Don’t be late for the second one
Leonid Leonidovich, is it necessary to do the second part of the vaccine exactly after 21 days?
Leonid Dyakov: Dividing vaccination into two stages is a critically important point. Revaccination is part of a single procedure; it is associated with the characteristics of the immune system response. And, of course, it is better to administer it within the specified time frame so that there is a sufficient antibody titer and the vaccination is not wasted. However, plus or minus one or two days does not matter.
What happens if you don’t take the second part of the vaccine?
Leonid Dyakov : To complete the vaccination procedure, you need to put both parts, otherwise there is no point in getting vaccinated at all. First, a person receives an intramuscular dose of one viral vector, and three weeks later - another. This two-phase system is called “prime boost”. The first vector triggers the immune response, and the second develops and enhances it.
What do you need to know before getting vaccinated?
Influenza vaccination should be taken with due care. The main responsibility falls on parents, who need to familiarize themselves with the main types of vaccines, their composition and reviews. The main rule of the procedure is that the baby must be healthy. Therefore, some experts recommend not taking your baby to a children’s group for 4–5 days and avoid visiting crowded places or events. This will help reduce the risk of contracting colds.
Before getting a flu shot, your child should be examined by a pediatrician:
- You should first take blood and urine tests to determine the level of basic indicators. If hemoglobin is low or leukocytes are high, it is better to refuse the procedure.
- The pediatrician examines the throat and listens to the child’s lungs. Sometimes the disease develops without fever or pain, but the doctor notices an inflamed larynx and swollen tonsils.
- If there is a history of chronic pathologies, it is necessary to additionally show the baby to a specialized doctor. He will help you choose a vaccine that will not have a negative effect on the body or cause complications.
After vaccination, you should stay in the clinic for 30–40 minutes. If a severe allergic reaction or angioedema occurs, the child will receive immediate help. At home, it is necessary to carefully monitor the baby, ensure quiet rest and a light menu. Short walks in the fresh air without outdoor games and jogging are allowed.
If a child has an allergy to chicken protein, it is necessary to select a vaccine with safer components. 3 days before vaccination, you should give a daily dose of an antihistamine: Fenistil, Suprastin, Telfast. Prevention continues for at least 3 days after vaccination. This helps to avoid unpleasant manifestations and consequences.
What is the power of immunity
New vaccines are now appearing. Is it possible to be vaccinated with another coronavirus vaccine a year after vaccination?
Leonid Dyakov : There is no problem. You can be vaccinated with another vaccine from another manufacturer. They differ only in their different reactions to the vaccine and its components.
Many people are frightened by this reaction. If, after vaccination, for example, a person has a fever, does this mean that his immunity will be stronger, unlike someone whose body did not react at all?
Leonid Dyakov : Temperature reaction is one of the mechanisms to fight infection. For some this mechanism works better, for others it works worse. The reaction that is necessary after vaccination is the production of antibodies. It is not always accompanied by an increase in temperature.
So, if symptoms appear, as with the flu and ARVI, do not worry. This means that the body found an imitation of the infection and began to develop protection for which it takes the drug. Other vaccines, not just coronavirus, also cause flu-like effects.
What if a person does not experience side effects?
Leonid Dyakov : This is also normal. The absence of flu-like symptoms does not mean that the vaccine did not work.
The effectiveness of the drug does not depend on how violently the body reacts to its administration. The body's reaction is always individual. It is determined by many factors: age, the state of the immune system and the general health of the body. And also whether the body has previously encountered other coronaviruses. Usually, young and strong people react sharply to vaccination, because their body has more strength to fight a “false” infection.
Complications after influenza vaccination in children
Doctors call complications that are not typical for the body’s normal response to influenza vaccination a sharp deterioration in the well-being of a child or adult. They have more severe symptoms and often require medical attention. These include:
- temperature rise above 38.5–39°;
- convulsions;
- blood pressure surges;
- arrhythmia;
- enlarged lymph nodes on the head or in the armpits;
- vomit;
- stomach pain;
- aching sensation in the bones.
The most dangerous complication after the flu vaccine is angioedema. It develops over several hours and is the consequence of an allergic reaction to the components of the drug. The child experiences swelling of the face and neck, complains of suffocation, and begins to cry from fear. If there is insufficient oxygen supply, he may lose consciousness, convulsions occur, and the skin turns pale.
Long-term statistics and observations of mass influenza vaccination have shown that the development of adverse complications and consequences after influenza vaccination in children in the first hours after the procedure is associated with certain factors:
- an expired drug was used
- the child was already infected with ARVI;
- there is a congenital allergy to proteins;
- the vaccine was not stored properly.
You must notify your doctor if any complications occur.
You must notify your doctor if any complications occur. In some cases, the problem disappears after taking antihistamines. Quincke's edema requires hospitalization and round-the-clock monitoring by specialists. If you react to chicken protein, which serves as the basis for most anti-influenza formulations, it is then necessary to select special vaccines for allergy sufferers.
Should cancer patients get the vaccine?
“An official message has appeared from the developers of the Gamaleya Center and our chief oncologist Andrei Viktorovich Kaprin, director of the Radiological Scientific and Medical Research Center named after. Herzen, where it is planned to conduct a scientific study on a group of volunteers of 250 cancer patients. This study will be conducted over 6-7 months. Now the design of this study has already been drawn up, it will soon be approved by the Ministry of Health. After the study is completed we will receive recommendations. They will be added to the instructions for the drug. Therefore, I would recommend that all cancer patients, regardless of whether they are in remission (long or short), refrain from taking it for now. Otherwise, this is a certain risk. The developer has now added to the instructions that there is a risk for patients with cancer. Because this issue has not yet been studied. We are waiting for the beginning and end of scientific research.”
