CDT™ Vaccine

Diphtheria and Tetanus Vaccine, Adsorbed. For infants and children under 8
years of age

≥30 IU/0.5 mL Diphtheria Toxoid, ≥ 40 IU/0.5 mL Tetanus Toxoid

injection, solution

What is in this leaflet

This leaflet answers some common questions about CDT™ Vaccine.

It does not contain all the available information.

It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines, including vaccines, have risks and benefits. Your doctor has
weighed the risks of your child having CDT™ Vaccine against the benefits
they expect it will have.

If you have any concerns about this vaccine, talk to your doctor, nurse or
pharmacist.

Keep this leaflet.

You might need to read it again.

What CDT™ Vaccine is used for

CDT™ Vaccine is a "combination" vaccine. It helps prevent two
diseases, each caused by a different infection. The diseases are

• diphtheria and
• tetanus.

Both of these infections are serious and can be life-threatening.

Primary Course:

CDT™ Vaccine is used to vaccinate children, who have not been
vaccinated against diphtheria and tetanus before. This is called the
'primary course'.

CDT™ Vaccine is given to

• children between 2 months and 8 years of age.

A total of three (3) doses is needed for the primary course. The second and
third doses are given after an appropriate time interval. (See 'How CDT™
Vaccine is given' section, later in this leaflet.)

Babies under 2 months should not be given CDT™ Vaccine.

For children 8 years and older and for adults there is another suitable
diphtheria and tetanus vaccine. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have
any questions about it.

Booster Dose:

One more (booster) dose of CDT™ Vaccine is recommended at school entry
age (4 to 5 years) or anytime up to 8 years for children who have already had
the full primary course of CDT™ Vaccine.

One (1) dose is needed for the booster dose.

How CDT™ Vaccine works

CDT™ Vaccine works by getting your child's body to produce its own
protection against two types of bacteria (germs). The germs are those that cause
the two different and serious infections

• diphtheria and
• tetanus.

The vaccine does not contain live germs and cannot give your child these
illnesses.

After your child has CDT™ Vaccine, your child's body makes substances
called antibodies. These antibodies fight both the diphtheria and the tetanus
germs. When your child comes into contact with these germs, your child's body is
usually ready to destroy them.

NOTE: Your child's body takes a few weeks after vaccination to develop
protection against the diphtheria and tetanus germs. Your child needs to
complete the full primary course of injections to get full protection.

Most children who receive either

• all 3 doses, which complete the full primary course, or
• the booster dose (suitable only if in the past they have had a full
  primary course against diphtheria and tetanus),

will produce enough antibodies to protect against both the diphtheria and
tetanus diseases.

However, as with all vaccines, 100% protection cannot be guaranteed.

Before your child is given CDT™ Vaccine

When your child must NOT be given CDT™ Vaccine

Your child should not have CDT™ Vaccine if your child currently has:

• any acute illness.

Your child should not have CDT™ Vaccine if your child has previously had:

• a severe reaction to CDT™ Vaccine.

Do not use CDT™ Vaccine after the expiry date printed on the pack.

Do not use CDT™ Vaccine if the packaging is torn, shows signs of tampering
or does not look quite right.

If you are not sure whether your child should have CDT™ Vaccine, talk to
your doctor or pharmacist.

 

Before your child is given CDT™ Vaccine

Tell your doctor if your child has allergies to:

• CDT™ Vaccine or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this
  leaflet
• any other medicines
• any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes.

As for all vaccines, medical supervision and treatment should be available in
case there is a severe allergic reaction.

Tell your doctor if your child has or has had any medical conditions,
especially the following:

• low immunity due to ill-health, for example some blood disorders, malaria,
  kidney disease requiring dialysis, HIV/AIDS or cancer
• low immunity due to treatment with medicines such as corticosteroids,
  antimetabolites, alkylating agents, cytotoxic drugs, or other cancer treatment
  (including radiation therapy)
• a disorder of the nervous system, or there is a family history of a
  disorder of the nervous system.

