TY - JOUR
T1 - Vaccines and preterm neonates
T2 - Why, when, and with what
AU - Esposito, Susanna
AU - Serra, Domenico
AU - Gualtieri, Laura
AU - Cesati, Laura
AU - Principi, Nicola
PY - 2009/10
Y1 - 2009/10
N2 - This review analyses what is known concerning the immune response of preterm (PTIs) and low birth weight infants (LBWIs) to widely used vaccines, the protection they receive from routine immunisation, and the safety and tolerability of the vaccines themselves. It shows why PTIs and LBWIs should be vaccinated using the same schedules as those usually recommended for full-term infants (FTIs), except in the case of hepatitis B vaccine, whose schedule should be repeated in infants who received the first dose during the first days of life when they weighed less than 2000g because of their reduced immune response. Vaccines are immunogenic, safe and well tolerated in PTIs and LBWIs, in whom early active immunisation is particularly important because they are among the most vulnerable subjects for pediatric infectious diseases. It is therefore essential to make every effort to convince pediatricians and parents that compliance with these recommendations will not cause any clinical problems.
AB - This review analyses what is known concerning the immune response of preterm (PTIs) and low birth weight infants (LBWIs) to widely used vaccines, the protection they receive from routine immunisation, and the safety and tolerability of the vaccines themselves. It shows why PTIs and LBWIs should be vaccinated using the same schedules as those usually recommended for full-term infants (FTIs), except in the case of hepatitis B vaccine, whose schedule should be repeated in infants who received the first dose during the first days of life when they weighed less than 2000g because of their reduced immune response. Vaccines are immunogenic, safe and well tolerated in PTIs and LBWIs, in whom early active immunisation is particularly important because they are among the most vulnerable subjects for pediatric infectious diseases. It is therefore essential to make every effort to convince pediatricians and parents that compliance with these recommendations will not cause any clinical problems.
KW - Immunisation
KW - Neonate
KW - Preterm
KW - Vaccines
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=76249102601&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=76249102601&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2009.08.011
DO - 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2009.08.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 19775838
AN - SCOPUS:76249102601
VL - 85
JO - Early Human Development
JF - Early Human Development
SN - 0378-3782
IS - 10 SUPPL.
ER -