The Lancet Infectious Disease
Dec 2009  Volume 9  Number 12   Pages 719 – 796
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Reflection and Reaction
Influenza vaccination of children
Terho Heikkinen, Ville Peltola

Preview
In this issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Rogier Bodewes and colleagues state that influenza vaccination is beneficial for infants and young children, but at the same time they urge re-evaluation of vaccine recommendations because the inactivated vaccine available at present does not induce heterosubtypic immunity and might make infants more susceptible to pandemic influenza. Although there are numerous immunological mechanisms related to infection with influenza to be discovered, we feel that the conclusions should be put into perspective.