The Japanese Experience with Vaccinating Schoolchildren against Influenza

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 344; no. 12; pp. 889 - 896
• Main Authors: Reichert, Thomas A, Sugaya, Norio, Fedson, David S, Glezen, W. Paul, Simonsen, Lone, Tashiro, Masato
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 22-03-2001
• Subjects: Aged; Analysis. Health state; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Epidemiology; General aspects; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunization Programs; Infectious diseases; Influenza; Influenza Vaccines - administration & dosage; Influenza virus; Influenza, Human - immunology; Influenza, Human - mortality; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Japan; Japan - epidemiology; Mathematical models; Medical sciences; Mortality; Pneumonia; Pneumonia - mortality; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; School attendance; United States - epidemiology; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the respiratory system and ent viral diseases; Winter; Asia; United States; North America; Japan; America; United States > US; Human; Chemoprophylaxis; Mortality; Vaccination; Epidemiology; Incidence; Infection; Prevention; Chemotherapy; Treatment; School age; Follow up study; Viral disease; Influenza; Child; Elderly; Public health; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM200103223441204

A serious consequence of recurring influenza epidemics is excess mortality during the winter season among elderly persons and those with medical conditions that place them at high risk for complications of influenza.
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Control efforts have focused primarily on the administration of inactivated influenzavirus vaccine to this target population. Several large, population-based, retrospective studies in both community
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and institutional
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settings have shown that vaccination is effective in reducing not only the rate of hospitalization because of pneumonia but also mortality from all causes during epidemic periods in the winter. Today, in virtually all developed countries, influenza vaccination is recommended . . .