Flu vaccine reduces paediatric admissions

Young children who are vaccinated against influenza are less likely to be admitted to hospital for respiratory complications of flu infection than unvaccinated children, a large Canadian study has reported.

The study analysed medical records of 9,547 children in Ontario aged six months to five years who were admitted to hospital during the 2010-11 to 2013-14 flu seasons and had a respiratory specimen collected and tested for influenza.

Results showed that 12.8% of the children’s specimens tested positive for the virus. Vaccination reduced the risk of laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalisations by 60% in children who were fully vaccinated and by 39% in those partly vaccinated.

Full vaccination offered statistically significant protection in three of the four flu seasons, whereas partial vaccination offered protection in two seasons.

Senior author Jeff Kwong, from Public Health Ontario, said: “Influenza can cause serious illness, especially in young children, but there hasn’t been a lot of research that has examined the magnitude of the influenza vaccine’s effectiveness at preventing kids from getting really sick and being hospitalised.

“This research paper helps fill that gap by showing how effective the influenza vaccine can be at protecting young kids against serious complications from influenza infections.”