Effectiveness of the AS03-Adjuvanted Vaccine against Pandemic Influenza Virus A/(H1N1) 2009 – A Comparison of Two Methods; Germany, 2009/10
2011

Effectiveness of the AS03-Adjuvanted Vaccine against Pandemic Influenza Virus A/(H1N1) 2009

Sample size: 102454 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Uphoff Helmut, an der Heiden Matthias, Schweiger Brunhilde, Campe Hartmut, Beier Dietmar, Helmeke Carina, Littmann Martina, Haas Walter, Buda Silke, Faensen Daniel, Feig Marcel, Altmann Doris, Wichmann Ole, Eckmanns Tim, Buchholz Udo

Primary Institution: Hessisches Landes Prüfungs - und Untersuchungsamt im Gesundheitswesen, Dillenburg, Germany

Hypothesis

What is the effectiveness of the AS03-adjuvanted vaccine against the pandemic influenza virus A/(H1N1) 2009?

Conclusion

The AS03-adjuvanted vaccine showed good effectiveness against the pandemic influenza virus A/(H1N1) 2009, particularly in children.

Supporting Evidence

  • The positivity rate of vaccinated persons decreased with increasing interval between vaccination date and illness date.
  • The number of vaccinated cases in the database of reported cases decreased to low numbers for those vaccinated more than 10–14 days before illness onset.
  • Both methods yielded similar vaccine effectiveness estimates in both age groups.

Takeaway

The vaccine helped protect people from getting sick with the flu, especially kids, showing it works well.

Methodology

The study used two methods: a test-negative case-control method and a case-series method to evaluate vaccine effectiveness.

Potential Biases

There may be biases in how cases were reported and the timing of vaccinations.

Limitations

The study had limitations including potential biases in case counts and the dynamic geographical course of the epidemic.

Participant Demographics

The median age of participants was 12 years, with a bimodal age distribution of cases.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.007

Confidence Interval

95% CI = 35–93%

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0019932

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