BMJ  2006;333 (16 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7568.0-a

Use long needles to immunise infants

Long (25 mm) needles are best for immunising children aged 2, 3, and 4 months, say Diggle and Deeks (p 571). They randomised almost 700 healthy infants who had been vaccinated with a combined diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine and a meningococcal C vaccine at ages 2, 3, and 4 months to either a long wide needle (25 mm, 23 gauge), a short narrow needle (16 mm, 25 gauge), or a long narrow needle (25 mm, 25 gauge). Long needles significantly decreased local reactions after each dose, and immunogenicity was comparable between long and short needles, independent of the width.

Credit: IAN HOOTON/SPL

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Relevant Article

Effect of needle size on immunogenicity and reactogenicity of vaccines in infants: randomised controlled trial

Linda Diggle, Jonathan J Deeks, and Andrew J Pollard
BMJ 2006 333: 571. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]