title: Nephrologists need to play a key role in improving annual influenza vaccination rates in children with kidney disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the under-researched area of annual influenza vaccination rates in children with chronic kidney disease and identified reasons for nonimmunisation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the nephrology clinic and dialysis unit of a tertiary paediatric medical centre from August to October 2011 and September to October 2012. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire on their child's immunisation against influenza.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 217 children studied, 45.6% were vaccinated against influenza. The major reason for nonimmunisation was because the parents had not received the necessary information from the primary physician or treating nephrologist. The nonvaccinated children were significantly more likely to be less than two years old and female and to have parents who did not believe in the benefits of vaccination (p < 0.05). Of the parents who did not vaccinate their child, 38% claimed they would have done so if the vaccine had been offered in the nephrology clinic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with kidney disease had a higher annual influenza vaccination rate than the general population, but it was still suboptimal. Nephrologists should be alerted to the need to provide parents with information on influenza vaccinations and they should be available in nephrology clinics.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.|Department of Pediatrics B, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.|Institute of Nephrology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Oded
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Scheuerman
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zilber
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nephrology, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davidovits
authors.affiliation: Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chodick
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D008297:Male; D009398:Nephrology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010819:Physician's Role; D011446:Prospective Studies; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines
keywords: Immunisation; Influenza; Kidney disease; Nephrologists; Vaccination