Abstracto

Vaccination strategies in preterm infants.

Zakir Hossain*, Amar A Alnaqi, Wafaa A Qasem, Myiesha R Hossain, James K Friel, Abdelwahab Omri

The fetal immune system is highly specialized which is to generate both tolerogenic and protective immune responses to tolerate both self and maternal- antigens. For a number of antigens, the antibody response to initial doses of vaccines may be lower than that of term infants, but protective concentrations are often achieved and memory successfully induced. Vaccines are immunogenic, safe and well tolerated in preterm infants. Preterm infants should be vaccinated using the same schedules as those usually recommended for full-term infants, with the exception of the hepatitis B vaccine. This review aims to discuss the recent advances in immunization through vaccines in preterm infants.