All of us since the childhood know, that inoculation of Mantoux in no event it is impossible to wet. However, few know the reasons for such a ban. Why are doctors against the place of inoculation with water and what will happen if Mantou is soaked? Let's figure it out!
Let's start with what the Mantoux vaccine is.
What is the Mantoux reaction?
A PDD test, a tuberculin test or a simple Mantoux vaccine is a tracking of the body's response to the introduction of tuberculin (a drug made from purified tubercle bacillus products). It shows whether a tubercle bacillus is present in the child's body or not. A positive response will mean that the child has already been in contact with this infection and it is already contained in his body, and the negative one - that he has never encountered tuberculosis. Thus, the Mantoux test helps to identify this serious disease at the earliest stages. It is usually done once a year: this frequency is caused by the fact that it is very easy to get tuberculosis , and it is important to regularly monitor the condition of each child's body.
The Mantoux reaction is carried out as follows. In the inner part of the child's forearm, under the skin, a special tuberculin syringe with a short needle is injected with a small dose of the drug (1 g). On the hand there is a so-called papule, or, as the child says, a button that will be an indicator. A nurse will warn you about how much time you can not wet Mantoux (3 days). 72 hours after vaccination, you should report to the doctor for check: he will measure the diameter of the papule with a ruler and compare it with the normal values.
With a negative reaction in a healthy baby, the papule will be 0-1 mm in size. The result of a positive test is a papule more than 5 mm and a noticeable reddening of the area around it. There is also the so-called questionable reaction, when the button is 2 to 4 mm in size, and the region of hyperemia around it is much larger. This may indicate both the presence in the body of an excessive number of tubercle bacilli (above the norm), and about the individual tendency of the organism to such a reaction. The diagnosis of "tuberculosis" on the basis of one or even several samples is not put: to do this, an examination of the phthisiatrician and a fluorographic examination should be carried out. The same children, whose Mantoux test shows a dubious reaction year after year, are candidates for the revaccination of BCG.
Is it possible to vaccinate Mantoux vaccine?
The request of medical workers that Mantu should not be vaccinated is not without reason. The fact is that if water gets on the papule, it can happen:
- first, infection if there is any infection in the water;
- secondly, an unpredictable reaction (puffiness, hyperemia, hyperergic test), which in any case will be considered doubtful. This can happen if the papule is sealed with a band-aid before bathing, and also rubbed with a washcloth or treated with soap.
Nevertheless, if the child accidentally wet the Mantoux test, all this may not be, the reaction will be negative, that is, the appropriate norm, and no one will even know about this misunderstanding.
So, what if your child, accidentally or intentionally, dipped Mantoux vaccine? First, do not panic and wait for the results. You can estimate the size of the papule yourself: if you notice before the trip to the clinic that the button is clearly more than 5 mm and the skin around it is very red, it is worth telling the doctor that the vaccine was accidentally soaked, so that he did not fix the false positive result of the test in the vaccination card. However, in most cases, the water that has been vaccinated does not affect its result in any way.