Single dose of H1N1 vaccine appears to protect pregnant women

A single dose of H1N1 flu vaccine produced a robust immune response in healthy pregnant women, according to initial results from a National Institutes of Health study. A preliminary analysis of blood samples taken 21 days after vaccination from 50 of the 120 women in the study found the vaccine is likely to elicit a protective response in 92% of women who receive a single 15-microgram dose, and 96% of women who receive a single 30-microgram dose, the agency said. “For pregnant women, who are among the most vulnerable to serious health problems from 2009 H1N1 infection, these initial results are very reassuring,” said Anthony Fauci, M.D, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “The immune responses seen in these healthy pregnant women are comparable to those seen in healthy adults at the same time point after a single vaccination, and the vaccine has been well tolerated.” In related news, NIH said that children age 9 and younger have a significantly improved immune response when given a second 15-microgram dose of H1N1 flu vaccine, based on interim results in a clinical trial of the vaccine in children.