Tularemia vaccine

TULAREMIA VACCINE (LIVE)

Tularemia vaccine is supplied as lyophilized microbial culture of live vaccinating tularemia strain 15, “NIIEG” line. It appears like white, porous tablets. The vaccine is supplied with distilled water to be used as a solvent to prepare the solution for vaccinating.

Biological and immunological properties
Tularemia vaccine stimulates establishing of active immunity status (might last for up to 5 years) in 20-30 days after immunization.

Directions:
Prophylactic prevention and scheduled immunization against tularemia.

Dosage and administering
Vaccine may be administered to the patients having negative serological results to the tularemias antigenes and no allergic reactions. Therefore, prior the vaccination every patient should be tested for specific immunity with one of serological and skin-allergic tests.

Vaccine can be administered either epicutaneously (for scheduled vaccination) or intracutaneously (with syringe or jet injector) upon the epidemiological indications. Children of 7 years old and above, may be vaccinated only epicutaneously in accordance with epidemiological directions taken by medical authorities or the Ministry of Health representatives. Freshly made solution of the vaccine can to be used for 2 hrs. Any unused vaccine must then be inactivated with boiling and discarded.

Dosage and method of vaccination for children and adults are the same. Before vaccinating the vaccine is to be dissolved in proper volume of distilled water according following the provided instruction. There should be noticed no flakes or debree in final solution. Dissolving time for the vaccine is about 3 min.

One personal dose to conduct epicutaneous vaccination (two drops of the vaccine solution in water) contains (2.0„b0.5) x108 live microbial cells per 0.1 ml. In order to prepare a solution for epicutaneous vaccinating: 1 ml of vaccine, prediluted in distilled water (as before) is transferred to 19 ml of sterilized 0.9% NaCl. That makes 200 individual doses for intracutaneous vaccinating. That is a single dose for intracutaneous vaccination contains (1.0„b0.1) x107 live microbial cells in 0.1 ml.

Vaccination performed as a one-step procedure. Revaccination is possible to be repeated in 5 years, for the patients with negative results of serological and allergic tests, considering the epidemiological indications. The dose to be used for revaccination is the same to the dose, that was used for prime vaccination. It is possible to perform simultaneous vaccination of adult patients epicutaneously - against tularemia, brucellosis and plague, using different areas of the outer side of middle part of the shoulder.

Package
The vaccine is supplied as a kit. One kit contains 1 ampoule with lyophilized vaccine and 1 or 2 ampoules with distilled water. There are 3-5 kits per cardboard package. Instruction with recommendations, directions and a scarificator are enclosed.

Shelf life of the preparation is for 2 years.

Storage and shipping
Keep in locked storage rooms, away from light, in dry place at the temperature below 8°C. Vaccine can be shipped and transported by any kind of cargo transports equipped with closed-top roof at temperature below 8°C, or for a short period of time (i.e. with air cargo) at room temperature.