Review article

Vaccinating Children against Influenza

Darko Richter ; KBC Zagreb

Abstract

Influenza infection is significantly more common in children, as are the influenza caused hospital admissions, although the mortalitiy is clearly smaller than in adults. Death from influenza in children is associated in 2/3 of cases with preexistent chronic comorbidity, primarily neurodevelopmental conditions, asthma and congenital herat disease. Moreover, the very age below 5 years represents a risk factor for complicatins of influenza. Vaccination of all children 6 months-5 years and of all children with comorbidities predisposingto severe outocomes is recommended. Vaccine effectiveness of both trivalent inactivated or live attenuated vaccines ranges from 50-70%. Children can receive inactivated split-virus and subunit vaccines which can be adjuvanted or nonadjuvanted, not earlier than 6 months of age. Some adjuvanted vaccines have manifested significant local and febrile reactogenicity in children. Whole-cell vaccines are generally not given to children for fear of severe side-effects, or, with modern human cell culture propagated vaccines, relatively low immunogenicity. Live attenuated influenza vaccine can be given from 2 years on. The characteristic side-effect is wheezing, especially under the age of 2. It should not be given to asthmatics or wheezers during the preschool age.

Keywords

influenza, children; trivalent inactivated vaccine; live attenuated influenza vaccine; comorbidity

Hrčak ID:

77363

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/77363

Publication date:

3.1.2011.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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