Child flu pilot ‘encouraging’
pharmafile | June 9, 2014 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | UK, Vaccine, chid, children, flu, government, phd
Figures from the child flu vaccine pilot launched last year by Public Health England (PHE) are encouraging, the government says.
While there is no statistical significance to the data, an article published in Eurosurveillance looked at various factors during the 2013-14 influenza season and suggest ‘a positive impact’.
Its findings are based on elements such as doctors’ consultations for influenza-like illnesses, swab positivity in primary care, laboratory-confirmed hospitalisations and percentage of respiratory emergency department attendances.
In 2012 the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised extending the national flu immunisation programme to all children aged two to 17-years-old.
Last year all children aged two and three years were offered flu vaccinations – and those aged four to 11 were vaccinated in seven pilot areas: Bury, Cumbria, Gateshead, Leicester City, East Leicestershire and Rutland, and the London Boroughs of Havering and Newham and South East Essex.
In all, 104,792 primary school age children were vaccinated – the vast majority of whom received at least one dose of a nasal spray flu vaccine rather than an injection.
The cumulative GP consultation rate for ‘influenza-like illness’ over the 2013-14 season was higher in non-pilot areas (64.5 cases per 100,000 people) than ones where the pilot took place (17.7 per 100,000).
The cumulative influenza positivity rate in primary care in pilot areas was 8.5% compared to 16.2%, while the figure for respiratory attendances in emergency departments was 5.5% versus 8.7 per cent.
The idea of the extension was to protect healthy children as well as reducing the risk of spreading flu to vulnerable family members, such as younger siblings and grandparents.
From September this year, the vaccination will be offered to all two to four-year-olds while the existing pilots continue – and the government says additional pilots for children aged 11 and 12 will also begin in some areas.
“These early results of the uptake and impact of the first year of the childhood flu vaccine programme are encouraging and the uptake levels already achieved in primary school age children this season in the pilot areas are positive,” says Dr Richard Pebody, study author and flu expert at PHE.
“Despite this season being of relatively low intensity, these early findings already suggest a likely impact of vaccinating school-age children on levels of circulating flu, which is encouraging for the ongoing roll-out,” he adds.
There have also been well-publicised health concerns over vaccines developed quickly in the face of global flu scares, with the European Medicines Agency investigating links between one GlaxoSmithKline flu vaccine and instances of narcolepsy.
Adam Hill
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