According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, the flu vaccine effectively prevents severe illness in children.
Researcher Kelsey Sumner, from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta), and her colleagues conducted a case-control study to examine vaccine efficacy (VE) in children with severe disease, using data from medical centers across eight US states and a negative test approach.
The study analyzed data from 15,728 children aged 6 months to 17 years who sought medical care for acute respiratory illnesses.
The researchers found that 2,710 participants (17.2%) tested positive for the flu, while 13,018 (82.8%) tested negative. The study categorized cases into emergency department visits, hospitalizations for non-critical influenza, and hospitalizations for severe influenza, respectively.
Overall, 49.5% of children in both the flu-positive and flu-negative groups were vaccinated. Among children of all ages, receiving at least one dose of the flu vaccine was estimated to be 55.7% effective in preventing flu-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
