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Pneumococcal vaccine may offer added protection during pandemic flu
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During the most recent pandemic outbreak of influenza in the 2009-2010 season, pneumococcal vaccination may have contributed to decreased hospitalizations in young children; however, that same trend did not occur in the following year, according to study data published online.
Angela Domínguez, MD, PhD, of the University of Barcelona in Spain, and colleagues conducted a multicenter, matched case-control study and reported data from 194 patients aged 6 months to 5 years who were hospitalized with influenza and 342 controls. The study was conducted in 36 hospitals across Spain between July 2009 and April 2011.
“In the 2009-2010 pandemic wave, the adjusted benefit in preventing hospitalization was 48% in fully vaccinated children compared with –79% in the 2010-2011 influenza season,” the researchers wrote.
They offered some possible explanations as to the differences between seasons, specifically that the number of cases of pneumococcal disease caused by nonvaccine types was higher in the second season, or that the number of hospitalized patients differed between the two seasons, hindering efforts to observe the effects of vaccination.
Disclosure: Domínguez reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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