Before Receiving This Vaccine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of receiving the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to thimerosal, formaldehyde, gelatin, or rodent protein or brain products. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Studies on effects in pregnancy have not been done in either humans or animals.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether this vaccine passes into breast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are receiving this vaccine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor.

Children—Studies on this vaccine have been done only in adults and children 1 year of age and older. There is no specific information comparing use of this vaccine in infants under 1 year of age with use in other age groups.

Older adults—Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine in the elderly with use in other age groups, this vaccine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults. In addition, immunization may be especially useful for the elderly, since older persons may have a higher risk of illness following infection with the Japanese encephalitis virus.

Other medical problems—The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this vaccine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Hives (history of)—May increase the chance of side effects of the vaccine