Universal vaccination of children against influenza: Are there indirect benefits to the community? A systematic review of the evidence

Rachel Jordan*, Martin Connock, Esther Albon, Anne Fry-Smith, Babatunde Olowokure, Jeremy Hawker, Amanda Burls

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    121 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    We present a systematic review of the effectiveness of vaccinating healthy children to protect others. Primary studies were identified by searching standard electronic databases, internet sites, trials registers and citation lists to January 2004 and subjected to critical appraisal. Eight randomised controlled trials, three community studies and three economic evaluations met the inclusion criteria. The evidence suggests that vaccinating healthy children against influenza has the potential for reducing the impact of influenza epidemics. However, further evidence is needed as limitations of study design or execution mean that the community benefits are difficult to quantify.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1047-1062
    Number of pages16
    JournalVaccine
    Volume24
    Issue number8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 20 Feb 2006

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    Contributors: MC carried out the systematic review and appraisal of the included studies, co-wrote the underlying report and commented on the text. RJ also undertook the systematic review and appraisal of the included studies and wrote the paper. EA also assisted in the appraisal of the included studies and commented on the text. JH, BO and AB influenced the design and commented on the text. AFS undertook the literature searches. Conflict of interest statement: None of the authors have any conflict of interest. Funding: The study was commissioned and funded by the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI) and also in part by the Health Protection Agency. Neither agencies influenced the methods or analysis of the study.

    Keywords

    • Children
    • Influenza vaccination
    • Systematic review

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