Vaccine Program Cuts Flu Burden in Primary Care

The live attenuated influenza vaccination program for healthy children helps reduce the burden of influenza in primary care, according to a recent study.

For their study, the researchers assessed the effect of the program on the burden of influenza in primary care in Northern Ireland. Impact was measured via general practitioner (GP) in-hour consultation and out-of-hour calls for influenza and influenza-like illness.
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Children were categorized and analyzed by age. Children younger than 14 years were measured for direct impact, while children age 14 years or older were measured for indirect impact. Overall, 7 influenza seasons between 2010 and 2017 were included in the analysis (3 seasons before the program, 1 pilot season, and 3 seasons after the program).

Results indicated that, since program introduction, there had been a high uptake of vaccination, with a consistent uptake of more than 50% in preschool children and more than 75% in primary school children.

The researchers noted that there had been statistically significant reductions in GP in-hour consultations and in out-of-hour calls after the program vs before the program—both overall (GP in-hours response rate [RR] 0.61) and in children younger than 14 years (GP in-hours RR 0.38)

“Our results suggest that there have been reductions in the burden of flu in primary care settings overall and in children aged under 14 years in the seasons since the introduction of healthy children influenza vaccination,” the researchers concluded. “Further seasons should be added to subsequent analyses to strengthen this evidence.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Gallagher N, Jessop L, Sartaj M, Johnston J. Impact of live attenuated influenza vaccination programme for healthy children in Northern Ireland: a comparison of seven influenza seasons, 2010/11–2016/17 [Published online December 21, 2017]. Vaccine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.12.003.