Effectiveness of MF59-adjuvanted subunit influenza vaccine in preventing hospitalisations for cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and pneumonia in the elderly.
Annual circulation of influenza virus coincides with a peak in cardiovascular and pneumonia mortality/morbidity. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of MF59-adjuvanted subunit influenza vaccine in preventing hospitalisation due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS), cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and pneumonia in the elderly. Three case-control studies were performed during the 2004-2005 influenza season in three health districts in Valencia, Spain (total elderly [>64 years of age] population: n=105,454). Controls were patients admitted for an acute surgical process or trauma within 10 days of case admission. In total, 159 patients were hospitalised for ACS, 148 for CVA and 242 for p…
Influenza control in the 21st century: Optimizing protection of older adults
Older adults (> or =65 years of age) are particularly vulnerable to influenza illness. This is due to a waning immune system that reduces their ability to respond to infection, which leads to more severe cases of disease. The majority ( approximately 90%) of influenza-related deaths occur in older adults and, in addition, catastrophic disability resulting from influenza-related hospitalization represents a significant burden in this vulnerable population. Current influenza vaccines provide benefits for older adults against influenza; however, vaccine effectiveness is lower than in younger adults. In addition, antigenic drift is also a concern, as it can impact on vaccine effectiveness due t…
Effectiveness of the 2010–2011 seasonal influenza vaccine in preventing confirmed influenza hospitalizations in adults: A case–case comparison, case-control study
Highlights ► We perform a case–case comparison as an improvement of the test-negative design. ► We report IVE estimates with a low probability of bias. ► Influenza vaccination halved the risk of confirmed influenza hospitalization. ► This effect was consistent regardless of age over 60. ► The measured effect was specific for confirmed influenza hospitalizations.
Pharmacoeconomic assessment of implementing a universal PCV-13 vaccination programme in the Valencian public health system (Spain).
Background: Heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) was licensed to provide immunity against pneumococcal disease caused by seven serotypes of S. pneumoniae. Thirteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) includes 6 additional serotypes for preventing invasive pneumococcal disease. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the potential health benefits, costs, and cost-effectiveness of vaccination with PCV-13 in the Community of Valencia and to generate valuable information for policy makers at regional and country levels. Methods: A decision tree was designed to determine the health and economic outcomes in hypothetical cohorts of vaccinated and unvaccinate…
Pertussis in adults with persistent cough: a prospective follow up study in primary care.
Despite high coverage of pertussis vaccine, B. pertussis has remained endemic and adults are recognized as reservoir for infection among incompletely immunized infants. Between November 15th 2004 and November 14th 2006, 37 general practitioners, attending 56,658 adults, recruited all patients with persistent cough. A diagnosis of pertussis was considered in those with an unexplained cough, lasting 14 or more days and a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) IgG anti-Pertussis Toxin (PT). During the period of the study 86 patients presented with persistent cough (106 cases per 100,000 person-years). According to laboratory criteria, 35% were cla…
2011–12 Seasonal Influenza Vaccines Effectiveness against Confirmed A(H3N2) Influenza Hospitalisation: Pooled Analysis from a European Network of Hospitals. A Pilot Study
BackgroundInfluenza vaccination strategies aim at protecting high-risk population from severe outcomes. Estimating the effectiveness of seasonal vaccines against influenza related hospitalisation is important to guide these strategies. Large sample size is needed to have precise estimate of influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) against severe outcomes. We assessed the feasibility of measuring seasonal IVE against hospitalisation with laboratory confirmed influenza through a network of 21 hospitals in the European Union.MethodsWe conducted a multicentre study in France (seven hospitals), Italy (one hospital), and Navarra (four hospitals) and Valencia (nine hospitals) regions in Spain. All ≥1…
Genetic characterization of influenza viruses from influenza-related hospital admissions in the St. Petersburg and Valencia sites of the Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network during the 2013/14 influenza season
Abstract Background Continuous surveillance for genetic changes in circulating influenza viruses is needed to guide influenza prevention and control. Objectives To compare intra-seasonal influenza genetic diversity of hemagglutinin in influenza A strains isolated from influenza hospital admissions collected at two distinct sites during the same season. Study design Comparative phylogenetic analysis of full-length hemagglutinin genes from 77 isolated influenza A viruses from the St. Petersburg, Russian Federation and Valencia, Spain sites of the Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network (GIHSN) during the 2013/14 season. Results We found significant variability in A(H3N2) and A(H1N1)pdm…
Retrospective screening for SARS-CoV-2 among influenza-like illness hospitalizations: 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons, Valencia region, Spain
Este artículo se encuentra disponible en la siguiente URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/irv.12899 En este artículo de investigación también participan: Juan Mollar-Maseres, Germán Schwarz-Chavarri, Sandra García-Esteban, Joan Puig-Barberà, Javier Díez-Domingo y F. Xavier López-Labrador. On 9 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Influenza Programme (GIP) asked participant sites on the Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network (GIHSN) to contribute to data collection concerning severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We re-analysed 5833 viral RNA archived samples collected prospectively from hospital admissions for influenza-lik…