Vaccination against the flu reduces the chance of dying from this disease by half. It does so regardless of the virus that caused the infection, especially in people over 65 years of age, it concludes. a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of vaccination against influenza in more than 38 countries and 6.5 million patients carried out by Spanish researchers and published this Wednesday European Respiratory Review.
Despite the differences in protection, annual vaccination continues to be the best tool to prevent and combat the disease, reducing the risk of dying from associated complications, according to the study, carried out by the San Pablo CEU University, the Carlos III Health Institute , the National Flu Center of Valladolid and the 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid, reports Efe.
The analysis highlights that the effectiveness of the vaccine varies depending on age. It is effective in preventing infections against the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus and against the influenza B virus in all groups, from children under 5 years of age to people over 65. However, although it is effective in the youngest , offers somewhat less protection against infection in adults with H3N2 influenza viruses, explain Jesús Presa and Javier Arranz, lead authors of the study, in a statement.
These results suggest that older adults could benefit from improvements in the vaccine to improve their protection. “Vaccination reduces by half the possibility of dying if we become infected, regardless of the flu virus that infects us, especially in people over 65 years of age,” says researcher Estanislao Nistal, from the CEU San Pablo University. .
The vaccine is formulated to deal with the most common subtypes of influenza A, such as H1N1 and H3N2, and B viruses in humans. Every year, it is updated to maintain its effectiveness and reinforce protection, especially for the most vulnerable people.
Between 3,000 and 6,000 deaths per year
In Spain it is estimated that between 3,000 and 6,000 people die each year from problems associated with this disease. Although many see it as a seasonal nuisance, the infection it causes can be serious, especially for young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, the note recalls.
The vaccine not only helps prevent infection and transmission, but also “reduces the severity of symptoms in those who become ill, reducing the chances of serious complications, such as pneumonia, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths.” , indicates the director of the National Flu Center of Valladolid, José María Eiros.
The research highlights the importance of continuing public awareness campaigns to improve vaccine acceptance and achieve greater coverage.
The meta-analysis included 192,705 patients to collect data on the incidence and severity of influenza, as well as the impact of annual vaccination, subsequently validating its findings with an additional sample of more than 6.5 million patients from the TriNetX database. .
Many studies quantify effectiveness by calculating the probability of infection of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, but in this study the researchers used other parameters such as calculating how much severe cases are prevented, hospital admissions, the probability of being admitted to the ICU, and the probability of dying.
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