Pharmaceutical Vaccine

The vaccine is a mixture of three live attenuated viruses, administered via injection. The shot is generally administered to children around the age of one year, with a second dose before starting school (i.e. age 4/5). The second dose is a dose to produce immunity in the small number of persons (2–5%) who fail to develop measles immunity after the first dose. In the United States, the vaccine was licensed in 1971 and the second dose was introduced in 1989. It is widely used around the world; since introduction of its earliest versions in the 1970s, over 500 million doses have been used in over 60 countries. As with all vaccinations, long-term effects and efficacy are subject to continuing study. The vaccine is sold by Merck as M-M-R II, Glaxo SmithKline Biologicals as Priorix, Serum Institute of India as Tresivac and Sanofi Pasteur as Trimovax.

It is usually considered a childhood vaccination. However, it is also recommended for use in some cases of adults with HIV.

Composition per single dose:

• Freeze-dried vaccine: One immunizing dose contains the protective activity of equal to or greater than 2.5 International Units (IU) even after exposure at 37-degree centigrade for one month.
• Rabies Virus (L.Pasteur 2061/Vero) propagated on Vero cell line, inactivated with beta-propiolactone. Thiomersol 0.015% added as the preservative
• Maltose q.s. per immunizing dose
• Human Serum Albumin q.s. per immunizing dose.
• Sodium Chloride (0.9%) for Injection I.P.- 0.5 ml.

The Neomycin, Kanamycin and Polymyxin - B sulphate used in the cell and virus cultures are eliminated to the greatest extent during purification procedures and cannot be detected in the final vaccine.

• All children younger than age 13 years (one dose at 12–15 months and a second dose at age 4–6 years);
• Everyone age 13 years and older who has never had chickenpox (two doses, given 4–8 weeks apart);

Almost all (97%) children between age 12 months and 12 years develop immunity to the disease after one dose of vaccine. For older children and adults, an average of 78% develop immunity after one dose and 99% develop immunity after the recommended two doses.

• DPT Vaccine
• MMR Vaccin
• TD Vaccine
• Chicken Pox Vaccine
• Trivalent Vaccine
• Quadrivalent Vaccines/Pentavalent Vaccines

DPT (also DTP and DTwP) refers to a class of combination vaccines against three infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) andtetanus. The vaccine components include diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and killed whole cells of the organism that causes pertussis (wP).

DTaP and Tdap refer to similar combination vaccines in which the pertussis component is acellular.

Also available is the DT or TD vaccine, which lacks the pertussis component.