October 24, 2006
Kaiser Permanente Study Shows Flu Vaccine Safe for Young Children
(PORTLAND, Ore.) - The largest study ever conducted of flu vaccine
safety in children ages six to 23 months has found that flu shots are safe for
this age group. Researchers looked at more than 69,000 vaccination records to
review any reason a child saw a doctor in the six weeks after getting a flu
shot and to look for possible side effects. The study found very few instances
that required medical attention, and none of these were serious or
significantly associated with the flu vaccine. The results will appear in the
October 25, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study was conducted by researchers at eight major health plans in the United
States, including four Regions of Kaiser Permanente. The researchers are part
of the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Project, which is funded by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The VSD Project involves a large
database that links medical records at these health plans. This allows
researchers to analyze very large numbers of vaccination records for any
possible safety issues.
Study co-author John Mullooly, PhD, who recently retired as a senior
investigator at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research, says, "These
results should reassure parents and pediatricians that flu shots are safe for
infants and young children six to 24 months of age. Earlier studies suggested
that flu shots are safe for young children, but these studies were much smaller
in size. Finding no serious medically attended side effects among more than
69,000 vaccinations provides strong evidence that flu vaccinations are safe for
this age group"
Flu vaccines - specifically, trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine - have been
in use for decades, and the vaccine currently in use in the United States has
been available since 1981. Until the winter season of 2004-2005, its use in
children was recommended only for those with chronic medical conditions -
asthma, for example - that could put them at higher risk for influenza
infection. Because of increasing evidence of high illness rates from influenza
infection in young children, the CDC began recommending the use of trivalent
inactivated influenza vaccine in all children six to 23 months old. By January
31, 2005, nearly half of all children in this age group had received the
vaccine.
Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research, founded in 1964, is a non-profit
research institution whose mission is advancing knowledge to improve health.
Kaiser Permanente Northwest is a group practice health care organization
serving the medical needs of 485,000 people in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
For more infomation contact:
Terry Fitzpatrick - 503-335-6602,
Terry.Fitzpatrick@kpchr.org or
Gail Mathabane - 503-813-4820,
Gail.E.Mathabane@kp.org