Q. My 5-year-old son had the first swine flu vaccine. Is it important to get the second one? I am not sure about mercury content. Is it possible to get swine flu protection from first vaccine?
- Lada, Maryland
A. Children from 6 months to 9 years getting a flu vaccine for the first time will need two doses of vaccine the first year they are vaccinated.
If possible, the first dose should be given as soon as vaccine becomes available. The second dose should be given 28 or more days after the first dose. The first dose "primes" the immune system; the second dose provides immune protection.
Children who only get one dose but need two doses can have reduced or no protection from a single dose of flu vaccine. Two doses are necessary to protect these children.
If your child needs two doses, begin the process early so that children are protected before influenza starts circulating in your community. Be sure to follow up to get your child a second dose if they need one.
It usually takes about two weeks after the second dose for protection to begin.
As to mercury content, there is no difference between the first and second doses of vaccine for children 9 and younger. Mercury, in the form of the preservative Thimerosal, is only found in one of the three forms of the vaccine - the multi-dose vials used for some shots.
Parents should educate themselves before deciding which vaccine is best for their children, and talk with their health-care providers about it.
Do you have a question or comment about swine flu that isn't being addressed?
Visit our Swine Flu home page to submit your question, and health writer Mary Shedden will get you the answer.
Helping us track it all down is the Hillsborough County Health Department, which, like us, draws much of its information from the very helpful Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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