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TORONTO — As few as 12 pediatric influenza immunizations and probably even fewer in each practice could prevent an outpatient visit for influenza later in the season, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.
“Most physicians already know the benefits of influenza immunization, but when you have such a simple number it's just easier to stick inside your head,” said the study's author Elizabeth Lewis, a medical student at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. “Our goal was to provide a clinically relevant number for primary care providers.”
The study used published literature to ascertain rates of influenza infection in children aged between 6 and 59 months, and assumed various rates of vaccine efficacy, also published in the literature. “The published range of efficacy is anywhere from 46% to 80% or 90%,” she said in an interview. “Assuming only half of 6- to 59-month-old children are vaccinated—at a conservative 50% vaccine efficacy—that eliminates 2,250 hospitalizations and upwards of 650,000 outpatient visits.”
Translating that down to the individual physician, Ms. Lewis and her colleagues estimated that, depending on season severity and children's ages, between 12 and 42 would need to be vaccinated to prevent one outpatient visit for influenza. The corresponding range for preventing one influenza-attributable hospitalization was about 1,000–3,000 for children aged 6–23 months, and twice that for those aged 24–59 months.
“We also conservatively assumed no herd immunity, but we know there is a basis in the literature for herd immunity. Influenza is highly contagious, and vaccination of schoolchildren decreases influenza in the entire population. So, accounting for herd immunity, the number needed to treat would be less,” she said.
TORONTO — As few as 12 pediatric influenza immunizations and probably even fewer in each practice could prevent an outpatient visit for influenza later in the season, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.
“Most physicians already know the benefits of influenza immunization, but when you have such a simple number it's just easier to stick inside your head,” said the study's author Elizabeth Lewis, a medical student at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. “Our goal was to provide a clinically relevant number for primary care providers.”
The study used published literature to ascertain rates of influenza infection in children aged between 6 and 59 months, and assumed various rates of vaccine efficacy, also published in the literature. “The published range of efficacy is anywhere from 46% to 80% or 90%,” she said in an interview. “Assuming only half of 6- to 59-month-old children are vaccinated—at a conservative 50% vaccine efficacy—that eliminates 2,250 hospitalizations and upwards of 650,000 outpatient visits.”
Translating that down to the individual physician, Ms. Lewis and her colleagues estimated that, depending on season severity and children's ages, between 12 and 42 would need to be vaccinated to prevent one outpatient visit for influenza. The corresponding range for preventing one influenza-attributable hospitalization was about 1,000–3,000 for children aged 6–23 months, and twice that for those aged 24–59 months.
“We also conservatively assumed no herd immunity, but we know there is a basis in the literature for herd immunity. Influenza is highly contagious, and vaccination of schoolchildren decreases influenza in the entire population. So, accounting for herd immunity, the number needed to treat would be less,” she said.
TORONTO — As few as 12 pediatric influenza immunizations and probably even fewer in each practice could prevent an outpatient visit for influenza later in the season, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.
“Most physicians already know the benefits of influenza immunization, but when you have such a simple number it's just easier to stick inside your head,” said the study's author Elizabeth Lewis, a medical student at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. “Our goal was to provide a clinically relevant number for primary care providers.”
The study used published literature to ascertain rates of influenza infection in children aged between 6 and 59 months, and assumed various rates of vaccine efficacy, also published in the literature. “The published range of efficacy is anywhere from 46% to 80% or 90%,” she said in an interview. “Assuming only half of 6- to 59-month-old children are vaccinated—at a conservative 50% vaccine efficacy—that eliminates 2,250 hospitalizations and upwards of 650,000 outpatient visits.”
Translating that down to the individual physician, Ms. Lewis and her colleagues estimated that, depending on season severity and children's ages, between 12 and 42 would need to be vaccinated to prevent one outpatient visit for influenza. The corresponding range for preventing one influenza-attributable hospitalization was about 1,000–3,000 for children aged 6–23 months, and twice that for those aged 24–59 months.
“We also conservatively assumed no herd immunity, but we know there is a basis in the literature for herd immunity. Influenza is highly contagious, and vaccination of schoolchildren decreases influenza in the entire population. So, accounting for herd immunity, the number needed to treat would be less,” she said.