Experts on a health ministry panel agreed Friday that a single shot of vaccine for the new H1N1 strain of influenza is sufficient instead of two for those aged 13 and older, including pregnant women and patients with certain underlying illnesses.
The agreement came after an interim report on clinical tests of swine flu showed that a single shot of domestically produced vaccine worked perfectly well.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will reach a decision based on the panel's recommendation. But if it does decide to reduce vaccinations to a single shot, more people will benefit from the vaccine.