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Earlier delivery of VFC influenza vaccine urged
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Earlier shipment of influenza vaccine through the Vaccines for Children program in 2010 meant more children received two doses of the vaccine, according to study findings published online.
Christopher S. Ambrose, MD, and Seth L. Toback, MD, both of MedImmune when the article was written, published data from an observational study of US pediatric practices on two-dose influenza vaccination compliance rates across three influenza seasons: 2007-2008, 2008-2009 and 2010-2011.
Christopher S. Ambrose
The researchers said VFC influenza vaccine was shipped earlier each year. In 2010-2011, when VFC vaccine began shipping in September, the rate of children receiving two doses only differed by about 3% between VFC and non-VFC populations. In contrast, in previous years, rates differed by approximately 10%.
“Two-dose compliance rates for the VFC and non-VFC populations were 38.5% and 47.5% (P< .001) in 2007-2008, 45.9% and 55.1% (P<.001) in 2008-2009, and 50% and 52.9% (P<.001) in 2010-2011, respectively,” the researchers said.
Because of the additional requirements and complexity of the VFC distribution system, “it may not be possible to ensure simultaneous delivery of VFC and non-VFC influenza vaccine shipments to providers,” Ambrose told Infectious Diseases in Children.“Based on the current analysis, a more realistic and similarly effective target could be for VFC influenza vaccine shipments to arrive by early September.”
The researchers also suggested that pediatric health care providers should be aware that children in the VFC program may have less time to receive an influenza vaccine and should consider increasing their efforts to vaccinate this population in later months.
Christopher S. Ambrose, MD, can be reached at MedImmune, LLC, OneMedImmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD; email: ambrosec@medimmune.com.
Disclosure: Ambrose and Toback were both employees of MedImmune, LLC, at the time the study was conducted. Toback is now an employee of Gilead Sciences.
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