A group of pediatricians of the Valencian Community and under the direction of the Department of Health are developing the First worldwide trial of the bird flu vaccine with 400 children between 3 and 9 years old. The development of the vaccine consists of six phases, each subject to the advancement of the new vaccine.
The first phase has been concluded with optimal results, 70 children between the ages of 6 and 9 years, applying half of the vaccine dose given to an adult to children. The second phase begins next month, performing the same test but this time in children aged 3 to 5 years, adapting the doses to each child stage.
In total, six phases that will continue the investigation for 18 months, testing the vaccine in children is a fundamental task, it must be remembered that viruses affect children with greater poise and therefore can be the main transmitters of the bird flu virus . Experts indicate that managing to immunize children will reduce the incidence of viruses in adults. By the way, in principle there is nothing to fear about the vaccines administered, since it is an inactivated vaccine, making it impossible for the disease to be transmitted to those who receive it or to the people around them. If everything goes as expected, Valencia will provide the world with a useful tool that can fight the dreaded bird flu, although we must wait for it to be authorized and finally its use can be universalized.
The vaccine has been developed by GSK, a pharmaceutical company that already used the vaccine in a study with adults, but as we know, medications or vaccines for adults can offer different results and side effects in children, for this reason it is necessary to perform The study with minors. Preventing a possible pandemic is essential, children would be the first to suffer its consequences.
This action is far from that carried out by other pharmaceutical companies where the study of medications or vaccines is not contemplated in children, we already talked about it in the post Medications for children are still poorly studied. Perhaps the only question we have left is whether it will be equally effective against another strain of the H5N1 virus strain.
