when it is not necessary.
