What is pentavalent vaccine?

A vaccine that contains five different antigens in one combined preparation is called a pentavalent vaccine (‘penta’ comes from the Greek word for five). You do not need to remember these details, but the pentavalent vaccine in common use in Ethiopia is a combination of one inactivated whole-cell vaccine (against pertussis bacteria), two sub-unit vaccines (the diphtheria and tetanus toxoids), one conjugate vaccine (against Haemophilus influenza type b bacteria) and one recombinant vaccine (against hepatitis B virus). Thus, the pentavalent vaccine used in Ethiopia in the EPI combines five different vaccines in one injection to protect against four bacterial diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type b (often abbreviated to Hib), and one viral disease caused by hepatitis B viruses. It is a fully liquid vaccine, which comes in a single dose vial.

Sometimes you will see the pentavalent vaccine used in Ethiopia described as DPT-HepB-Hib vaccine. This is the term used in the IMNCI Module in this curriculum.