CHAPTER 28 Immunisation
• Preterm babies should be immunised according to their chronological age, ‘provided that they are well and that there are no contraindications to vaccination’, with the exception that the option is given in the Australian Immunisation Handbook for babies born at less than 32 weeks of gestation to receive their first hepatitis B immunisation with the normal first general immunisation at 2 months of age.
• The other standard immunisations at 2 months (in Australia) are for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus (DTPa), pneumococcus (7-valent), polio (intramuscular) and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib).
• The Australian Immunisation Handbook states:
— ‘When PedvaxHIB is used in an extremely preterm baby (<28 weeks gestation or <1500 g birth weight), an additional dose of vaccine should be given at 6 months of age (i.e. doses should be given at 2, 4, 6 and 12 months of age)’
and additionally
— ‘All preterm babies born at less than 28 weeks’ gestation or with chronic lung disease should be offered the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months of age with a fourth dose at 12 months of age, and a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine booster at 4 to 5 years of age’.
