Flu Vaccine Protects Kids from Severe Illness

A study shows that the influenza vaccine effectively prevents severe illness, including hospitalizations, in children (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Estimated Vaccine Effectiveness for Pediatric Patients With Severe Influenza, 2015-2020

Go to source). The study led by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed having at least one dose of influenza vaccine was estimated to be over 50 percent effective in protecting children against influenza-related emergency department and hospital visits.

Importance of Flu Vaccination in Children

"Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to protect children against influenza and its complications, including severe illness and hospitalisation," said the researchers in the paper. "Improving vaccine uptake in children may reduce influenza illness and, subsequently, emergency department and hospital visits in a time of increased respiratory virus co-circulation," they added.

For the study, published online in the JAMA Network Open, the team analysed data from 15,728 children aged 6 months through 17 years who presented for care with acute respiratory illness. About 17.2 percent of participants had positive influenza tests, while 82.8 percent had negative. Overall, 49.5 percent of the children in the influenza test-positive and test-negative groups were vaccinated.

Among children of all ages, receiving at least one influenza vaccine dose was estimated to have vaccine effectiveness of 55.7 percent for preventing influenza-associated emergency department visits or hospitalizations. Across severity levels, the estimated vaccine effectiveness was similar: 52.8, 52.3, and 50.4 percent for emergency department visits, noncritical hospitalisation, and critical hospitalisation, respectively.

Reference:

1. Estimated Vaccine Effectiveness for Pediatric Patients With Severe Influenza, 2015-2020 - (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2828501)

Source-IANS