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Influenza Vaccination Effectiveness in Paediatric 'Healthy' Patients: A Population-Based Study in Italy
Anna Cantarutti1,2, Elisa Barbieri3, Fabio Didonè2
1National Centre for Healthcare Research and Pharmacoepidemiology, Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy.
Insights
The influenza vaccine (IV) is highly effective in preventing influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) in healthy children. Annual IV administration is recommended to reduce disease spread and burden in the pediatric population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
- Public Health
Background:
- Seasonal influenza poses significant health risks, including morbidity and mortality, particularly in children.
- The influenza vaccine (IV) is the primary preventive measure against influenza and associated complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine (IV) in a cohort of healthy Italian children.
- To assess the impact of IV on preventing influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI).
Main Methods:
- A cohort of healthy children aged six months to 14 years was studied using the Pedianet database (2009-2019).
- Cox proportional-hazards models analyzed the association between IV exposure and incident influenza/ILI.
- Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was calculated as (1-HR) × 100, with exposure as a time-varying variable.
Main Results:
- High vaccine effectiveness (VE) was observed in healthy children.
- No significant additive or prolonged effects of the influenza vaccine were detected across seasons.
Conclusions:
- The influenza vaccine is effective in preventing influenza/ILI among healthy children.
- Annual IV administration should be encouraged and provided free to all Italian children to minimize disease transmission and pediatric burden.
Background:
Seasonal influenza can cause serious morbidity, mortality, and financial burden in pediatric and adult populations. The influenza vaccine (IV) is considered the most effective way to prevent influenza and influenza-like-illness (ILI) complications.
Objective:
To assess the effectiveness of the IV in a cohort of healthy children in Italy.
Methods:
From the Pedianet database, all healthy children aged six months-14 years between 2009-2019 were enrolled. Cox proportional-hazards models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios and the 95% confidence interval for the association between IV exposure during each season of interest (from October to April of each year) with incident influenza/ILI. Exposure was considered as a time-varying variable. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was calculated as (1-HR) × 100. The additive and prolonged effects of IV were evaluated across the seasons.
Results:
We found a high IV effectiveness among healthy children. No additional or prolonged effects were found.
Conclusion:
Our data indicates that IV was effective in preventing influenza/ILI in healthy children. Therefore, IV should be encouraged and provided free of charge to healthy children in all the Italian regions every year, reducing disease spread and lowering the burden on the pediatric population.
