No temporal association between influenza outbreaks and invasive pneumococcal infections.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether the influenza peak in populations precedes the annual peak for invasive pneumococcal infections (IPI) in winter.


METHODS
Ecological study. Active surveillance data on influenza A and IPI in children up to 16 years of age collected from 1997 to 2003 were analysed.


METHODS
Paediatric hospitals in Germany.


METHODS
Children under 16 years of age.


RESULTS
In all years under study, the influenza A season did not appear to affect the IPI season (p = 0.49). Specifically, the influenza peak never preceded the IPI peak.


CONCLUSIONS
On a population level there was no indication that the annual influenza epidemic triggered the winter increase in the IPI rate or the peak of the IPI distribution in children.
Toschke
Andre Michael
AM
Institute for Social Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Arenz
Stephan
S
von Kries
Rüdiger
R
Puppe
Wolfram
W
Weigl
Josef A I
JA
Höhle
Michael
M
Heininger
Ulrich
U
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009980:Influenza A virus; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010507:Periodicity; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012621:Seasons