High Vaccination Coverage among Children during Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 as a Potential Factor of Herd Immunity

Toshihiko Matsuoka, Tomoki Sato, Tomoyuki Akita, Jiturou Yanagida, Hiroki Ohge, Masao Kuwabara and Junko Tanaka
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Toshihiko Matsuoka: Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Tomoki Sato: Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Tomoyuki Akita: Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Jiturou Yanagida: Hiroshima City Funairi Citizens Hospital, Hiroshima 730-0844, Japan
Hiroki Ohge: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Masao Kuwabara: Hiroshima Prefectural Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hiroshima 734-0007, Japan
Junko Tanaka: Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: The objective of this study was to identify factors related to the expansion of infection and prevention of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. A retrospective non-randomized cohort study (from June 2009 to May 2010) on influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 was conducted in a sample of residents from Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The cumulative incidence of the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and the pandemic vaccine effectiveness (VE) were estimated. The response rate was 53.5% (178,669/333,892). Overall, the odds ratio of non-vaccinated group to vaccinated group for cumulative incidence of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 was 2.18 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.13–2.23) and the VE was 43.9% (CI: 42.8–44.9). The expansion of infection, indicating the power of transmission from infected person to susceptible person, was high in the 7–15 years age groups in each area. In conclusion, results from this survey suggested that schoolchildren-based vaccination rate participates in determining the level of herd immunity to influenza and children might be the drivers of influenza transmission. For future pandemic preparedness, vaccination of schoolchildren may help to prevent disease transmission during influenza outbreak.

Keywords: Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09; vaccination; herd immunity; expansion of infection; pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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