The New Five In One Injection
What Is In The New Injection?
The new injection introduced in 2004 protects your baby against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Hib.
Why Has This Injection Replaced The Old One?
The new DTap/IPV/Hib vaccine has been introduced for several reasons:
- the live polio that used to be taken orally has been changed to an inactivated polio which provides better individual protection.
- it contains a new pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine which is acellular, which means it only contains parts of a cell rather than the whole cell pertussis. This means less side effects such as swelling at site of the injection.
- the new vaccine does not contain thiomersal.
What Is Thiomersal?
Thiomersal is a mercury based preservative.
What If My Baby Has Been Vaccinated With The Old Injection?
Your child will still be fully protected as long as they complete the course. Both the old and new injections are compatible.
What Side Effects Might My Baby Have?
Occasionally your child might have some side effects and these happen normally within the first 24 hours and might include:
- some swelling and redness at the site of the injection
- a small lump may appear under the skin
- slight fever
- maybe some vomiting, diarrhoea
- loss of appetite
When Should My Baby Have This Injection?
Exactly the same schedule as the old vaccine which is at two, three and four months old.
Where Will My Baby Be Injected?
Babies are normally vaccinated in the thigh. As a parent you can ensure that the vaccination is done quickly and effectively by following the instructions of your nurse.
Click on this link to read our related article about the current British Immunization Schedule
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