NIH: swine flu vaccine effective in one dose for older children
The swine flu vaccine works in one dose for older children, but children younger than 10 will likely need two doses, according to early results of clinical trials, federal health officials said this morning.
The vaccine produced an immune response in children 10 to 17 years old in just 10 days, but younger children had weaker responses. They will likely need two shots 21 days apart, officials said.
The findings are something of a surprise to infectious disease experts who initially assumed that children of all ages would likely need two doses of the vaccine, since their immune systems are less mature than adults.
But so far, the immune response to the H1N1 inoculation is "acting strikingly similar" to seasonal flu shots, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Typically, younger children who have never received a seasonal flu shot before must have two shots to spark an adequate immune response.
The findings mean that younger children could need four shots this fall, to protect against the seasonal flu and the swine flu.
The preliminary results come from data gleaned at NIH-sponsored trials of a vaccine made by French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur. The trials are being conducted at the University of Maryland's Center for Vaccine Development and a handful of other sites. The studies tested two doses of the vaccine (15 micrograms and 30 micrograms) on 600 children of three age groups: 10 to 17 years old, 3 to 9 years old, and 6 months to 36 months.
In children 10 to 17 years old, 76 percent had a strong immune response to one 15-microgram dose. But for kids 3 to 9 years old, only 36 percent had a strong immune response with the same dose. In the youngest group, a single 15-microgram dose of vaccine produced a strong immune response in just 25 percent of recipients.
photo: AFP/Getty Images
Comments
This information is very helpful. Thank you.
Posted by: Murali K Mareedu | September 23, 2009 12:36 PM
H1N1 = Conspiracy?
H1N1 notepad
www.conspirare.net
October 2009
On October 1 2009, a former federal health minister dismisses as "crackpots and conspiracy theorists" those who would actively discourage Australians from having their swine flu vaccine'. October 2nd, the San Fransisco Chronicle publishes that 'Everybody seems to be saying TRUST THE GOVERNMENT but it's hard to trust the H1N1 vaccination campaign' and on October 4rd, the Washington Post wonders 'When the swine flu vaccine finally arrives this week, will Americans line up to get it?' and CBS News writes about health care workers protesting the flu vaccine mandate. October 6th Foodconsumer publishes 'Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine -- 9 Reasons Why' and writes that 'modern medicine has no explanation for autism, despite its continued rise in prevalence. Yet autism is not reported among Amish children who go unvaccinated'. October 7th Healthnews writes that 72 percent are concerned about potential vaccine side effects and the Examiner writes that' theorists believe that government may force people to take the vaccine'. October 8th Times&Transscript publishes that 'a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal would be included as one of the substances in the H1N1 vaccine', Medill Reports writes that Dr. Mayer Eisenstein is advising his patients to say no and is convinced that vaccines cause autism and the Los Angeles Times Blog publishes that media commentators Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have apparently fallen prey to the loony websites of the anti-vaccine folks and that Beck would do "the exact opposite" of what the government recommended and attend a swine flu party. October 9th, The Christian Science Monitor publishes that 'the vaccine is opposed, moreover, by naturopaths and even a well-known epidemiologist' and that Glenn Beck from Fox News has devoted hours to ask 'why the World Health Organization, "Big Pharma," and the government are hyping a pandemic'?
Read the full article with all media references @ www.conspirare.net
notepad publishing (a non-profit news agency based in Switzerland)
Posted by: notepad publishing | October 10, 2009 12:55 PM