Abstract

We conducted a case-control study to estimate the 2010/2011 trivalent influenza vaccine effectiveness (TIVE) using the Irish general practitioners' influenza sentinel surveillance scheme. Cases were influenza-like illness (ILI) patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Controls were ILI patients who tested negative for influenza. Participating sentinel general practitioners (GP) collected swabs from patients presenting with ILI along with their vaccination history and other individual characteristics. The TIVE was computed as (1 - odds ratiofor vaccination) x100%. Of 60 sentinel GP practices, 22 expressed interest in participating in the study and 17 (28%) recruited at least one ILI patient. In the analysis, we included 106 cases and 85 controls. Seven controls (8.2%) and one influenza case (0.9%) had been vaccinated in 2010/2011. The estimated TIVE against any influenza subtype was 89.4% [95% CI: 13.8; 99.8%], suggesting a protective effect against GP-attended laboratory confirmed influenza. This study design could be used to monitor influenza vaccine effectiveness annually but sample size and vaccination coverage should be increased to obtain precise and adjusted estimates.

Authors

Barret AS, Donnell JO, O'Hora A, Collins C, Coughlan S, Joyce M, Moran J, Waters A, O'Malley A, Domegan L, O'Flanagan D

Institution

Health Protection Surveillance Centre, 25-27 Middle Gardiner Street, Dublin 1. asbarret@hotmail.fr

Source

Irish medical journal 105:2 2012 Feb pg 39-42

MeSH

Case-Control Studies
Humans
Influenza Vaccines
Influenza, Human
Ireland
Population Surveillance

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22455236