Vaccines and preemies

[am77494]

A few years back, I read a discussion which claimed that preemies should be vaccinated at an age comparable to a full term baby and the vaccine schedule should not be based on the time of birth but the maturity (time from conception) of the baby.

Questions :

1. Are preemies vaccinated the same time from birth as full term babies ?
2. Are there scientific studies to validate the answer to 1 ?

[am77494]

Bump

[Grey]

From thePublic Health Agency of Canada

Premature infants (defined as infants born before 37 weeks of gestational age) in stable clinical condition, regardless of birth weight, should be immunized with age-appropriate doses of vaccine at the same chronological age and according to the same schedule as full-term infants, with some exceptions as outlined below. Healthy premature infants weighing 1,500 grams or more at birth generally tolerate immunizations well, with rates of adverse events similar to the low rates of full-term infants.

Antibody response to immunization is generally a function of chronological age. Some studies have shown that premature infants seem to have lower antibody responses to vaccines than full-term infants; however, vaccine efficacy in premature infants remains high.

[bob_2]

This is what the NHS says:

Vaccinations for premature babies

Babies who are born early can have a greater risk of catching infections than babies born on time. This is because their immune systems are less developed and they don’t receive as much natural immunity from their mothers.
It’s especially important that premature babies get their vaccines on time, from two months after birth, no matter how premature they are.
It may seem very early to give a vaccination to such a tiny baby, but many scientific studies have shown that it’s a good time to give them vaccines. Postponing vaccination until they’re older leaves them vulnerable to diseases.
If your baby was born very prematurely (before 26 weeks of pregnancy), they may still be in hospital when they’re recommended to have their first vaccinations. In this case, your baby will receive their first jabs in hospital.

NHS leaflet on vaccinations for premature babies (PDF, 221kb)

The answer to both your questions seems to be yes, although we don’t yet know what happens in the US?

[am77494]

thank you Bob