Vivotif

Vivotif is a vaccine used to prevent typhoid fever in adults and children greater than six years.    

Vivotif belongs to a group of drugs called vaccines. They work in the body by inducing a protective immune response against the disease.

Vivotif vaccine is available as an enteric-coated capsule. It is typically taken every other day for 4 doses, with a cold or luke-warm drink approximately one hour before a meal.

Vivotif common side effects are stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and headache. 

Vivotif is a live attenuated (weakened) vaccine given to prevent typhoid in persons two years of age and older.

According to the CDC, routine Vivotif is not recommended in the United States, but Vivotif is recommended for:

• Travelers to parts of the world where typhoid is common. (NOTE: typhoid vaccine is not 100% effective and is not a substitute for being careful about what you eat or drink).
• People in close contact with a typhoid carrier.
• Laboratory workers who work with Salmonella Typhi bacteria

This vaccine may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The recommended dose of Vivotif is 4 doses. Patients should take all 4 doses at least 1 week prior to potential exposure to S. typhi.

Like any medicine, a vaccine could cause a serious problem, such as a severe allergic reaction. The risk of Typhim Vi causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. Serious problems from Typhim Vi are very rare.

Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include hives, swelling of the face and throat, difficulty breathing, a fast heartbeat, dizziness, and weakness. These would start a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.

Do not receive Vivotif if you are allergic to Vivotif or to any of its ingredients.

Serious side effects have been reported with Vivotif. See "Vivotif Precautions” section.

Common side effects of Vivotif include:

• fever
• headache
• stomach pain
• nausea
• vomiting
• skin rash 

This is not a complete list of Vivotif side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) at 1-800-822-7967 or http://www.fda.gov/vaers

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• antibiotics
• medications to treat malaria
• corticosteroids such as prednisone and dexamethasone
• chemotherapy drugs that weaken the immune system
• organ transplant drugs
• medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis 

In addition, tell your doctor if you plan to receive live vaccines. 

This is not a complete list of Vivotif drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.  

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Vivotif falls into category C. Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Vivotif and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women. Therefore, it is not known whether Vivotif can cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women or can affect reproduction capacity. Vivotif should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed your baby.

There are no data regarding administration of Vivotif to nursing mothers. Therefore, it is not known if Vivotif crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this vaccine, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing and/or start the use of this vaccine. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Vivotif while breast feeding.