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Temporal Association between Influenza Vaccination Coverage and Ambulatory Antibiotic Use in Children
Mariam Younas1,2,3, Julie Royer4, Hana R Winders5,6
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine.
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|April 1, 2022
Summary
Increased influenza vaccination in children was linked to less antibiotic use. Higher vaccination rates correlated with fewer antibiotic prescriptions, suggesting a public health benefit beyond flu prevention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Public health epidemiology
- Antimicrobial stewardship
Background:
- Antibiotic overuse in children contributes to antimicrobial resistance.
- Influenza infections are a common cause of pediatric respiratory illness, often treated with antibiotics.
- Vaccination is a key strategy to reduce infectious disease burden.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between influenza vaccination coverage and ambulatory antibiotic use in children.
- To quantify the impact of increased influenza vaccination on antibiotic prescription rates.
Main Methods:
- Population-based retrospective cohort study design.
- Analysis of data from South Carolina between 2012 and 2017.
- Statistical adjustment for yearly influenza vaccine effectiveness.
Main Results:
- A 1% increase in influenza vaccination coverage was associated with a decline of 3/1000 person-months in antibiotic prescriptions.
- This association remained significant after adjusting for vaccine effectiveness (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Higher influenza vaccination coverage in children is temporally associated with reduced outpatient antibiotic use.
- Influenza vaccination may serve as a strategy to decrease unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions in pediatric populations.
- Findings support efforts to improve influenza vaccination rates for broader public health benefits.
