NurseWeek

Studies differ on flu vaccines

By Tim Bergling
Health24News
October 4, 2000


	You've read the article. Now tell us what you think. Related sites Fluwatch.com Journal of the American Medical Association Centers for Disease Control

Washington (H24N). At a time when a scarcity of flu vaccine has health care workers nationwide concerned, two new studies conducted by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have different things to say about the vaccine’s value.

According to the first report, flu vaccines have a significant impact in helping children in day care-and their siblings-stay free of infectious diseases, and in helping to reduce the use of antibiotics. Researchers looked at 127 children, ages 2 to 5, in San Diego day-care facilities; half received the vaccine, while half did not. The study showed that the vaccine was effective in preventing the flu in both the children and their brothers and sisters 80 percent of the time; the vaccine also contributed to a 70 percent flu-reduction among older family members, and similar reductions in school and work absences, doctor office visits, and prescribed antibiotics.

The second study calls into question whether flu shots - universally recognized as vital for so called "at risk" groups, such as the elderly and those with compromised immune systems - are cost effective for otherwise healthy adults. That study looked at 1,184 healthy employees at Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Michigan, during the 1997-98 flu season, then 1,191 employees in 1998-99. Half of the subjects, who were ages 18 to 64, received the vaccine at a calculated cost of $24.70 per person.

Researchers say that while the ‘97-‘98 vaccine was not very effective in preventing the flu, the ‘98-‘99 vaccine was effective 86 percent of the time. But though doctor visits and workplace absences were down, the net expense was still $11 per subject, which the study says does not demonstrate "overall economic benefits."

Both studies are published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Influenza is a serious disease that usually spreads through the air, entering the body through the nose or throat. Most people who come down with the flu will get sick for a few days then recover, but many will require hospitalization, as many as 140,000 people in the United States alone each year. Some 20,000 will die from the flu or its complications this year, and 90 percent of them are seniors. Deliveries of the vaccine have been delayed this year for several weeks, due to regulatory problems and difficulty manufacturing a vaccine to match this year’s flu strain. Federal officials say they’re redoubling their efforts to create enough of the vaccine to fight off this year’s flu, which amounts to about 75 million doses.