Pregnant Women Need Only One Dose of H1N1 Vaccine

However, a recent trial sugests children aged 6 months to 9 years receive two shots

TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- One dose of H1N1 vaccine is sufficient for pregnant women, though young children need two doses, according to a Nov. 2 announcement from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

During a news conference, Anthony Fauci, M.D., NIAID director, said that the results are important because both pregnant women and young children are at particular risk for complications from H1N1 influenza. He added that 92 percent of pregnant women in ongoing clinical trials have had a robust immune response to one 15-microgram dose of the vaccine.

Furthermore, Fauci cited a trial involving 583 healthy children aged 6 months to 9 years which confirmed their need for two 15-microgram shots of the vaccine. In the trial, the shots were given 21 days apart. Earlier results from the trial had shown that children aged 10 to 17 years need only one dose of the vaccine.

"This should be reassuring news to those women who have already received vaccine, and it is vital information for those pregnant women who have not yet been vaccinated," Fauci said.

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