Influenza vaccination in the prevention of acute otitis media in children

It is estimated that more than 60 percent of the children in the United States will have at least one attack of acute otitis media (AOM, inflammation of the inner part of the ear) during their first year of life, and greater than 80 percent will have AOM by the age of 3. Research has focused on developing a bacterial vaccine for Streptococcus pneumoniae, a common cause of AOM. However, efforts have been unsuccessful. In many cases, AOM is preceded by a viral respiratory infection that can be caused by respiratory syncytial viruses, rhinoviruses, influenza A viruses or adenoviruses; infection with any of these viruses can cause AOM. Since a vaccine for influenza A is available, the effectiveness of this vaccine in preventing AOM caused by influenza A virus was evaluated. The vaccine was administered to 187 children (aged 1 to 3 years) attending a day-care center; 187 children who did not receive influenza A vaccine served as a control group. The vaccination took place prior to the 1988-1989 influenza A epidemic. During a 6-week period, 5 of the 187 vaccinated children developed an infection with influenza A virus, and 3 of the 5 developed AOM. A total of 29 unvaccinated children developed infection with influenza A, and 18 developed AOM. Overall, 35 vaccinated children developed AOM, while 55 of the children who were not vaccinated had AOM. These results demonstrate that vaccination of children against influenza A virus reduces the incidence of AOM due to that virus. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)