Influenza Vaccinations in School-Aged Children

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Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent influenza infection, although the effectiveness of the vaccine varies from year to year. Children and the elderly have the highest risk of influenza-related complications requiring hospitalization compared to other age groups. Vaccination is a key strategy for influenza prevention and control. Influenza vaccination is often recommended for children because of 1) the high burden of influenza among children and 2) the role of children in the transmission of the influenza virus, facilitated by their social contacts. Chua et al., article assesses the efficacy of influenza vaccine (VE) against influenza-associated hospitalization in children in different age groups, type/ influenza subtype, and the time period in each season. Thus, the effectiveness of influenza vaccination against the hospitalization of school-age children is considered.

Influenza infection remains a severe health burden for both the adult and pediatric populations. According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 1 billion cases, of which 3 to 5 million are severe, resulting in 290,000–650,000 influenza-related respiratory deaths annually (Rolfes et al., 2019). Children often face the highest risk of contracting influenza compared to other age groups. At the same time, they also play a critical role in the introduction and spread of the influenza virus in households and communities. Since 2010, the CDC estimates that flu-related hospital admissions among children have ranged from 7,000 to 26,000 (Kalligeros et al., 2020). Vaccination remains the most effective method of preventing influenza infection. However, effectiveness may vary seasonally due to the antigenic variability of seasonal influenza viruses and the degree of concordance between influenza vaccine strains and circulating strains. In this regard, the authors conducted a detailed analysis and evaluation of the influenza vaccine.

Although vaccination is usually targeted at a younger population for epidemiological and practical reasons, vaccination in most age groups, including adults, is considered very cost-effective. In this regard, the relevance of the study by Chua et al. (2021). The study is further supported by the fact that children are at greater risk of infection. Given the constant contact of children with other peers, the risk of spreading the disease in children of school and preschool age increases. Influenza vaccine research is currently underway in many countries around the world to evaluate more than just the effectiveness of vaccination in preventing influenza infections (Lofgren et al., 2022). It is important to determine the economic feasibility of seasonal influenza vaccination as well. The conceptual analysis will allow determining the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine.

The data was collected from public hospitals in Hong Kong between 2010 and 2020. This study presents opportunities for broader research, for example, to trace the relationship between social contact and the spread of the virus in school-age children. Interestingly, the claimed analysis can be used to further track the development of immunity to the disease in children after influenza vaccination. In addition, the study itself presents broader results than just the effect of the vaccine. The study presents the vaccination coverage in the control group, the seasons of decline and rise in the incidence of influenza among children, and the time period in each season (Chua et al., 2021). When analyzing the data of other scientists, the peak incidence of influenza falls in the period from the 4th to the 9th epidemiological weeks (Falcón-Lezama et al., 2020). However, among the school-age population, influenza transmission has a longer duration (started earlier and ended later) (Falcón-Lezama et al., 2020). Studies in children confirm that vaccination reduces the incidence and burden of seasonal influenza, highlighting the importance of targeting this group in national immunization policies (Tillard et al., 2022). Thus, by considering the effectiveness of vaccination, it is possible to expand the analysis concept and explore related areas.

The study is part of the concept of system-oriented practice, the most important in relation to the study of performance. Assessments must be both valid and effective so that residents receive appropriate and timely feedback so that corrective actions can be taken when needed (Natesan et al., 2018). The goals of the analysis were determined to address the question posed by Chua et al. (2021). In defining the attributes, the needs of the system were taken into account, which was associated with the solution to the problem of increased incidence of influenza among children. The prior events of the article were an increase in hospital admissions for children in Hong Kong (Chua et al., 2021). The analysis makes it possible to identify the consistency of influenza vaccination in order to assess its effectiveness of this among school-age children. Research plays a significant role in the need for balance between patient and system needs (Natesan et al., 2018). The researchers are also looking at the impact of vaccination on reducing hospitalizations, that is, acting to protect health and improve the system.

Influenza seasons in Hong Kong were lengthening, and influenza-related hospitalizations occurred almost every month during the study period. Influenza vaccination has effectively prevented influenza-related hospitalizations in children of all ages. Thus, Chua et al. (2021) have a significant impact on the study of the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in schoolchildren. Hong Kong’s childhood flu vaccination program has prevented flu-related hospitalizations, especially among young children. It allows to talk about the increase in immunity to the disease, declared as the main advantage of the vaccine (Benjamin-Chung et al., 2020). The described study provides data for ten years of the fight against the disease. Children are more likely to transmit the influenza virus to people of the same age and different age groups due to their social mixing patterns. Therefore, they are an important target group in the fight against influenza.

Unlike many other vaccine-controlled viral infections, influenza is still an unresolved problem. However, vaccination is recognized as the most effective way to prevent influenza infection. Influenza vaccination protects against any pediatric hospitalization associated with influenza, not only in adults but also in school-age children. Research findings support the importance of a complete strategy and highlight the significant protection the flu vaccine provides for children, an age group at high risk of influenza-related complications such as hospitalization. A common theme in performance reviews is that schoolchildren remain particularly vulnerable to influenza, with higher hospitalization rates and complications. Recent data on the effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines confirm that this is a productive strategy for reducing the disease burden in school-aged children.

References

Benjamin-Chung, J., Arnold, B. F., Kennedy, C. J., Mishra, K., Pokpongkiat, N., Nguyen, A., Jilek, W., Holbrook, K., Pan, E., Kirley, P. D., Libby, T., Hubbard, A. E., Reingold, A., & Colford, J. M. (2020). PLOS Medicine, 17(8). Web.

Chua, H., Kwan, M. Y. W., Chan, E. L. Y., Wong, J. S. C., Peiris, J. S. M., Cowling, B. J., & Chiu, S. S. (2021).Vaccine, 39(34), 4842–4848. Web.

Falcón-Lezama, J. A., Saucedo-Martínez, R., Betancourt-Cravioto, M., Alfaro-Cortes, M. M., Bahena-González, R. I., & Tapia-Conyer, R. (2020). BMC Infectious Diseases, 20(1). Web.

Kalligeros, M., Shehadeh, F., Mylona, E. K., Dapaah-Afriyie, C., van Aalst, R., Chit, A., & Mylonakis, E. (2020). Vaccine, 38(14), 2893–2903. Web.

Lofgren, E., Naumova, E. N., Gorski, J., Naumov, Y., & Fefferman, N. H. (2022). Clinical Infectious Diseases. Web.

Natesan, P., Batley, N. J., Bakhti, R., & El-Doueihi, P. Z. (2018). International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 11(1). Web.

Rolfes, M. A., Flannery, B., Chung, J. R., O’Halloran, A., Garg, S., Belongia, E. A., Gaglani, M., Zimmerman, R. K., Jackson, M. L., Monto, A. S., Alden, N. B., Anderson, E., Bennett, N. M., Billing, L., Eckel, S., Kirley, P. D., Lynfield, R., Monroe, M. L., Spencer, M., … Hung, M.-C. (2019). Clinical Infectious Diseases, 69(11), 1845–1853. Web.

Tillard, C., Chazard, E., Faure, K., Bartolo, S., Martinot, A., & Dubos, F. (2022). Journal of Infection, 84(2), 145–150. Web.

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