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Abstract:

A correct vaccination technique must guarantee an adequate immune response in a safe way. However, an international agreement on the right intramuscular vaccination technique is lacking. The hereby reported position statement was developed at the request of the vaccinators in Flemish school health care (Belgium). The recommended injection site for children under 1 year of age is the anterolateral aspect of the thigh (vastus lateralis M. quadriceps). For children 1 year old and older, adolescents and adults, the upper arm muscle (M. deltoideus) is recommended for routine intramuscular vaccinations. As recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the preferred technique for intramuscular injection includes stretching the skin between the thumb and the index finger, while pricking the needle through the skin at a 90° angle to the long axis of the limb. The age-specific recommendations for intramuscular vaccination are summarized in table 4. In the absence of studies or evicence-based recommendations with regard to whether the needle should be inserted completely or not, the actual position statement recommends a complete insertion of the needle during vaccination.