Having other vaccines

Tell your doctor if your child has had any vaccines in the last 4 weeks.

CDT™ Vaccine should be given

at least 4 weeks before

or

4 weeks after

most vaccines that contain live germs.

Check this with your doctor or pharmacist.

Your doctor or pharmacist may have more information on medicines and vaccines
to be careful with or avoid when your child is vaccinated with CDT™ Vaccine.

How CDT™ Vaccine is given

CDT™ Vaccine is given by a trained health professional, as an
injection into muscle.

In babies, it is usually given in the upper thigh. In children it is usually
given in the upper arm.

How much is given and when

One dose of CDT™ Vaccine is 0.5 mL.

Primary Course

This is a total of 3 doses, given at intervals. The first dose may be given
at the age of 2 months or older. The upper age limit for this vaccine is 8
years.

The interval between doses is shown in the table below.

CDT™ Vaccine dose	TIME INTERVAL after previous dose
1	Does not apply
2	6-12 weeks
3	6-12 months

 

Booster Dose

A booster dose (fourth dose) at school entry age (4 to 5 years) or any
time up to 8 years is recommended.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

If you miss a dose

If your child misses a dose of CDT™ Vaccine, talk to your doctor and
arrange another visit as soon as possible.

After having CDT™ Vaccine

Things you must do

Keep an updated record of your child's vaccinations.

Keep follow-up appointments with your doctor or clinic.

In order to make sure the vaccine has the best chance of providing protection
against diphtheria and tetanus disease, it is important that:

• your child has all three doses of the primary course of

  CDT™ Vaccine at the appropriate time intervals

• the booster dose is given at the appropriate time before your child
  has their 8 ^th birthday.

Side effects

Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if your child is unwell
after having CDT™ Vaccine.

All medicines, including vaccines, can have side effects. CDT™ Vaccine
may have unwanted side effects in some people. Sometimes they are serious, most
of the time they are not. You or your child may need medical treatment if you
get some of the side effects.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they
worry you:

• reaction at the injection site such as temporary redness, tenderness or
  swelling
• a small lump at the injection site; sometimes this may last for a few
  weeks
• irritability
• generally feeling unwell
• high temperature.

These are the more common side effects of CDT™ Vaccine. Mostly these
are mild and short-lived.

Allergic reaction:

As with all vaccines given by injection, there is a very small risk of a
severe allergic reaction.

If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately or go to
Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:

• sudden signs of allergy such as rash, itching or hives on the skin,
  swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
• shortness of breath
• collapse.

These are very serious side effects. If your child has them, he or she may
have had a severe allergic reaction to CDT™ Vaccine. Your child needs
urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.

Mostly this type of side effect occurs within the first few hours of being
given the vaccine.

These side effects are rare.

Other side effects not listed above might occur in some people. Tell your
doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making your child feel
unwell.

Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects.

Your child may not experience any of them.

Storing CDT™ Vaccine

CDT™ Vaccine is usually stored in the doctor's surgery or clinic, or
at the pharmacy. However, if you need to store CDT™ Vaccine:

• Keep it where children cannot reach it.
• Keep it in the original pack until it is time for it to be injected.
• Keep it in the refrigerator, between 2°C and 8°C. DO NOT FREEZE CDT™
  Vaccine. Freezing destroys the vaccine.

Product description

What CDT™ Vaccine looks like

CDT™ Vaccineis supplied as a single dose (0.5 mL) in a glass
container. It is a whitish, cloudy liquid.

Ingredients

Active ingredients:

• Diphtheria Toxoid: at least 30 International Units (IU)
• Tetanus Toxoid: at least 40 IU.

Other ingredients:

• Aluminium phosphate
• Sodium chloride
• Sodium phosphate - monobasic
• Sodium phosphate - dibasic dodecahydrate
• Thiomersal (preservative)
• Water for injection.

CDT™ Vaccine does NOT contain:

• lactose
• sucrose
• gluten
• tartrazine or
• any other azo dyes.