To the Editor: Children have been seen as a key priority group for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza (“swine flu”) vaccination. In Australia and New Zealand, children aged 0–4 years had the highest population rate of intensive care unit admissions for swine flu.1 From 3 December 2009, the Australian Government provided free H1N1-specific influenza vaccine for all Australians aged 6 months and older. However, it was not known how parents and other caregivers would respond to the offer of vaccination. We sought to determine caregivers’ intentions regarding whether their child would receive the pandemic vaccine. The study was approved by the human research ethics committee of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and was conducted in November and December 2009, immediately before, and alongside, the commencement of the pandemic vaccination program for children.
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- 1. ANZIC Influenza Investigators, Webb SA, Pettila V, et al. Critical care services and 2009 H1N1 influenza in Australia and New Zealand. N Engl J Med 2009; 361: 1925-1934.
- 2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2010 pandemic vaccination survey: summary results. Canberra: AIHW, 2010. (AIHW Cat. No. PHE 128.)
- 3. Cresswell A. We failed the swine flu test. The Australian 2009; 19 Sep. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/we-failed-the-swine-flu-test/story-e6frg6zo-1225776607808 (accessed Mar 2010).
- 4. Sweet M. Swine flu, vaccination and other matters of trust. Inside Story [online current affairs and culture] 2010; 3 Feb. http://inside.org.au/swine-flu-vaccination-and-other-matters-of-trust/ (accessed Feb 2010).
- 5. Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Departmental media releases: seasonal flu vaccine and young children. 23 Apr 2010. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr10-dept-dept230410.htm (accessed Jun 2010).
This study was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant. Sanofi Pasteur and KU Children’s Services were partner investigators. We thank Laura Rost, Camille Lang, Jennifer Murphy, Leon Heron, and Donna Armstrong for their assistance; and Federica Barzi and Han Wang for advice on statistical analysis.
Payments received from CSL, Roche, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline and Wyeth by Robert Booy for speaking at scientific meetings were redirected to a University of Sydney account.