REVAXIS^®

Available from October 2004, for children aged 14-15 years and adults when travelling.

Abbreviated vaccine composition: dT/IPV (low-dose Diphtheria and Tetanus; inactivated Polio).

Contains:

• Purified Diphtheria toxoid (2 I.U.)
• Purified Tetanus toxoid (20 I.U.)
• Inactivated Polio virus, types 1/2/3 (40, 8 and 32 Dantigen units respectively)
• Aluminium hydroxide
• 2-phenoxyethanol (phenol) - a preservative
• Medium 199 (amino acids, mineral salts, vitamins, polysorbate 80)
• Neomycin, streptomycin and polymyxin B - antibiotics
• Formaldehyde
• Polio viruses are propagated on Vero (African green monkey kidney) cells

Undesirable effects (as reported by Dept of Health and Aventis Pasteur^®):

• Local injection site reactions - pain, redness, hardness & swelling
• Lymphadenopathy, vertigo, nausea & vomiting
• Fever; malaise
• Myalgia; arthralgia (joint pains); headache
• Flu-like symptoms
• Allergic/anaphylactic reactions
• Urticaria, rash, facial oedema
• Guillain-Barré syndrome has been reported after vaccination containing tetanus toxoid
• Side effects of the vaccine include adverse reactions to all components

References:

• Immunisation Against Infectious Disease ("The Green Book") — Dept of Health (2004)
• Entry for Aventis Pasteur^® on http://emc.medicines.org.uk/ (Sept 2004)