Infanrix Warnings and Precautions

What Should I Tell My Child's Healthcare Provider?

• A moderate or severe illness
• A brain or nervous system disorder
• An immune-suppressing condition such as HIV or AIDS, diabetes, or cancer
• A bleeding disorder
• Had any sort of a reaction to any vaccine in the past
• Any allergies, including allergies to foods, dyes, or preservatives.
   

Specific Infanrix Warnings and Precautions

• Febrile seizures (seizures associated with high fevers in young children) have been associated with vaccines, probably because vaccines can cause fevers. If your child has a tendency to get febrile seizures, ask your healthcare provider if you should give acetaminophen (Tylenol^®) or ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®) to help avoid this.

You may be advised to give an anti-fever medication like this just before the immunization and for 24 hours afterwards.

• Infanrix does not contain thimerosal (a mercury-containing preservative) or other preservatives. Parents who are concerned about exposing their children to this substance can be confident that this vaccine has no thimerosal -- not even trace amounts.

In addition, some parents are concerned about the aluminum content of vaccines; Infanrix does contain aluminum (0.625 mg or less per dose).

• This vaccine is not made from human fetal components, unlike some vaccines. While it is made using bovine (cow) materials, the bovine materials come from countries that do not have (or are not at high risk for) bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease.
   
• Your child can receive Infanrix if he or she has a mild illness, such as the common cold. However, it is usually best to postpone the vaccine in the case of a moderate or severe illness.
   
• Make sure your child's healthcare provider knows if your child has ever had any serious reaction to any vaccines.
   
• Care must be taken when giving any intramuscular injection (including Infanrix) to individuals with bleeding disorders or who are taking anticoagulant medications ("blood thinners"). In some cases, your child's healthcare provider may decide that the risk of the injection is not worth the benefit.
   
• If your child has an immune-suppressing condition, this vaccine may not be as effective as usual.
   
• Infanrix prefilled syringes contain latex. If your child has a latex allergy, make sure the healthcare provider uses the vaccine from a vial (not the prefilled syringes), since the vials do not contain latex.
   
• Infanrix is considered a pregnancy Category C medication. This means it is unknown if it is safe for use during pregnancy. However, this is a childhood vaccine and should not be given to pregnant women.
   
• At this time, it is unknown if the vaccine passes through breast milk. However, this is a childhood vaccine and should not be given to breastfeeding women.