Ixiaro

Generic Name: Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine (SA14-14-2)
Brand Names: Ixiaro

What is Ixiaro?

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Ixiaro is used to help prevent Japanese encephalitis in adults and adolescents who are at least 17 years old.

Ixiaro works by exposing you to a small dose of the virus, which causes the body to develop immunity to the disease. Ixiaro will not treat an active infection that has already developed in the body.

Japanese encephalitis is a serious disease caused by a virus. It is the leading cause of viral encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in Asia. Encephalitis is an infection of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord. This infection often causes only mild symptoms, but prolonged swelling of the brain can cause permanent brain damage or death.

Japanese encephalitis virus is carried and spread by mosquitos.

Ixiaro is recommended for people who live in or travel to areas where Japanese encephalitis is known to exist, or where an epidemic has recently occurred.

You should receive the Ixiaro vaccine and booster dose at least 1 week prior to your arrival in an area where you may be exposed to the virus.

Not everyone who travels to Asia needs to receive an Ixiaro vaccination. Follow your doctor instructions or the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ixiaro is also recommended for people who work in a research laboratory and may be exposed to Japanese encephalitis virus through needle-stick accidents or inhalation of viral droplets in the air.

Like any vaccine, Ixiaro may not provide protection from disease in every person.

Important information about Ixiaro

Ixiaro is given in a series of 2 shots. The shots are usually 28 days apart. Your individual booster schedule may be different from these guidelines. Follow your doctor's instructions or the schedule recommended by the health department of the state you live in.

Ixiaro is for use in adults and adolescents who are at least 17 years old.

Ixiaro is recommended for people who live in or travel to areas where Japanese encephalitis is known to exist, or where an epidemic has recently occurred.

You should receive the vaccine and booster dose at least 1 week prior to your arrival in an area where you may be exposed to the virus.

Ixiaro is also recommended for people who work in a research laboratory and may be exposed to Japanese encephalitis virus through needle-stick accidents or inhalation of viral droplets in the air.

Becoming infected with Japanese encephalitis is much more dangerous to your health than receiving the vaccine to protect against it. Like any medicine, Ixiaro can cause side effects, but the risk of serious side effects is extremely low.

Before receiving Ixiaro

You should not receive Ixiaro if you have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to a Japanese encephalitis vaccine.

Before receiving Ixiaro, tell the doctor if you are allergic to any foods or drugs, or if you have:

• a bleeding or blood clotting disorder;

• a weak immune system caused by disease such as HIV or AIDS, bone marrow transplant, or by using certain medicines or receiving cancer treatments.

You can still receive a vaccine if you have a cold or low fever. In the case of a more severe illness with a high fever (more than 100 degrees) or any type of infection, wait until you get better before receiving Ixiaro.

Vaccines may be harmful to an unborn baby and generally should not be given to a pregnant woman. However, not vaccinating the mother could be more harmful to the baby if the mother becomes infected with a disease that Ixiaro could prevent. Your doctor will decide whether you should receive Ixiaro, especially if you have a high risk of infection with the Japanese encephalitis virus. It is not known whether Japanese encephalitis vaccine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use Ixiaro without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How is Ixiaro given?

Ixiaro is given as an injection (shot) into a muscle of your upper arm. You will receive this injection in a doctor's office or other clinic setting.

Ixiaro is given in a series of 2 shots. The shots are usually 28 days apart. Your individual booster schedule may be different from these guidelines. Follow your doctor's instructions or the schedule recommended by the health department of the state you live in.

In addition to receiving the Japanese encephalitis vaccine, use protective clothing, insect repellents, and mosquito netting around your bed to further prevent mosquito bites that could infect you with the Japanese encephalitis virus.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Contact your doctor if you will miss a booster dose or if you get behind schedule. The next dose should be given as soon as possible. There is no need to start over.

Be sure you receive all recommended doses of Ixiaro. If you do not receive the full series of vaccines, you may not be fully protected against the disease.

What happens if I overdose?

An overdose of Ixiaro is unlikely to occur.

What should I avoid before or after receiving Ixiaro?

Follow your doctor's instructions about any restrictions on food, beverages, or activity.

Ixiaro side effects

You should not receive a booster vaccine if you had a life-threatening allergic reaction after the first shot. Keep track of any and all side effects you have after receiving Ixiaro. When you receive a booster dose, you will need to tell the doctor if the previous shots caused any side effects.

Becoming infected with Japanese encephalitis is much more dangerous to your health than receiving the vaccine to protect against it. Like any medicine, Ixiaro can cause side effects, but the risk of serious side effects is extremely low.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; dizziness, weakness, fast heart rate; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Less serious Ixiaro side effects may include:

• headache, tired feeling;

• muscle pain, back pain;

• low fever, chills, flu symptoms;

• cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough;

• mild itching or skin rash.

• nausea, diarrhea; or

• pain, redness, tenderness, or a hard lump where the shot was given.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect Ixiaro?

Before receiving Ixiaro, tell the doctor about all other vaccines you have recently received.

Also tell the doctor if you have recently received drugs or treatments that can weaken the immune system, including:

• an oral, nasal, inhaled, or injectable steroid medicine;

• medications to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders, such as azathioprine (Imuran), efalizumab (Raptiva), etanercept (Enbrel), leflunomide (Arava), and others; or

• medicines to treat or prevent organ transplant rejection, such as basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf), muromonab-CD3 (Orthoclone), mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can affect Ixiaro. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you have received. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your doctor or pharmacist may have information about Ixiaro written for health professionals that you may read. You may also find additional information from your local health department or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2009 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 1.01. Revision Date: 06/08/2009 3:49:31 PM.

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