ActHIB

Generic name: Haemophilus B Conjugate (PRP-T) Vaccine
Drug class: Bacterial vaccines

Usage of ActHIB

Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) is a bacteria that can cause serious illness, including breathing problems or meningitis. Hib infection usually affects children and can be fatal.

ActHIB is used to prevent this disease in children, and is sometimes combined with vaccines to protect against other diseases.

ActHIB is given to children between the ages of 2 months to 5 years old. Hiberix is given to children between the ages of 6 weeks to 4 years (prior to fifth birthday).

The vaccine works by exposing your child to a small amount of the bacteria or a protein from the bacteria, which causes the body to develop immunity to the disease. This vaccine will not treat an active infection that has already developed in the body, and will not protect against other types of influenza.

Like any vaccine, haemophilus B conjugate vaccine may not provide protection from disease in every person.

ActHIB side effects

Get emergency medical help if your child has signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Keep track of any and all side effects your child has after receiving this vaccine. When the child receives a booster dose, you will need to tell the doctor if the previous shot caused any side effects.

Call your doctor at once if your child has:

a seizure;

fussiness, irritability, crying for an hour or longer; or

high fever (within a few hours or a few days after the vaccine).

Common side effects of ActHIB may include:

fever;

fussiness, irritability, crying;

drowsiness;

loss of appetite; or

pain, swelling, or redness where the shot was given.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report vaccine side effects to the US Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-822-7967.

Before taking ActHIB

Your child should not receive this vaccine if he or she has ever had an allergic reaction to a haemophilus B, tetanus, or meningococcal vaccine.

If your child has any of these other conditions, this vaccine may need to be postponed or not given at all:

severe immune suppression caused by disease (such as cancer, HIV, or AIDS), or by receiving certain medicines such as steroids, chemotherapy or radiation; or

a history of seizures.

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How to use ActHIB

This vaccine is injected into a muscle. Your child will receive this injection in a doctor's office or clinic setting.

This vaccine is given in a series of shots. The first shot is usually given when the child is 2 months old. The other shots are then given at 4 months and 6 months of age. The booster shot is given at 15 to 18 months of age. The first shot may be given as early as 6 weeks of age.

Your child's individual booster schedule may be different from these guidelines, especially if the child does not start this series of shots before 7 months of age. Follow your doctor's instructions or the schedule recommended by the health department of the state you live in.

Your doctor may recommend treating fever and pain with an aspirin free pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, and others) when the shot is given and for the next 24 hours. Follow the label directions or your doctor's instructions about how much of ActHIB to give your child.

It is especially important to prevent fever from occurring in a child who has a seizure disorder such as epilepsy.

Warnings

Tell your doctor if your child uses other medicines or have other medical conditions or allergies.

What other drugs will affect ActHIB

Before receiving this vaccine, tell the vaccination provider about all other vaccines your child has received.

Also, tell the vaccination provider if your child has recently received drugs or treatments that can weaken the immune system, including:

steroid medicine;

cancer treatments;

medicine to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders; or

medicines to treat or prevent organ transplant rejection.

If your child is using any of these medications, he or she may not be able to receive the vaccine, or may need to wait until the other treatments are finished.

This list is not complete. Other drugs may affect this vaccine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.