Pentacel 5-in-1 Vaccine Approved for Babies and Toddlers
Posted Jul 03 2008 1:14pm
The FDA approved a new 5-in-1 vaccine, Pentacel. I’m not sure if it’s good news yet, but it seems to be a step in the right direction towards reducing an infants exposure to vaccine preservatives such as aluminum. The current immunization schedule provides for 23 vaccines administered during the first 18 months. This will reduce that number of shots to 16 for children under 18 months. Pentacel is the first combination vaccine to protect children against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, andHaemophilus influenzaetype b (Hib) infections. According to studies done on more than 5,000 children in the United States and Canada, the vaccine appears to be safe and effective. However, as with any medical breakthrough, only time will tell.
The FDA approved a new 5-in-1 vaccine, Pentacel. I’m not sure if it’s good news yet, but it seems to be a step in the right direction towards reducing an infants exposure to vaccine preservatives such as aluminum. The current immunization schedule provides for 23 vaccines administered during the first 18 months. This will reduce that number of shots to 16 for children under 18 months. Pentacel is the first combination vaccine to protect children against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, andHaemophilus influenzaetype b (Hib) infections. According to studies done on more than 5,000 children in the United States and Canada, the vaccine appears to be safe and effective. However, as with any medical breakthrough, only time will tell.
More information on this new vaccine can be found at WebMD in their article“New Children’s Vaccine Means Fewer Shots”
Previous posts related to Vaccines can be found here.