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The CDC recommends that every child 9 years and under should get 2 H1N1 influenza vaccines 4 weeks apart to ensure a strong immune response if the child is exposed to H1N1. However with shortages in H1N1 flu vaccines that goal seems less obtainable and has parents looking and waiting to get the H1N1 booster for their children. So what are parents suppose to do? Will one dose be enough?

 The best advice to give parents is, they should be vigilante but show patience in finding their children a 2nd H1N1vaccine. Vaccine production is increasing by the day and vaccines are going out as fast as they come off the production line.  Dr. Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seemed up beat when she  said 41.1 million doses of H1N1 vaccines are either available or have been delivered, but that state and local health officials still face logistical problems. Testifying before the senate health subcommittee Dr.Schuchat said,
"I think the key barrier to our immunization effort is really the fragility of the public health infrastructure, there have been about 15,000 jobs lost in that sector over the past two years."

           Table. 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Doses Allocated, Ordered, and Shipped in U.S.

SEE SLIDE SHOW

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends giving one dose to as many children 6 months through 9 years of age as possible but notes that recommendations on numbers of dosages may change as new data emerge. The goal here is to vaccinate as many children as we can, some immune response in better than no immune response. Government officials have indicated that children can wait 5 to 6 weeks before getting their 2nd H1N1 vaccination. Looking at the data children with underlying health issues should get priority over everyone in getting their 1st vaccination, but also when it comes to their 2nd vaccination. For healthy children one dose will help in case they are exposed to H1N1 of course a 2nd dose will increase their immune response. Another recommendation is have your doctor prescribe an anti-viral and have it ready just in case you child has flu like symptoms.
"There's no doubt that in the younger children, 6 months to 9 years, the studies that we did indicated you got a suboptimal response" with one dose, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday. "Should you get the second dose? If possible, absolutely. Does that mean that one dose is useless? Absolutely not."

Data obtained eight to 10 days after the second vaccine dose compared with results obtained 21 days after their first vaccine dose were as follows:

    * Among the youngest children (6 to 35 months), 100 percent had a robust immune response after the second 15-microgram dose compared with only 25 percent three weeks after the first dose.
    * In children aged 3 through 9 years old, 94 percent had a robust response after the second 15-microgram dose compared with only 55 percent three weeks after the first dose.
    * In general, the immune responses in children receiving two 15-microgram doses and those receiving two 30-microgram doses of vaccine were similar, suggesting that receipt of two 15 microgram doses is adequate to elicit a strong immune response.
The trial data continue to support the recommendation that children 9 years of age and younger should receive two 15-microgram doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccine.

To parents be patient and stay informed. This is all you can do while you wait for more vaccines to be available. Be thankful your kids have gotten at least one H1N1 vaccine. SEE SLIDE SHOW