Related Experiment Videos
Response of children with cardiac disease to the bivalent influenza A vaccines
Insights
Children with cardiac disease showed similar immune responses to influenza vaccines as other high-risk and normal children. Split-virus vaccines were better tolerated, with fewer reactions than whole-virus vaccines.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric immunology
- Vaccinology
- Cardiology
Background:
- Influenza vaccination is crucial for high-risk populations, including children with cardiac disease.
- Previous studies have not fully elucidated the immune response and reaction rates of cardiac children to specific influenza vaccine types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the immune response and reaction rates in children with cardiac disease after receiving bivalent influenza A/New Jersey/76-A/Victoria/75 vaccine.
- To compare the efficacy and safety of whole-virus versus split-virus influenza vaccines in this pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Nationwide trials involving 121 children (aged 3-18 years) with cardiac disease.
- Administration of either whole-virus or split-virus bivalent influenza vaccine in single or two divided doses.
- Assessment of serologic response and reaction rates, including fever.
Main Results:
- Cardiac children exhibited serologic responses comparable to other high-risk and normal children.
- Whole-virus vaccines caused fever in 25-50% of recipients; split-virus vaccines were generally well tolerated.
- The second vaccine dose was better tolerated than the first dose.
Conclusions:
- Bivalent influenza vaccines are immunogenically equivalent in children with cardiac disease compared to other pediatric groups.
- Split-virus influenza vaccines are recommended for children with cardiac disease due to better tolerability.
- Further research is needed to correlate reactions with specific cardiac diagnoses.
Abstract:
During the recent nationwide trials of influenza vaccine, 121 children with cardiac disease, aged three to 18 years, were evaluated with respect to their immune response and reaction rate after administration of a whole-virus or split-virus bivalent influenza A/New Jersey/76-A/Victoria/75 vaccine given as a single dose or two divided doses. The serologic response of the cardiac children did not differ significantly from that of the total group of high-risk children or normal children who recived the same vaccine. The major reaction to the vaccines was fever, which occurred in one-fourth to one-half of children receiving the whole-virus vaccines. The split-virus vaccines were generally well tolerated. The reaction index of the cardiac children was slightly lower than that of the normal children receiving the same vaccine during the single-dose trial but higher during the two-dose trial. The second dose was generally better tolerated than the first dose. Reactions in the children with cardiac disease could not be adequately evaluated according to specific diagnoses or functional disabilities.