OnMedica – News – Influenza vaccine for children proves very effective

87% effective vaccine against influenza strain circulating

The nasal spray flu vaccine has been shown to be 87% effective in children aged 2 to 17 years in the UK against the main influenza strain in circulation, it was revealed.

Public Health England (PHE) has published in the journal data on the effectiveness of this year's influenza vaccines, as well as data from other countries. Eurosurveillance. *

The vaccine given to adults aged 18 to 64 in the at-risk groups would be 39% effective against the same strain.

Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 was the main strain in circulation this season. Because the number of cases is lower, an accurate estimate for people aged 65 and over will only be available at the end of the season.

PHE said that more children had been vaccinated than ever before this season, more than five million children having been offered a nasal spray. The vaccine was offered to an additional school group (grade 5), which means that all children aged 2 to 9 were now eligible.

The vaccination rate in children aged 2 and 3 years is respectively 43% and 45.2%, says PHE, and in children of school age, it ranges from 56.2% to 63.9% according to the age group. Although these levels are the highest of all times, PHE believes that more can be done to increase utilization.

Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunization at PHE, said, "It is encouraging that this year's vaccines offer a high level of protection against the main influenza strain in circulation, especially among children. Children tend to be "super-propagators" of the flu. Their protection is therefore crucial to protect the rest of the population.

"We are pleased that more parents are accepting the vaccination offer for their children – and encourage all those who are eligible to do so every winter. This is the best defense we have against this unpredictable virus. "

Health and Social Affairs Secretary Matt Hanbad said, "The most fundamental instinct for any parent is to do everything in their power to protect their child. Vaccines save countless lives and are absolutely essential.

"More children have been vaccinated this year to protect themselves from the flu, and that's a positive sign that the vaccine itself seems to be more effective than in previous years. Our world-leading vaccination program saves lives, and I urge all parents of young children to make sure their child is vaccinated against influenza and other childhood illnesses. "

This season, the "quadrivalent" injected vaccine (offering protection against four strains of influenza) has been offered to people aged 18 to 64 in a risk group.

A new "adjuvanted" vaccine was also available for people aged 65 and over. Current data does not include an estimate of the effectiveness for this age category, as additional data and badysis are needed to calculate a specific figure.

Data on the effectiveness of this season's vaccines against influenza B strains are not available because these strains have not circulated much this season.

* Kissling E, Rose A, Emborg H-D, et al. Effectiveness of the 2018/19 Intermediate Influenza Vaccine: Six European Studies, October 2018 to January 2019. Euro Surveill. 2019;24(8): py = 1900121. DOI: 10.2807 / 1560-7917.ES.2019.24.1900121.