New Vaccine Bundles Four Types into One Shot
Parents and children may breathe a sigh of relief with the introduction of a new single shot vaccine that protects kids against measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox.
This could mean one less shot and one less physician visit, advocates say.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the vaccine, called Proquad®, manufactured by Merck.
The vaccine - a combination of the company's measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR II®) vaccine and its chickenpox vaccine - is designed for children from 12 months to 12 years of age.
Proquad is the first and only vaccine approved in the US to help protect against these four diseases in a single shot, according to Merck.
It is also approved for use in children 12 months to 12 years of age if a second dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is to be given.
The approval of this new vaccination combination came after it was tested in over 5,000 children, the drug company said in a statement.
"The advantage of putting two vaccines together has been recognized by medical authorities," says Dr. Henry Shinefield, a clinical professor of pediatrics and dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and a consultant to Merck.
"There is an obvious advantage to the children," Dr. Shinefield remarks. "They only get one shot."
In addition, there are advantages to physicians, who can limit the number of different vaccines they have on hand, he says.
Dr. Shinefield also says there is an advantage to the community. Having to get only one shot instead of two may mean that more children get vaccinated, he notes. "The community benefits by having less disease," he explains.
"Based on the public health benefits realized following the introduction of other combination vaccines, such as MMR II, we expect Proquad to become a primary option for prevention of measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox," says Dr. Mark Feinberg, vice president of policy, public health, and medical affairs in Merck's Vaccine Division.
Proquad can help reduce the gap that exists in the US between vaccination rates for chickenpox, which were an estimated 87.5 percent in 2004, and rates for measles, mumps and rubella, which were an estimated 93 percent in 2004, Dr. Feinberg says.
"The main goal for any vaccine is to help eliminate disease, and this is possible when very high vaccination rates are achieved in the community," he notes.
In terms of potential side effects, Dr. Shinefield does not see any more danger than there is with the current two vaccines.
The most common side effects noted were soreness at the injection site, rash, and fever.
"It is important that children and parents be made aware of every side effect," he says. "The side effects with this vaccine are inline with what we see with other vaccines."
One critic of vaccines is cautious about the use of this new vaccine.
"The FDA should have required far larger studies," says Barbara Loe Fisher, the co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center. "You are combining five live viruses into one vaccine, which has never been done before."
Fisher notes that there are still unanswered questions about some of these vaccines and the likelihood of having long-term adverse effects on children.
As far as Proquad is concerned, Fisher says it has not been truly tested, because it has only been tested against other vaccines and not against a placebo [inactive substance]. "With a new vaccine like this, you should be comparing it against placebo to find out the true adverse reaction rate."
Always consult your child's physician for more information.
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American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Pediatrics on Vaccines
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
National Children's Study
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
US Health and Human Services (HHS)
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies passed on from their mothers.
However, this immunity only lasts a year or less.
Further, most young children do not have maternal immunity from whooping cough, polio, hepatitis B, or Haemophilus influenzae type b.
Immunizing individual children also helps to protect the health of the community.
Persons who cannot be vaccinated will be less likely to be exposed to disease germs that can be passed around by unvaccinated children.
Immunization also prevents disease outbreaks.
If a child is not vaccinated and is exposed to a disease germ, the child’s body may not be strong enough to fight the disease.
Before vaccines, many children died of diseases vaccines prevent, like whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those germs still exist today, but children are now protected by vaccines and so these diseases are not seen as often.
Most vaccine-preventable diseases are caused by germs that are called “viruses” or “bacteria.”
Vaccines to help prevent these diseases generally contain weakened or killed viruses or bacteria specific to the disease.
Vaccines help the body recognize and fight these germs and protect a person each time he or she comes in contact with someone who is sick with any of these diseases.
The CDC states the series of steps that the body goes through in fighting these diseases:
First - a vaccine is given by a shot (influenza vaccine may be given by a nasal spray).
Next - over the next few weeks the body makes antibodies and memory cells against the weakened or dead germs in the vaccine.
Then - the antibodies can fight the real disease germs if the person is exposed to the germs and they invade the body. The antibodies will help destroy the germs and the person will not become ill.
Finally - antibodies and memory cells stay on guard in the body for years after the vaccination to safeguard it from the real disease germs.
Most vaccines are given to babies and young children, but some are needed throughout a person's lifetime to make sure he or she stays protected. This protection is called immunity. Vaccines are an important and safe way to keep persons healthy.
Always consult your child's physician for more information.
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