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Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations in Unvaccinated Children Across Six Consecutive Seasons: Clinical Burden and

Irina Profir1,2,3, Cristina-Mihaela Popescu2,3,4, Alexandru Nechifor3,5

  • 1Clinical Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, "Dunărea de Jos" University of Galați, 800216 Galați, Romania.

Vaccines
|June 25, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Low influenza vaccination rates in Romanian children are linked to significant clinical illness. Urgent public health interventions are needed to boost vaccine uptake, especially for infants and pregnant women.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Influenza vaccination coverage among children in Romania is critically low.
  • Regional data on clinical burden versus vaccine uptake are scarce.
  • This study addresses the gap in understanding pediatric influenza burden in Romania.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the clinical burden of influenza in unvaccinated children in Galați County, Romania.
  • To assess regional influenza vaccination coverage in children and pregnant women.
  • To contextualize the clinical impact of low vaccination rates.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective descriptive study of pediatric influenza cases (0-14 years) confirmed by RT-PCR.
  • Analysis of data from "Sf. Ioan" Clinical Emergency Pediatric Hospital, Galați, over six seasons (2019-2025).
  • Inclusion of regional vaccination coverage data and national population statistics.

Main Results:

  • 525 unvaccinated children were included; median age 2 years, with 50.5% aged 2 or younger.
  • Multisystem involvement occurred in 97.52% of cases, predominantly respiratory (86.66%).
  • Median hospital stay was 5 days; regional pediatric vaccination coverage remained below 2.0%, reaching 0.1% in 2025.

Conclusions:

  • A critical and persistent influenza vaccination gap exists for children and pregnant women in Galați County.
  • Infants, young children, and pregnant women are identified as key under-vaccinated groups.
  • Targeted public health interventions are urgently required to improve vaccine uptake in Romania and similar settings.

Keywords:
Romaniachildhospitalizationhuman influenzainfantinfluenza vaccinesvaccination coverage

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