If a child with sickle cell disease who receive blood transfusions every month received the first transfusion less than two weeks after their vaccines, when can the vaccinations be repeated?
This is a challenge with the live vaccines. Measles and varicella containing vaccines are not valid when given at a short interval. A replacement dose of these vaccines would need to be spaced at an interval which can range from zero to seven months following the product, depending on the amount of antibody in the product. Table 4 in the ACIP General Recommendations on Immunization lists these specific intervals.
