Effectiveness of the Brazilian influenza vaccination policy, a systematic review

Authors

  • Expedito J.A. Luna Universidade de São Paulo; Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
  • Vera L. Gattás Instituto Butantan

Keywords:

Influenza, Brazil, Vaccines, Effectiveness

Abstract

Since 1999, Brazil has undertaken annual influenza vaccine campaigns, free of charge, targeting the elderly population, health professionals, and immune-deficient patients. We conducted a systematic review of literature in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative. We used the keywords influenza, vaccine, Brazil and effectiveness to search the main databases. Thirty-one studies matched our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Influenza vaccine coverage among the elderly is high, though not as high as suggested by the official figures. Estimates on effectiveness are scarce. The majority come from ecological studies that show a modest reduction in mortality and hospital admissions due to influenza-related causes. Such reduction is not evident in the North and Northeastern states of Brazil, a finding that is probably related to the different seasonal pattern of influenza in equatorial and tropical regions. Brazilian epidemiologists still owe society better-designed studies addressing the effectiveness of influenza vaccine campaigns.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2010-08-01

Issue

Section

Reviews

How to Cite

Luna, E. J., & Gattás, V. L. (2010). Effectiveness of the Brazilian influenza vaccination policy, a systematic review . Revista Do Instituto De Medicina Tropical De São Paulo, 52(4), 175-181. https://www.revistas.usp.br/rimtsp/article/view/31330