Hexaxim Special Precautions

Parents must be advised to inform the doctor, pharmacist or nurse before vaccination if: The child has a moderate or high temperature or an acute illness (e.g. fever, sore throat, cough, cold or flu). Vaccination with Hexaxim may need to be delayed until the child is better.
The child has had any of the following events after receiving a pertussis vaccine, as the decision to give further doses of pertussis-containing vaccine will need to be carefully considered: fever of 40°C or above within 48 hours of vaccination not due to another identifiable cause; collapse or shock-like state with hypotonic-hyporesponsive episode (drop in energy) within 48 hours of vaccination; persistent, inconsolable crying lasting 3 hours or more, occurring within 48 hours of vaccination; fits (convulsions) with or without fever, occurring within 3 days of vaccination.
The child previously had Guillain-Barré syndrome (temporary inflammation of nerves causing pain, paralysis and sensitivity disorders) or brachial neuritis (severe pain and decreased mobility of arm and shoulder) after being given a vaccine containing tetanus toxoid (an inactivated form of tetanus toxin). In this case, the decision to give any further vaccine containing tetanus toxoid should be evaluated by a doctor.
The child is having a treatment that suppresses her/his immune system (the body's natural defenses) or has any disease that causes the weakness of the immune system. In these cases the immune response to the vaccine may be decreased. It is normally recommended to wait until the end of the treatment or disease before vaccinating. However, children with long standing problems with their immune system such as HIV infection (AIDS) may still be given Hexaxim, but the protection may not be as good as in children whose immune system is healthy.
The child suffers from an acute or chronic illness including chronic renal insufficiency or failure (inability of the kidneys to work properly).
The child suffers from any undiagnosed illness of the brain or epilepsy that is not controlled. The doctor will assess the potential benefit offered by vaccination.
The child has any problems with the blood that causes easy bruising or bleeding for a long time after minor cuts. The doctor will advise the parent whether the child should have Hexaxim.
Fainting can occur following, or even before, any needle injection. Therefore, parents must be advised to inform the doctor or nurse if the child fainted with a previous injection.
Hexaxim contains phenylalanine, potassium and sodium: Hexaxim contains 85 micrograms phenylalanine in each 0.5 ml dose. Phenylalanine may be harmful if the patient has phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder in which phenylalanine builds up because the body cannot remove it properly.
Hexaxim contains less than 1 mmol potassium (39 mg) and less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per dose, that is to say essentially "potassium-free" and "sodium-free".