Children Vaccines

Neonatal Vaccines

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New-borns have an immature immune system that renders them at high risk for infection while simultaneously reducing responses to most vaccines, thereby posing challenges in protecting this vulnerable population. Nevertheless, certain vaccines, such as Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) and Hepatitis B vaccine (HBV), do demonstrate safety and some efficacy at birth, providing proof of principal that certain antigen-adjuvant combinations are able to elicit protective neonatal responses.

Neonates and infants suffer a high frequency and severity of microbial infection resulting in millions of deaths worldwide. The same immune deficiencies that render new-borns susceptible to infection also reduce their memory responses to most antigens, thereby potentially frustrating efforts to protect this high-risk population. As birth is the most reliable point of healthcare contact worldwide and effective vaccination at birth would provide early protection for new-borns and infants, expanding and improving the available means of neonatal vaccination is a global health priority.