2023 to 2024 seasonal influenza vaccine effective for reducing risk, research finds

The 2023 to 2024 seasonal influenza vaccine is effective for reducing the risk for medically attended influenza virus infection, according to research published in the Feb. 29 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Aaron M. Frutos, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues used a test-negative case-control study design to estimate the interim influenza VE during the 2023 to 2024 influenza season among patients aged 6 months and older with acute respiratory illness-associated medical encounters.

The researchers found that VE against influenza-associated outpatient visits and against hospitalization ranged from 59 to 67 percent and from 52 to 61 percent, respectively, among children aged 6 months to 17 years. VE against influenza-associated outpatient visits and against hospitalization ranged from 33 to 49 percent and from 41 to 44 percent, respectively, among adults aged 18 years and older.

Across settings, VE against influenza A ranged from 46 to 59 percent and from 27 to 46 percent for children and adolescents and for adults, respectively. For pediatric patients in outpatient settings, VE against influenza B ranged from 64 to 89 percent; across settings, VE ranged from 60 to 78 percent for adults.

"These findings provide further evidence of the importance of influenza vaccination in reducing medically attended influenza illness in outpatient and inpatient settings among all age groups," the authors write.

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