4-in-1 pre-school booster






Also known as the DTaP/IPV (or dTaP/IPV) vaccine or simply the 'pre-school booster', the 4-in-1 pre-school booster vaccine is given to three-year-old children to boost their protection against:



diphtheria



tetanus



whooping cough



polio



Children are routinely vaccinated against these illnesses as babies. This booster increases their immunity even further.

 

Who should have the 4-in-1 vaccine?

The 4-in-1 booster vaccine is given to pre-school children when they are about three years and four months old. 

Two different 4-in-1 vaccines are available. One contains higher-strength diphtheria (DTaP/IPV) and has the brand name Infanrix-IPV. The other contains lower-strength diphtheria (dTaP/IPV) and has the brand name REPEVAX.

Both vaccines have been shown to provide good booster responses, so it doesn't matter which one your child is given as their pre-school booster. 

 

How effective is the 4-in-1 pre-school booster?

In clinical trials, more than 99% of children who had been given the pre-school booster developed protection against tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio.

The vaccines protect children from these infections until they receive their teenage booster between the ages of 13 and 18.

 

How safe is the 4-in-1 booster?

The 4-in-1 pre-school booster is very safe. Before it was granted a licence, the safety, quality and effectiveness of the pre-school vaccine, like all vaccines, was thoroughly tested. It does not contain thiosermal (mercury).

Although it is very safe, the pre-school booster, like other vaccines, can have side effects in some children.

This DH leaflet tells you the common vaccination reactions that may happen in babies and young children up to five years of age.