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Immunization has saved more lives in Canada in the last 50 years than any other health measure.
The DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccine protects against five diseases:
The vaccine is approved by Health Canada and is provided free as part of your child’s routine immunizations. Call your public health nurse or doctor to make an appointment.
Children between 2 and 59 months of age (under 5 years) should receive the vaccine.
| DTaP-IPV-Hib Vaccine | Child's Age at Vaccination |
| 1st dose | 2 months |
| 2nd dose | 4 months |
| 3rd dose | 6 months |
| 4th dose | 18 months |
For infants, the vaccine is given as a series of four doses or shots. The first dose is given at 2 months of age, the second at 4 months, the third at 6 months and the fourth at 18 months of age.
It is important to keep a record of all immunizations received.
The DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccine is the best way to protect your child against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type b, which are serious and sometimes fatal diseases. When you get your child vaccinated, you help protect others as well.
Vaccines are very safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get sick from one of these diseases.
Common reactions to the vaccine may include soreness, redness and swelling where the shot was given. Some may have a fever, or experience crankiness, drowsiness, or a loss of appetite. These reactions are mild and generally last 1 to 2 days.
| Acetaminophen or Tylenol® can be given for fever or soreness. ASA or Aspirin® should NOT be given to anyone under 20 years of age due to the risk of Reye Syndrome. |
It is important to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after getting any vaccine because there is an extremely rare possibility of a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This may include hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, tongue or lips. If this happens after you leave the clinic, call 911 or the local emergency number. This reaction can be treated, and occurs in less than one in a million people who get the vaccine.
Report serious or unexpected reactions to your public health nurse or doctor.
Speak with a public health nurse or doctor if your child has had a life-threatening reaction to a previous dose of diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, or Hib vaccine, or any component of the vaccine, including neomycin or polymyxin B. The vaccine is not given to people 5 years of age and older.
People who developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) within 8 weeks of getting tetanus vaccine should not get the DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccine. GBS is a rare condition that can result in weakness and paralysis of the body's muscles.
Diphtheria is a serious infection of the nose and throat. About 1 in 10 people who get diphtheria will die. The germ (bacteria) is spread through the air from person to person. The disease can result in very severe breathing problems. It can also cause heart failure and paralysis.
Pertussis, or “whooping cough”, is a serious infection of the lungs and throat. About 1 in 200 people who get pertussis will die. Pertussis can cause pneumonia, convulsions, brain damage or death. These complications are seen most often in infants. The germ (bacteria) is easily spread by coughing, sneezing or close face-to-face contact. Pertussis can cause severe coughing that often ends with a whooping sound before the next breath. This cough can last several months and occurs more often at night.
Tetanus, also called “lockjaw”, is caused by a germ (bacteria) mostly found in the soil. When the bacteria enter the skin through a cut or scrape, they produce a poison that can cause painful tightening of muscles all over the body. It is very serious if the breathing muscles are affected. Up to 2 in 10 people who get tetanus will die.
Polio is a disease caused by infection with a virus. While some polio infections show no symptoms, others can result in paralysis of arms or legs and even death. Polio can be spread by contact with the bowel movements (stool) of an infected person. This can happen from eating food or drinking water contaminated with stool.
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a germ (bacteria) that most commonly infects children under 5 years old. It can cause serious and life-threatening infections including meningitis, an infection of the lining that covers the brain, and septicemia, an infection of the blood. For every 20 children who get sick, one will die. Hib infection is spread by coughing, sneezing or close face-to-face contact.
Four of these diseases are now rare in BC because of routine childhood vaccination programs. Whooping cough still occurs but is far less common than it used to be, and in immunized people is much milder.
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