Vaccine Effectiveness Against Medically Attended, Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Among Children Aged 6 to 59 Months, 2003–2004

Abstract

Full vaccination provided measurable protection against laboratory-confirmed influenza among children who were aged 6 to 59 months during a season with suboptimal vaccine match. No vaccine effectiveness was identified with partial vaccination among children who were aged 6 to 23 months, affirming that children need to be fully vaccinated to obtain protective effects. These results strengthen the evidence of the vaccine's ability to reduce substantially the burden of disease in this age group.