Influenza hospitalizations in Australian children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Australia's National Immunisation Program (NIP) offers free influenza vaccines to high-risk children.
• A pilot program for universal pediatric influenza vaccination in one state showed limited impact, potentially due to safety concerns.
• Influenza poses a significant hospitalization risk to Australian children, including healthy individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze pediatric influenza hospitalizations across three seasons (2011-2013) in Australia.
• To compare hospitalization data with national immunization coverage.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of current influenza vaccination strategies in children.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of influenza hospitalizations in children (<16 years) at two Australian pediatric hospitals.
• Comparison with state-based hospitalization data and national immunization register data.
• Analysis of vaccination status among hospitalized children.

Main Results:

• 740 hospitalizations were reviewed; 64% were in children under 5 years old.
• 57% of hospitalized children were healthy and not eligible for funded vaccination.
• Vaccination rates prior to hospitalization were low (5.0% for at-risk, 0.7% for healthy children).
• Intensive care unit admission occurred in 8.5%, and 1.5% developed encephalitis.

Conclusions:

• Current influenza vaccination strategies under the NIP have low impact in Australian children.
• A substantial burden of influenza hospitalizations occurs in healthy children not targeted by current programs.
• Universal pediatric influenza vaccination may be a necessary strategy to reduce disease burden.