[Side effects of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough].

Both the systemic and local reactions caused by the immunization with the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough were studied. Side-effects, 48 hours after the vaccination were determined in 730 children between the ages of two months and five years and 11 months. Over 13% of the children were free from side-effects. Eighty-seven percent of the children immunized showed the following side-effects in percentages of frequency: fever, 66.0%; malaise, 37.8%; loss of appetite, 25.0%; sleep disorders, 20.4%; vomiting, 7.9%; and continuous crying, 7.6%. With respect to local disturbances: pain, 41.6%; reddening, 28.0% and subcutaneous nodules, 20.1%. None of the children had convulsions, hypotonic episodes or immediate neurological damage. Two types of DTP vaccines, one from the Connaught (Canadian) Laboratory and another from the National Institute of Hygiene (Venezuelan) were used. No significant differences were found in the appearance of the side-effects between the both, except for localized pain (P less than 0.01) with the national vaccine. The results obtained in relation to age and the number of doses were: there was a significant increase of localized pain as ages increased (P less than 0.01). There were significantly greater number of localized pain and subcutaneous nodules with greater numbers of doses (P less than 0.01).