Parents or guardians should be informed of the potential benefits and risks of the vaccine, and of the importance of completing the immunization series. It is important when a child returns for the next dose in a series that the parent/guardian be questioned concerning occurrence of any symptoms and/or signs of an adverse reaction after a previous dose of the same vaccine. The physician should inform the parents or guardians about the potential for adverse reactions that have been temporally associated with administration of Infanrix or other pertussis-containing vaccines. The parents or guardians of infants and children with a family history of convulsions should be advised of the potential increased risk of seizures following DTP vaccination. In particular, they should be told, before the child is vaccinated, to seek immediate medical evaluation in the unlikely event of a seizure.²⁴ The adult accompanying the recipient should be told to report severe or unusual adverse reactions to the physician or clinic where the vaccine was administered.

The parent or guardian should be given the Vaccine Information Materials, which are required by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 to be given prior to immunization. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has established a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to accept all reports of suspected adverse events after the administration of any vaccine, including but not limited to the reporting of events required by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.²⁶ The VAERS toll-free number is 1-800-822-7967.

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