The anti-tetanus shot is an antibody, usually derived from horse serum, and so is a blood fraction. The hepatitis B vaccine is also a serum-derived antibody. The hepatitis A vaccine and the yellow fever vaccine are not blood products. They are weakened forms of the viruses that causes hep A and yellow fever.

do you know if there are any synthetic Hepb or Tetanus shots out there?
what kind of fractions are in them?

I'm assuming that you are getting these vaccinations to prevent contracting Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus and Yellow Fever, correct? While the statement about the anti-tetanus is correct, this product was the only treatment available for tetanus prior to the mid 1940's. It was used to provide post-exposure prophylactic treatment until the late 1950's when the tetanus immume globulin became available. But remember, vaccines to protect a person from contracting a disease are different from the immune globulins that are given once an individual has been exposed to a particular disease. Vaccines are generally produced from inactivated (or attenuated) viruses. The viruses have basically been "zapped" so they won't make you sick, but they stimulate your immune system to build it's own antibodies to fight off the disease if you should ever be exposed to it. This is referred to as active immunity and this protection can, in some instances, last a lifetime. Immune globulins, which are a minor blood fraction, are these same antibodies for a particular disease that have been harvested from donor blood. They are given when a person has actually been exposed to a disease (like Hepatitis B), and they need protection right away. The immune globulins will give the person passive immunity-i.e. their body didn't have to do anything to get the protection. This type of immunity is not long lasting-only protects for a few months.

A great resource for information on all types of vaccines can be found at Vaccine Information for the Public and Health Professionals. Hope this info was of help...have a great trip!

Thanks for that additional clarification Leslie. We should perhaps also state that most vaccines nowadays are produced by recombinant DNA technology and so are not blood fractions. This is certainly true of the hepatitis B vaccine, which is a synthetic form of one of the key surface antigens on the hep B virus. The tetanus vaccine is produced from tetanus bacteria that have been cultured to produce toxins that are then detoxified with formaldehyde. These drugs, as you say, stimulate the recipient's immune system to produce its own antibodies to the disease.

yes i am getting the shots as i am travelling to South America. this is all very confusing to me
so as i take it vac's for hepA,B, tetanus, yellow fever DO NOT have blood fractions. is this correct? i am assuming that there are different types of vaccinations so i could ask my local health dept. what the name of the vaccinations are that they are giving me. ???????

I think you be can reasonably certain that the vaccines for the diseases you have mentioned do not contain any blood products, but if you are still hesitant and want to completely set your mind at rest it would pay you to enquire from your local public health department.

Informaticus,
i hope your right about there not being any blood products in them. the health dept. already think i'm nuts for asking all these questions about the vaccines in the first place! with the research and this board i am pretty confident they don't contain blood products. although you at first said they did.?????
anyway, thanks for all the help to everyone.
Now is there anyone on the board who wants to donate $1700 for my plane ticket?

My apologies for confusing you. I did not make clear the distinction between the immunization shots given to prevent a disease and and those given to treat a disease that has already been contracted. The latter mostly are immunoglobulins (antibodies) derived from donated blood plasma, whereas those given preventatively (such as you are concerned with) are normally not. My thanks again to Leslie for spelling out the difference between the two types. Hope this clears it up.

One more point to consider. The Hepatitis A and B vaccines are given as a series of shots. The Hepatitis B series consists of 3 injections-you get the first shot, then you will need a booster shot one month later, and the final booster 6 months after the first shot was given. The Hepatits A shot is given the same way, but it is a 2 shot series, given 6 months apart. If you don't have that long before your trip, you will have partial protection with at least 2 Hepatitis B shots and a single Hepatitis A shot. There is also a version of the vaccine that contains both Hep A and B in the same dose (called Twinrix)...it is a 3 dose vaccine given over 6 months.

Some health departments recommend that travelers going to high risk areas and they don't have the time to receive all doses of the vaccine get the immune globulin version of Hepatitis A. Remember, the immune globulins are minor blood fractions, so this might not be your preference. There is also an accelerated dosing schedule available for all vaccines that require multiple doses. Your best bet is to make sure you are getting your shots from a clinic that is familiar with foreign travel immunizations. They will know the best way to get you prepared for your trip.