Rumors about the development of cancer due to the vaccine have not been confirmed, but those who are currently fighting cancer are not advised to get the vaccine. In about six months, it will become known how the medicine affects treatment - they promise to immediately publish this information on the website of the Regional Oncology Center.
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State institution "Minsk City Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology"
Pandemic influenza vaccinations: questions and answers
People remain concerned about the upcoming rise in the incidence of ARVI and influenza, as well as the problem of pandemic (so-called “swine”) flu. Vaccination against pandemic influenza of certain populations (medical workers, public utility specialists, transport, energy workers, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations and others) has been completed. Currently, it is possible for people who do not belong to the above groups to protect themselves from pandemic influenza.
Irina Glinskaya, head of the immunoprophylaxis department of the Minsk City Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, answers questions regarding vaccination against pandemic influenza, which are most often asked by Minsk residents over the phone.
How many vaccines against influenza A/H1N1 have already been created in the world? What is their difference?
Currently, more than 10 types of vaccines are used in the world that prevent highly pathogenic influenza A/H1N1. The ministries of health of various countries have registered and approved for vaccination both live and killed (inactivated) vaccines.
Unlike seasonal vaccines, which contain three variants of influenza viruses (two variants of A viruses and one variant of B virus), pandemic vaccines contain only one variant of the virus - a special vaccine variant of highly pathogenic influenza A/H1N1.
Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) reviewed the available results of the effectiveness (the ability to provide protection against a disease in a vaccinated person) and safety (the ability to cause deviations in the health of a vaccinated person) of vaccines: the assessment showed their effectiveness and safety. There have been no reports of unusual post-vaccination reactions or complications.
What vaccine is currently offered for vaccination in clinics?
Currently, the city’s clinics have the “MonoGrippol Plus” vaccine (manufacturing country: Russia).
This is an inactivated subunit vaccine. In our country, analogs of “MonoGrippol Plus” have been used for several years now: seasonal influenza vaccines “Grippol” (country-(manufacturing country: the Netherlands).
This is the latest generation of influenza vaccines, which contain only individual surface antigens of the influenza virus. In this regard, the administration of subunit vaccines, as a rule, is not accompanied by any post-vaccination reactions (even in people with chronic pathology).
Does this vaccine only protect against the pandemic A/H1N1 virus?
Yes. Although a number of researchers note that the flu vaccine helps the body fight any respiratory viruses by stimulating nonspecific immunity.
How many vaccinations do you need to get to protect against the disease?
The MonoGrippol Plus vaccine can be administered to children over 3 years of age, adolescents and adults. This age limit is due to the fact that the effectiveness of this vaccine has not been studied in children under 3 years of age.
Children aged 3 to 7 years need two doses of the vaccine with an interval of 21 days to form protection against the disease. For children over 7 years of age, adolescents and adults, a single dose of the vaccine is sufficient. And within 10-14 days, 95 people out of 100 vaccinated will be reliably protected from the disease and its complications.
How is this vaccine administered?
The vaccine is packaged in individual syringe doses and is administered as an injection. This modern form allows for precise dosing of the vaccine and increases the safety of its administration. A small needle makes the injection almost painless.
In addition to influenza virus antigens, what is included in the MonoGrippol Plus vaccine?
The vaccine does not contain preservatives. In order to enhance the effectiveness of the vaccine, it contains an immunomodulator - polyoxidonium, which increases the body's resistance to other respiratory diseases.
What contraindications are there for this vaccination?
Vaccination with this vaccine is not given if the patient has had a history of immediate severe allergic reactions to chicken protein.
Vaccination is temporarily postponed if the patient has symptoms of an acute or exacerbation of a chronic disease.
How long after ARVI can such a vaccination be given?
This depends on the severity of the infection. If a person has had a severe respiratory disease, then vaccination can be carried out no earlier than 4 weeks after recovery. If it was a moderate disease, then vaccination can be carried out after 2-3 weeks. And after a mild infection, the vaccine can be done immediately after recovery.
Before any vaccination (including against influenza), the patient must be examined by a doctor. Based on the results of this examination, the doctor decides on the possibility of vaccination at this time.
How long after getting vaccinated against seasonal flu can you get vaccinated against pandemic flu?
The MonoGrippol Plus vaccine can be administered at any time after the administration of the seasonal influenza vaccine.
What reactions may occur after the administration of MonoGrippol Plus?
This vaccine is a highly purified drug and, as I already noted, is well tolerated.
Some patients experience local reactions (soreness, swelling and redness of the skin at the site of vaccine administration) or general reactions (malaise, headache, fever). These reactions are not significantly expressed, go away on their own within 1-2 days after vaccination and do not disturb the general condition of the body.
Who is recommended to get vaccinated first?
Vaccination against pandemic influenza is currently recommended for those people who have any chronic diseases (especially the endocrine, respiratory and cardiovascular systems).
In order to protect young children from the disease, it is advisable to vaccinate against pandemic influenza to adults in the immediate environment (parents, grandparents, older brothers or sisters).
In order to protect against influenza caused by the pandemic (highly pathogenic A/H1N1) influenza virus and preserve the overall performance of the team, it is advisable to vaccinate employees of enterprises (institutions, organizations) against pandemic influenza.
Where can I get vaccinated with the MonoGrippol Plus vaccine in Minsk?
Vaccination of adults using the MonoGrippol Plus vaccine is carried out on a paid basis (the cost of vaccination is approximately 30 thousand rubles) in all adult clinics in the city. Children can receive these vaccinations at children's clinics No. 10 (24 Shishkin St., tel. 341-46-06), No. 20 (29 Olshevskogo St., tel. 204-72-25) and the city vaccination center based on the children's infectious diseases clinic hospitals (53 Yakubovsky St., tel. 258-76-12).
