Direct and Indirect Benefits of Influenza Vaccine Versus Placebo in Healthy Children

Summary

While immunisation of school-age children against influenza is not recommended in Hong Kong, past experience in Japan and elsewhere suggests that immunisation of children may protect the wider community through its indirect transmission-limiting impact as well as the direct immunologic protection afforded vaccinated children themselves. We aim to assess whether vaccinating children against influenza protects vaccinees as well as their household contacts from infection.

Timeline

Start

2008-09

Primary completion

2010-12

Completion

2010-12

Publications

• Results Cowling BJ, Ng S, Ma ES, Fang VJ, So HC, Wai W, Cheng CK, Wong JY, Chan KH, Ip DK, Chiu SS, Peiris JS, Leung GM. Protective efficacy against pandemic influenza of seasonal influenza vaccination in children in Hong Kong: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2012 Sep;55(5):695-702. doi: 10.1093/cid/cis518. Epub 2012 Jun 5.
• Results Cowling BJ, Ng S, Ma ES, Cheng CK, Wai W, Fang VJ, Chan KH, Ip DK, Chiu SS, Peiris JS, Leung GM. Protective efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccination against seasonal and pandemic influenza virus infection during 2009 in Hong Kong. Clin Infect Dis. 2010 Dec 15;51(12):1370-9. doi: 10.1086/657311. Epub 2010 Nov 10.
• Cowling BJ, Perera RA, Fang VJ, Chan KH, Wai W, So HC, Chu DK, Wong JY, Shiu EY, Ng S, Ip DK, Peiris JS, Leung GM. Incidence of influenza virus infections in children in Hong Kong in a 3-year randomized placebo-controlled vaccine study, 2009-2012. Clin Infect Dis. 2014 Aug 15;59(4):517-24. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciu356. Epub 2014 May 13.

Drugs

Indications