Influenza vaccine considered safe for 5-year-olds
4 June 2010
Five-year-old children can safely be given the seasonal influenza vaccine, but younger children should be offered Panvax (swine flu vaccine), health authorities say.
Chief medical officer Professor Jim Bishop last week advised that seasonal flu shots for children younger than 5 years would continue to be suspended following a 9-fold increase in febrile convulsions (febrile fits).
Earlier advice was to avoid the vaccine in children ‘aged 5 years and under’, but the slight change reflected the findings of a joint investigation by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation that the most severe adverse reactions were confined to under-5s, a Health Department representative said.
A voluntary recall of the vaccine has commenced as authorities said there was no clear explanation for the spike in high fevers among youngsters.
Last Reviewed: 04 June 2010
