“So far, experts have called for a combination vaccine consisting of three separate diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccines, but these higher doses are still not enough to provide complete protection.”
Dr. Douglas Brown , a pediatrician and director of global health at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine:
“The FDA is the regulatory agency for pharmaceutical companies and we allow them to request permission to start testing a new vaccine before it is approved by the agency. It is rare, though not unheard of, that FDA approves a vaccine before the other agency reviews it. With a vaccine, you submit a specific clinical data package to the FDA – a package that is very extensive and includes data about side effects, safety, efficacy and manufacturing.
“In the case of young children, a flu vaccine generally is not enough to provide full protection. We recommend that the first dose be given to children between the ages of 2 and 5. Two subsequent doses of the vaccine are recommended when those children are between 5 and 11 years old. As children get older, their immunity decreases. That is why it is particularly important to protect young children.”
Dr. Debra Connor Lutz , a pediatrician at Cornell University:
“There’s a vaccine in development that is targeted for kids 5 to 11 years old, so that’s when all the studies will be done.”
