Pharmacology - Vaccine (Exemplars)

Influenza vaccine

type: inactivated, live attenuated

route: IM, ID, IN (intranasal)

Recommended pts: 6 months +. older (particularly those who are high risk)

manifestations: fever, chills, headaches, malaise, myalgias, nasal congestion, cough, can cause pneumonia

contradictions: infants younger than 6 mo old, allergies to flu vaccine, allergies w/ eggs, recovering from Guillian-Barre syndrome

pneumococcal vaccine

type: inactivated

route: IM, subcutaneous

recommended pts: adults 65 y and older, pts who are immunocompromised (older than 2 y)

manifestations: ear infections, sinus infections, pneumonia, causes sepsis, meningitis, death

contradictions: N/A

Hepatitis B vaccine

type: subunit vaccine

route: IM

recommended pts: at risk infants, those who share needles, males who have sex w/ other males, sex partners who are HBV positive

manifestations: fever headache, malaise, anorexia, arthralgia, arthritis, jaundice

contradictions: N/A

Tetanus vaccine

type: toxoid vaccine

route: IM

recommended pts: starting at 2 mo-6mo, then 15mo-18mo, then 4y-6y, and then every 10y

manifestations: stiffness in neck & abdominal muscles, difficulty swallowing, muscle spasms, fever

contradictions: N/A

Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine

type: live-attenuated vaccine

route: subcutaneous

recommended pts: 2 dose series: 12-15mo then 4-6y

manifestations: fever, rash, itchy blister-like lesions, Reye’s Syndrome

contradictions: PREGNANCY!!!

Herpes Zoster (shingles) Vaccine

type: recombinant vector vaccine

route: subcutaneous

recommended pts: pts over 50y

manifestations: painful, blisterlike rash

contradictions: PREGNANCY!!!

COVID Vaccine

type: nucleic acid vaccine

route: subcutaneous

recommended pts: pts over 5 y

manifestations: after 2-14 days —> fever/chills, dyspnea, fatigue, mylasia, headache, new-onset loss of taste, sore throat

contradictions: N/A