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Pregnant women are at higher risk of severe complications following influenza infection compared to the general population. Influenza vaccination during pregnancy can offer direct protection to pregnant women and passive immunity to infants up to 6 months of age via maternal antibodies. Pregnant women are a high priority group for influenza immunization.
The burden of seasonal influenza disease in Australian children is substantial, especially for those with medical comorbidities including chronic cardiac, respiratory, neurological and immunosuppressive conditions. Influenza is more likely to be severe in children with comorbidities compared to previously healthy children (e.g. more frequent and longer hospitalisation, more frequent intensive care unit admission and requiring respiratory support). Direct protection against influenza by vaccination is critical for children with comorbidities and remains the most effective tool for influenza prevention.
The role of children in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains highly controversial. To address this issue, we performed a meta-analysis of the published literature on household SARS-CoV-2 transmission clusters (n = 213 from 12 countries). Only 8 (3.8%) transmission clusters were identified as having a pediatric index case.
This report summarises the epidemiology of hospitalisations with laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2015 influenza season
Influenza vaccination recommendation by children’s hospital physicians and previous vaccine receipt in hospital was associated with vaccine uptake
Multi-jurisdictional cohort of mother-infant pairs to measure the uptake, safety and effectiveness of antenatal IIV and dTpa vaccines in three Australian jurisdictions
Between 2010 and 2016, influenza vaccines offered moderate protection against laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations during pregnancy
Seasonal inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) is routinely recommended during pregnancy to protect both mothers and infants from complications following influenza infection. While previous studies have evaluated the risk of major structural birth defects in infants associated with prenatal administration of monovalent pandemic IIV, fewer studies have evaluated the risk associated with prenatal seasonal IIV.
Children with chronic medical conditions are at increased risk of severe influenza. Uptake of influenza vaccination in children and adolescents with these identified special risk medical conditions is suboptimal.
A vaccine against influenza is available seasonally but is not 100% effective. A predictor of successful seroconversion in adults is an increase in activated circulating T follicular helper (cTfh) cells after vaccination. However, the impact of repeated annual vaccinations on long-term protection and seasonal vaccine efficacy remains unclear.