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Biosecurity News in Brief
Study Prompts Government to Recommend Flu Vaccine to All Children, Not Just Those Under Age 5By Nidhi Bouri, September 15, 2008 The Associated Press (AP) reported on September 8, 2008, that the government is recommending that children ages 6 months to 18 years be vaccinated against influenza for the upcoming season—a contrast to recommendations of previous years, when the annual flu vaccine was recommended for children under the age of 5. Consequently, it is estimated that an additional 30 million children will receive the vaccine.1 This recommendation is being made, in part, in response to an Annals of Emergency Medicine study which adds to a “growing body of evidence supporting a critical role played by children in community-wide transmission of acute respiratory infections.”2 Drs. John Brownstein and Kenneth Mandl, researchers at Harvard University, conducted the study by linking 157,542 adult Boston-area emergency room visits for upper-respiratory infections with the 55 zip codes in which the adults reside, and the numbers of children within those zip codes. The study found that the proportion of children in a zip code was directly associated with the rate and timing of adult illness in that zip code. The authors also found a direct correlation between the size of the child population and the number of adult ER visits; for every 1 percent increase in the child population, there was a 4 percent increase in adult ER visits.2 According to the AP report, reducing the number of flu cases among children could have a positive effect for a number of age groups. If more children are vaccinated against influenza, it could result in a decrease in the numbers of children missing school, parents missing work, and flu-related deaths among children. In addition, an increase in the number of vaccinated children could be especially important in helping protect adults over the age of 65, who account for 36,000 flu-related deaths each winter.1 The study notes that although more seniors are being vaccinated, there has not been a decrease in flu-related death rates among that age group. Therefore, while the study recommends that seniors continue to be vaccinated seasonally, broadening the age range for children to receive flu vaccine could help reduce the number and severity of influenza cases across communities. References
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