Diphtheria vaccine

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Diphtheria vaccine
DT vaccine in Japan
Vaccine description
TargetCorynebacterium diphtheriae
Vaccine typeToxoid
Clinical data
MedlinePlusa607027
Routes of
administration
Intramuscular injection
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Identifiers
ChemSpider
  • none
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Diphtheria vaccine is a toxoid vaccine against diphtheria, an illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae.[2] Its use has resulted in a more than 90% decrease in number of cases globally between 1980 and 2000.[3] The first dose is recommended at six weeks of age with two additional doses four weeks apart, after which it is about 95% effective during childhood.[3] Three further doses are recommended during childhood.[3] It is unclear if further doses later in life are needed.[3]

The diphtheria vaccine is very safe.[3] Significant side effects are rare.[3] Pain may occur at the injection site.[3] A bump may form at the site of injection that lasts a few weeks.[4] The vaccine is safe in both pregnancy and among those who have a poor immune function.[4]

The diphtheria vaccine is delivered in several combinations.

inactivated polio vaccine.[3] The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended its use since 1974.[3] About 84% of the world population is vaccinated.[6] It is given as an intramuscular injection.[3] The vaccine needs to be kept cold but not frozen.[4]

The diphtheria vaccine was developed in 1923.[7] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[8][9]

History

In 1890,

serum therapy'. While effective against the pathogen, initial tests on humans were unsuccessful.[10] By 1894, the production of antibodies had been optimised with help from Paul Ehrlich, and the treatment started to show success in humans.[11] The serum therapy reduced mortality to 1–5%, although there were also reports of severe adverse reactions, including at least one death. Behring won the very first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this discovery. Kitasato, however, was not awarded.[11]

By 1913, Behring had created Antitoxin-Toxin (antibody-antigen) complexes to produce the diphtheria AT vaccine. In the 1920s, Gaston Ramon developed a cheaper version by using formaldehyde-inactivated toxins.[11] As use of these vaccines spread across the world, the number of diphtheria cases was greatly reduced. In the United States alone, the number of cases fell from 100,000 to 200,000 per year in the 1920s to 19,000 in 1945 and 14 in the period 1996–2018.[12]

Effectiveness

About 95% of people vaccinated develop immunity, and vaccination against diphtheria has resulted in a more than 90% decrease in number of cases globally between 1980 and 2000.[3] About 86% of the world population was vaccinated as of 2016.[6]

Side effects

Severe side effects from diphtheria

brachial neuritis at a rate of 0.5 to 1 case per 100,000 toxoid recipients.[14][15]

Recommendations

The World Health Organization has recommended vaccination against diphtheria since 1974.[3] The first dose is recommended at six weeks of age with two additional doses four weeks apart, after receiving these three doses about 95% of people are immune.[3] Three further doses are recommended during childhood.[3] Booster doses every ten years are no longer recommended if this vaccination scheme of 3 doses + 3 booster doses is followed.[3] Injection of 3 doses + 1 booster dose, provides immunity for 25 years after the last dose.[3] If only three initial doses are given, booster doses are needed to ensure continuing protection.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ "List of nationally authorised medicinal products - Active substance: diphtheria / tetanus vaccines (adsorbed), diphtheria vaccines (adsorbed)" (PDF). European Medicines Agency. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  2. .
  3. ^ .
  4. ^ from the original on 15 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Diphtheria Vaccination". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Diphtheria". World Health Organization (WHO). 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  7. from the original on 5 March 2016.
  8. . WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  9. . WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02.
  10. New York Times
    . 10 May 2010.
  11. ^ .
  12. ^ "Diphtheria". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 19 October 2022.
  13. S2CID 12743062
    .
  14. ^ "Tetanus". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 15 April 2019.
  15. ^ "Immunisatio". Australian Government Department of Health. 10 October 2017.

Further reading

External links