Category

• Immunizing agent, active

Description

Diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis (dif-THEER-ee-a and TET-niss and per-TUSS-is) vaccine (also known as DTP vaccine) combined with hepatitis B and poliovirus (hep-uh-TI-tis B and PO-lee-o-vi-rus) vaccine (also known as HepB and IPV) is a combination immunizing agent used to prevent illness caused by diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and poliovirus. The vaccine works by causing the body to produce its own protection (antibodies) against these diseases.

This vaccine combines five agents into one vaccine. In order to complete the series, you must get three injections of this vaccine at separate intervals. Because there are many different diseases you will need to be vaccinated against, be sure to follow your doctor's directions about your vaccination schedule.

Diphtheria is a serious illness that can cause breathing difficulties, heart problems, nerve damage, pneumonia, and possibly death. The risk of serious complications is greater in very young children and the elderly.

Tetanus (also known as lockjaw) is a very serious illness that causes seizures and severe muscle spasms that can be strong enough to cause bone fractures of the spine. The disease continues to occur almost exclusively among people who do not get vaccinated or do not have enough protection from previous vaccines.

Pertussis (also known as whooping cough) is a serious disease that causes severe spells of coughing that can interfere with breathing. Pertussis can also cause pneumonia, long lasting bronchitis, seizures, brain damage, and death.

Hepatitis B infection is a major cause of serious liver diseases including liver cancer. You get hepatitis B by being exposed to someone else's body fluids. Pregnant women can also give hepatitis B to their unborn child. People who have the virus can give it to others without them knowing it.

Polio is a very serious infection that causes paralysis of the muscles, including the muscles that enable you to walk and breathe. A polio infection may leave a person unable to breathe without the help of a breathing machine. It may also leave a person unable to walk without leg braces or being confined to a wheelchair. There is no cure for polio.

This vaccine is available in the following dosage form:

Parenteral
• Injection (U.S. only)

Brand Names

Some commonly used brand names are:

In the U.S.—

• Pediarix

Another commonly used name is DTaP-HepB-IPV

† Not commercially available in Canada.