A government study has found that half-dose flu shots are effective in adults, especially in women and those younger than 50, and offer a viable way to stretch supplies during vaccine shortages.
Vanderbilt University vaccine expert Dr. Kathryn Edwards, who wasn't involved in the study, says the lower dosage could open doors to vaccinating people in poor countries where flu shots are little used.
Even so, Edwards says half-dose flu shots is still experimental and hasn't been approved by federal authorities.
The study involved more than 1,100 adults. It's the first to test half-dose flu shots in those aged 50 and older during a single flu season.
The government-funded study appears in today's Archives of Internal Medicine.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
