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Routine primary immunisation using a longer needle resulted in fewer local reactions in infants

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QUESTION: When giving routine immunisations to infants, does needle length affect the incidence of local reactions?

Design

Randomised (allocation concealed), blinded (outcome assessors), controlled trial with follow up to 3 days.

Setting

8 general practices in Buckinghamshire, UK.

Participants

119 healthy infants attending routine immunisation clinics. Exclusion criteria were those applicable to children receiving primary immunisations. 92% of infants (58% boys) completed follow up.

Intervention

58 infants were allocated to receive their third dose of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines (due at 16 weeks) given with a 23 gauge, 25 mm (longer) blue hub needle …

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Footnotes

  • Source of funding: Smith and Nephew Foundation.

  • For correspondence: Ms L Diggle, Oxford Vaccine Group, University Department of Paediatrics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. Fax +44 (0)1865 221068.

  • A modified version of this abstract appears in Evidence-Based Medicine.