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A Method to Assess Fc-mediated Effector Functions Induced by Influenza Hemagglutinin Specific Antibodies
Published on: February 23, 2018
Protection of children against influenza: Emerging problems
Nicola Principi1, Susanna Esposito1
1a Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation , Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico , Milan , Italy.
Insights
Maternal immunization offers a potential way to protect infants from influenza, but antibody protection is often short-lived. Further research is needed to clarify the effectiveness of live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV) in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Influenza poses a significant risk to infants, especially those under six months who are too young for vaccination.
- Maternal immunization is explored as a strategy to provide passive immunity to newborns.
- The evolution of influenza vaccines includes inactivated (IIV) and live attenuated (LAIV) forms, with quadrivalent options (IIV4, LAIV4) now available.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current evidence on maternal immunization for infant influenza protection.
- To assess the effectiveness of live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV) in pediatric populations.
- To address the limitations of current infant influenza protection strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing scientific literature and clinical data on maternal immunization and influenza vaccine effectiveness.
- Analysis of studies evaluating antibody levels in infants born to immunized mothers.
- Examination of data regarding the efficacy and safety of LAIV in children.
Main Results:
- Maternal immunization does not guarantee protective antibody levels in all newborns.
- Antibody protection from maternal immunization is often limited to the first eight weeks of life.
- The effectiveness of LAIV in children requires further clarification, despite its potential to improve vaccination coverage.
Conclusions:
- Passive immunity from maternal influenza vaccination offers transient protection to infants.
- Further investigation into LAIV effectiveness is crucial for optimizing pediatric influenza prevention strategies.
- Addressing the vulnerability of infants younger than six months to influenza remains a public health priority.
Abstract:
Influenza is a common disease and in children it can be severe enough to lead to hospitalization and death. Protection of all children against influenza, particularly the youngest, is strongly recommended by most health authorities. However, available vaccines cannot be used in the first 6 months of age, a period of life characterized by the highest risk of influenza-related complications. Maternal immunization is an attractive possibility to overcome this problem. For years, protection against influenza has been pursued by administering the trivalent inactivated vaccine given intramuscularly (IIV3). More recently, a trivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV3) administered intranasally was licensed and adopted in a number of countries as an alternative to IIV3. In recent years, to increase protection and include a second B strain, quadrivalent inactivated (IIV4) and live attenuated vaccines (LAIV4) were prepared and licensed. However, during the 2015-2016 season the effectiveness of LAIVs was debated, and they were withdrawn from the list of recommended influenza vaccines in the USA. This review presents an update on the evidence related to the protection of infants against influenza through maternal immunization and the effectiveness of LAIV. Available data indicates that despite maternal immunization, a number of children have no protective antibody levels at birth, and in the majority of children with antibody protection, it is limited to the first 8 weeks of the postnatal period. Moreover, data on LAIV effectiveness in the pediatric population must be clarified because this vaccine can significantly improve vaccination coverage in children.
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