According to the latest finding of a Finnish study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, the seasonal influenza vaccine is effective in children under 3 years of age.Further, no vaccine adverse event has been reported in the study.

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) points out that there has been little study on the seasonal influenza vaccine efficacy in children below the age of 3 years.The Finnish study included 631 children aged 9 months through 3 years to determine the efficacy of the seasonal influenza vaccine in this age group.The finding showed that influenza was confirmed in 5% of the fully vaccinated children and 13% of the unvaccinated children, indicating that the unvaccinated children are more than twice as likely as the vaccinated children to become infected with influenza.The study estimated the overall effectiveness of the vaccine against seasonal influenza in this age group to be 66%.

Taiwan CDC stresses that young children who have not yet developed immunity are at high risk of getting complications from influenza.Therefore, they need additional protection against influenza infection.As Taiwan is one of the few countries in the world that offers seasonal influenza vaccination to young children, Taiwan CDC urges parents to heed the scientific evidence and get children vaccinated as soon as possible.

Taiwan CDC also reminds parents that young children who are getting the influenza vaccine for the first time will require 2 doses of vaccine to be fully protected and urges parents to ensure children get both doses of vaccine.For any questions or further information on influenza vaccination and prevention, please call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline 1922, or visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw.