Children six months to 17 years old appear to respond to and tolerate well the H1N1 flu vaccine, according to new data from a 600-child federally funded clinical trial. The early results from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases trial on children’s response to vaccination is consistent with results published recently on vaccine response in adults — that one dose of the vaccine is likely to work for most kids. There is evidence that children younger than the age of 9 will likely need two doses, according to Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID, which also is consistent with results from other studies. The kids’ response to the H1N1 vaccine is “quite similar” to that of the seasonal-flu vaccine. “The initial results are encouraging,” Fauci said on a conference call. Evaluating blood samples taken eight to 10 days after immunization of healthy children ages 10 to 17, 76% had a

“robust immune response,” according to Fauci. That figure dropped to 36% of kids 3 to 9 years old and to 25% among young children 6 to 35 months old. That means that younger children could need up to four doses of flu vaccine — two for the regular seasonal flu and two for the H1N1 strain. If kids are getting shots, they should be able to get both types of vaccines on the same day. But if they receive Flu Mist, which uses a live form of the virus, then getting two forms on the same day probably won’t lead to a “great take,” according to Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s director of the National Center for Immunization & Respiratory Diseases. Since seasonal-flu vaccines are already available, parents can start their children’s immunization regimen now, she said.

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‘Encouraging’ Test Results for Swine-Flu Vaccine in Kids