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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.
Insights
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.
Abstract:
In this population-based retrospective cohort study, increased influenza vaccination coverage was temporally associated with a reduction in ambulatory antibiotic use in children. After adjustment for yearly vaccine effectiveness, antibiotic prescription rate declined by 3/1000 person-months for each 1% increase in influenza vaccination coverage between 2012 and 2017 in South Carolina (P < 0.001).
