Influenza Vaccination at a Reduced Dose Using Mesotherapy in HIV/AIDS Patients at the Hadassah AIDS Center, Jerusalem

Influenza Vaccination at a Reduced Dose Using Mesotherapy in HIV/AIDS Patients at the Hadassah AIDS Center, Jerusalem

Influenza Vaccination at a Reduced Dose of 1:10 Using Mesotherapy in HIV/AIDS Patients at the Hadassah AIDS Center, Jerusalem

Influenza vaccination has proved it's effectiveness over many years of usage including HIV/AIDS patients who are immunocompromised. In those patients, however, a noted rise in HIV viral load which follows intramuscular injection of the vaccine is of unknown significance over the long run. Mesotherapy is a procedure developed and practiced in france by which a reduced and diluted amounts of antigens is being introduced by multiple intradermal injections over the torso and upper back. Mesotherapy is mainly used as a vehicle for introducing pain medicine and cosmetics.

We will test the effectiveness of mesotherapy as a vehicle for influenza vaccination.We will use 1:10th of the amount of seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine in approx.50 HIV/AIDS patients.A control group of approx.50 matched patients for age ,treatment schedule and immune status will receive the regular injection of trivalent vaccine. We will follow patients clinically for symptoms compatible with seasonal influenza and for direct side effects of the vaccine.In addition we will measure anti influenza antibody in the two groups .Follow up will be for 6 months following vaccination.Anti influenza antibody will be measured at 1,3,6months using hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) test.

The experimental group will consist of HIV/AIDS patients(approx.50) who volunteer to receive a reduced dose Influenza vaccine using mesotherapy as a mode of injecting the vaccine intradermally.

The regular seasonal trivalent Influenza vaccine( Vaxigrip) will be diluted 1:10 in saline.The diluted vaccine will be given intra-dermally using Mesotherapy,namely multiple injections given at one time in the torso, back and axillae.

Inclusion Criteria: Virologic diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. Any immune derangement is acceptable Exclusion Criteria: Allergy to eggs

Lin JC, Nichol KL. Excess mortality due to pneumonia or influenza during influenza seasons among persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Arch Intern Med. 2001 Feb 12;161(3):441-6. doi: 10.1001/archinte.161.3.441.

Kenney RT, Frech SA, Muenz LR, Villar CP, Glenn GM. Dose sparing with intradermal injection of influenza vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2004 Nov 25;351(22):2295-301. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa043540. Epub 2004 Nov 3.