How To Talk To Educators About Your Child'S Primary Immunodeficiency

If your school-age child has Primary Immunodeficiency Disorder (PIDD), also known as Primary Immunodeficiency (PI), it's important for teachers, school nurses, and administrators to understand the condition and its treatment.

 Here are tips for helping educators understand PIDD:

• Explain that PIDD stands for "Primary Immunodeficiency Disorder"-a genetic condition that people are born with
• Be sure to explain that PIDD is not contagious and cannot be spread to other children or adults. Sometimes, when some people hear the word "immunodeficiency," they think of the AIDS virus, which is a secondary immunodeficiency. You can reassure others that your child poses no risk to other children
• Clarify that other children can affect the health of your child
• Describe how common germs can be especially detrimental-even life-threatening-to your child's health
• Let the educators know that your child can participate in normal classroom and playground activities

Ask educators to help minimize your child's exposure to germs.

• Solicit the educator's help in encouraging sick children to refrain from school attendance
• Request that classmates who do come to school ill will be sent to the nurse's office, sent home, or relocated to the opposite side of the classroom
• Appeal to the educator to reinforce good hygiene practices, encouraging children to wash their hands after sneezing, blowing their noses, or using the washroom

Request that educators be alert to potential problems.

• Ask educators to contact you if your child appears overly tired, feverish, or chilled. In particular, your child may be susceptible to upper respiratory infections, such as sinus, ear, and bronchial infections, and even pneumonia. Symptoms of these might include, for example, a cough, congestion, runny nose, earache, or difficulty breathing
• Likewise if your child complains of a headache, sinus pain, fatigue, or difficulty breathing, the school personnel should contact you
• If using Sub-Q infusion therapy at home, let the educators know that local injection-site reactions may occur up to 48 hours after an infusion and are normal-particularly in people who are new to the subcutaneous (Sub-Q) way. Explain that these local reactions should dissipate with time and are only abnormal if they become increasingly red, warm to the touch, painful, or if your child develops a fever

When others are aware of your child's condition, they will understand why it's important to minimize your child's exposure to other children who are sick, help your child practice good hygiene and hand washing, and will be able to identify when your child is not feeling well.

Important Safety Information

Immune Globulin Subcutaneous (Human), Vivaglobin®, is a prescription treatment for patients with primary immunodeficiency (PI).

Immune globulin products, such as Vivaglobin®, should not be taken if you have a history of anaphylactic or severe systemic response to immune globulin (Ig) preparations. If you suspect you are having a severe reaction to Vivaglobin®, discontinue treatment immediately and inform your doctor.

Vivaglobin® is derived from human plasma. As with all plasma-derived products, the risk of transmission of infectious agents, including viruses and the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) agent, cannot be completely eliminated.

In clinical trials, the most frequent adverse event was mild or moderate swelling, redness, and itching at the injection site. Other adverse events included headache, gastrointestinal disorder, fever, nausea, sore throat, and rash. No serious reactions were observed, and reactions tended to decrease substantially with repeated use.

If you are receiving Ig therapy for the first time, are new to Vivaglobin®, or have not received Ig therapy within the past eight weeks, your healthcare provider should monitor your initial treatment with Vivaglobin®, as you could experience reactions including fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting. Rarely, these reactions may lead to shock.

Ig administration may impair the effectiveness of virus vaccines, such as measles, mumps and rubella. Consult your doctor if you plan to receive any vaccine.

In clinical studies, Vivaglobin® has been shown to be safe and well tolerated in pediatric patients, without pediatric-specific dose requirements. Safety and effectiveness were not studied in subjects under 2 years of age.

Please see full Prescribing Information and Patient Product Information

About Vivaglobin®

This article was provided by Vivaglobin®, the first and only FDA-approved subcutaneous immunoglobulin (Sub-Q Ig) therapy available for patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (PIDD). For more information on PIDD and home infusion therapy, please visit www.vivaglobin.com.