title: Fever following administration of two inactivated influenza vaccines--a survey of parents of New Zealand infants and children 5 years of age and under.
abstract: Due to a dramatic increase in reported febrile convulsions in Western Australia following a routine pediatric influenza vaccination programme we evaluated parental recall of fever in their child following 2010 trivalent influenza vaccine manufactured by either Sanofi Pasteur (Vaxigrip(®)) or CSL Biotherapies (Fluvax(®)) to determine if the rates of febrile events in infants and children 5 years and under following administration of either Vaxigrip(®) or Fluvax(®) were significantly different.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of New Zealand General practices who had received stocks of the vaccines of interest consecutively contacted parents of infants and children under 5 years of age who received at least one dose of 2010 influenza vaccine. A brief questionnaire was administered with the main outcome parental recall of fever within 24 h of vaccination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Response rate was 99%. There were 327 parents of children aged 6 months to 5 years attending one of 23 primary care practices who had received a dose of either the Vaxigrip(®) or Fluvax(®) vaccine between 4th March and 28th June 2010 surveyed. A total of 422 doses were given of which 267 were Vaxigrip(®), 133 were Fluvax(®) and 22 another vaccine. Fever occurred significantly more frequently within 24 h following administration of Fluvax(®) compared with Vaxigrip(®) RR 4.33 (2.44-7.70). When fevers were measured they were, on average, higher in the Fluvax(®) vaccines (38°C compared with 39°C). Additionally, recipients were more likely to seek medical advice for fever following Fluvax(®) RR 23.11 (2.96-180.12).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is considerable variation in reactogenicity between two 2010 seasonal vaccines in infants and young children. Vaxigrip(®) is significantly less reactogenic when compared to Fluvax(®) in this population in which Fluvax(®) is associated with unacceptably high rates of febrile reactions. There has been insufficient safety evaluation of seasonal influenza vaccine safety in this population.
authors.affiliation: Immunisation Advisory Centre, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Auckland, New Zealand. h.petousis-harris@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Petousis-Harris
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Poole
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Booy
authors.forename: Nikki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control; D011939:Mental Recall; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated; C478242:vaxigrip