The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday it plans to reinstate booster shots of a vaccine that protects children against bacterial meningitis. The CDC said it now believes manufacturers will have enough supply of the vaccine to resume giving a booster shot of HiB (Haemophilus influenza type-B) to children aged 12 to 15 months. The booster shots will resume July 1. Scarce supplies of the vaccine starting in 2007 prompted U.S. health authorities to recommend dropping the booster shot. It continued to recommend children be given the primary series of shots at age 2, 4, and 6 months. The CDC said its data suggest some children did not get the third shot in the series, and it may have caused an increase in infections in certain regions.
