By Frank James
Children over ten will be glad to hear they will only need one vaccination shot to gain protection from the swine flu, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Children age 10 or older will get protection from one shot of swine-flu vaccine but younger ones will still require two shots to be protected. (Pat Wellenbach / AP Photo)
Children under ten, however, aren't so fortunate. Because of their immature immune systems, they'll need two shots, according to experts.
According to the NIH unit, for older children, the swine flu shot regimen will follow that of regular seasonal flu. One shot will provide a protective immune response eight to ten days after vaccination.
An excerpt from an NIH press release:
"This is very encouraging news," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "As we had hoped, responses to the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine are very similar to what we see with routinely used seasonal influenza vaccines made in the same way. It seems likely that the H1N1 flu vaccine will require just one 15-microgram dose for children 10 to 17 years of age. The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus is causing widespread infections among children, so these are welcome results."
categories: Health
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