Hexavalent vaccines

Combination vaccines are widely used in routine immunization programmes and allow multiple vaccine antigens to be administered with fewer injections. Their safety profiles reflect the component antigens and the specific vaccine formulation.

Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis combination vaccines (DTP) have been in use since the 1940s. More recently, this DTP combination has been used as the basis for the development of combination vaccines containing additional antigens such as hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), resulting in pentavalent vaccines, or with the additional IPV, resulting in hexavalent vaccines.

None of these combination vaccines has produced any adverse events that had not been observed with the individual components and currently used combination vaccines have excellent safety records.^{Go to footnote 11, Go to footnote 22, Go to footnote 33, Go to footnote 44}