TITLE:
Diphtheria and Tetanus Antibody Persistence in Indian Pre-school Children and Response to a Booster Dose of DT Vaccine.
AUTHORS:
Ajit M. Satwekar, Shireen S. Telang, Nilesh A. Ghorpade, Prajakt J. Barde, Moreshwar R. Patwardhan, Prasad S. Kulkarni
KEYWORDS:
Diphtheria, tetanus, antibodies, India, preschool children, DT vaccine
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Vaccines,
Vol.1 No.1,
February
24,
2011
ABSTRACT: Despite effective vaccines, diphtheria (D) resurged recently in the former socialistic block, and tetanus (T) still occurs in less privileged countries. We studied the antibody persistence for D and T in Indian pre-school children who had received four doses of DTP vaccine and subsequently, the response to a booster dose. Anti-D and anti-T IgG antibodies prior to and one month after a DT vaccine were measured by ELISA in 223 healthy children of 4-6 years who had previously received four doses of the triple vaccine. Adverse reactions were monitored for one month. While 30% and 14% of subjects were susceptible to D and T, respectively, 98% and 100% of them attained seroprotection post-vaccination. Both responses were significant. Local, but not systemic reactions except fever were rather common. A high proportion of the Indian pre-school population is susceptible to D and T, despite of receiving four doses. The current policy of giving the fifth dose at this age is appropriate.