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Clin Infect Dis
. 2025 Apr 17:ciaf200.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaf200. Online ahead of print. The Impact of Influenza on US Working-Age Adults: Exploring the Benefits of the Recombinant Influenza Vaccine
Laurence Torcel-Pagnon 1 , Laurent Coudeville 1 , Rebecca C Harris 2 , Sandra S Chaves 1
Affiliations
Background: Despite universal influenza vaccine recommendation in the US, vaccination coverage rates (VCR) in working-age adults (18-64 years) remain suboptimal. Studies have suggested that recombinant influenza vaccines (RIV) offer better protection than standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccines (SD-IIV) in those ages. We explored the potential added benefit of recommending RIV for the US working-age population.
Methods: We gathered data on influenza burden, vaccine effectiveness, and VCR from the US-CDC (2012-2023, excluding 2020-2021). We conducted a retrospective analysis of the past 10 years to illustrate the influenza burden among adults 18-64 years. We performed an age-stratified analysis using prevalence of chronic conditions to assess their impact on influenza hospitalizations and deaths, and estimated reductions in hospitalizations if RIV had been used instead of SD-IIV during the study period, using an age and risk-group decision-tree model.
Results: Over the last decade, influenza caused a median of 151,021 hospitalizations (95% CI 139,750-164,130) per season among US working-age adults. Adults aged 50-64 years had 3- to 5-fold higher rates of hospitalization and death than those aged 18-49 years. The 14% of 18-49-year-olds with chronic conditions accounted for more than 28% of hospitalizations and deaths in this group. If RIV had been used instead of SD-IIV, an additional 10,000 hospitalizations could have been prevented each season in these populations.
Conclusions: Influenza significantly impacts US working-age adults, particularly 50-64-year-olds. Increases in longevity and chronic conditions prevalence are expected, making tailored public health vaccine recommendations important to support healthy aging.
Keywords: Influenza; averted cases of influenza hospitalizations; burden of disease; recombinant influenza vaccine; working-age adults.
. 2025 Apr 17:ciaf200.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaf200. Online ahead of print. The Impact of Influenza on US Working-Age Adults: Exploring the Benefits of the Recombinant Influenza Vaccine
Laurence Torcel-Pagnon 1 , Laurent Coudeville 1 , Rebecca C Harris 2 , Sandra S Chaves 1
Affiliations
- PMID: 40243673
- DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaf200
Background: Despite universal influenza vaccine recommendation in the US, vaccination coverage rates (VCR) in working-age adults (18-64 years) remain suboptimal. Studies have suggested that recombinant influenza vaccines (RIV) offer better protection than standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccines (SD-IIV) in those ages. We explored the potential added benefit of recommending RIV for the US working-age population.
Methods: We gathered data on influenza burden, vaccine effectiveness, and VCR from the US-CDC (2012-2023, excluding 2020-2021). We conducted a retrospective analysis of the past 10 years to illustrate the influenza burden among adults 18-64 years. We performed an age-stratified analysis using prevalence of chronic conditions to assess their impact on influenza hospitalizations and deaths, and estimated reductions in hospitalizations if RIV had been used instead of SD-IIV during the study period, using an age and risk-group decision-tree model.
Results: Over the last decade, influenza caused a median of 151,021 hospitalizations (95% CI 139,750-164,130) per season among US working-age adults. Adults aged 50-64 years had 3- to 5-fold higher rates of hospitalization and death than those aged 18-49 years. The 14% of 18-49-year-olds with chronic conditions accounted for more than 28% of hospitalizations and deaths in this group. If RIV had been used instead of SD-IIV, an additional 10,000 hospitalizations could have been prevented each season in these populations.
Conclusions: Influenza significantly impacts US working-age adults, particularly 50-64-year-olds. Increases in longevity and chronic conditions prevalence are expected, making tailored public health vaccine recommendations important to support healthy aging.
Keywords: Influenza; averted cases of influenza hospitalizations; burden of disease; recombinant influenza vaccine; working-age adults.