TY  - JOUR
A1  - Rose, Markus A.
A1  - Damm, Oliver
A1  - Greiner, Wolfgang
A1  - Knuf, Markus
A1  - Wutzler, Peter
A1  - Liese, Johannes G.
A1  - Krüger, Hagen
A1  - Wahn, Ulrich
A1  - Schaberg, Tom
A1  - Schwehm, Markus
A1  - Kochmann, Thomas F.
A1  - Eichner, Martin
T1  - The epidemiological impact of childhood influenza vaccination using live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in Germany: predictions of a simulation study
T2  - BMC Infectious Diseases
N2  - Background: Routine annual influenza vaccination is primarily recommended for all persons aged 60 and above and for people with underlying chronic conditions in Germany. Other countries have already adopted additional childhood influenza immunisation programmes. The objective of this study is to determine the potential epidemiological impact of implementing paediatric influenza vaccination using intranasally administered live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in Germany.
Methods: A deterministic age-structured model is used to simulate the population-level impact of different vaccination strategies on the transmission dynamics of seasonal influenza in Germany. In our base-case analysis, we estimate the effects of adding a LAIV-based immunisation programme targeting children 2 to 17 years of age to the existing influenza vaccination policy. The data used in the model is based on published evidence complemented by expert opinion. 
Results: In our model, additional vaccination of children 2 to 17 years of age with LAIV leads to the prevention of 23.9 million influenza infections and nearly 16 million symptomatic influenza cases within 10 years. This reduction in burden of disease is not restricted to children. About one third of all adult cases can indirectly be prevented by LAIV immunisation of children. 
Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that vaccinating children 2-17 years of age is likely associated with a significant reduction in the burden of paediatric influenza. Furthermore, annual routine childhood vaccination against seasonal influenza is expected to decrease the incidence of influenza among adults and older people due to indirect effects of herd protection. In summary, our model provides data supporting the introduction of a paediatric influenza immunisation programme in Germany.
KW  - vaccination
KW  - live-attenuated influenza vaccine
KW  - children
KW  - transmission model
KW  - metanalysis
KW  - recommendations
KW  - hospitalizations
KW  - burden
KW  - infection
KW  - young children
KW  - seasonal influenza
KW  - United States
KW  - disease
KW  - efficacy
KW  - Germany
KW  - influenza
Y1  - 2014
UR  - https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/11756
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-117563
SN  - 1471-2334
VL  - 14
IS  - 40
ER  -