Vaccine Stretch: Smaller dose packs punch against flu
By David Shiga
A fraction of the standard dose of flu vaccine grants people immunity to influenza if injected into the skin rather than into the muscle of the upper arm, the usual target. That’s the conclusion of two studies to appear in the Nov. 25 New England Journal of Medicine but released early because of their public health implications.
The technique will not be approved in time to solve this year’s vaccine shortage, but it could mitigate future shortages and might also provide a new way to pump up immunity against flu in the elderly.