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Low Efficacy Influenza Vaccines Can Still Significantly Avert Infections, Study Shows

May 03, 2018 | JMorrison@som.umaryland.edu

Influenza Vaccine

Research published in PNAS, showed that even less effective influenza vaccines can still help to reduce illnesses, hospitalizations and other issues as long as the vaccine is broadly administered across age groups.

Meagan C. Fitzpatrick, PhD., Research Associate at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, was among the co-authors of the research, which showed that health burden resulting from influenza is more sensitive to changes in vaccination coverage rather than changes to vaccine efficacy.

For example, the study projected that a vaccine with 20% efficacy and 43% coverage could avert 20.99 million infections, 129,701 hospitalizations, 61,812 deaths and 2.22 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

“We found that even relatively low-efficacy influenza vaccines can be highly impactful, particularly when vaccine uptake is optimally distributed across age groups. As vaccine efficacy declines, the optimal distribution of vaccine uptake shifts toward the elderly to minimize mortality and DALYs,” the report stated.

Read the PNAS Journal Article >>

Contact

Department of Anesthesiology
(410) 328-6120 (phone)
(410) 328-5531 (fax)
newsletter@som.umaryland.edu

Joanne Morrison
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health
University of Maryland School of Medicine
jmorrison@som.umaryland.edu
Office:(410) 706-2884

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