Flu shots linked to asthma attacks

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http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/23/1090464867466.html?oneclick=true

 

Flu shots linked to asthma attacks

By Michael Bradley

July 24, 2004

 

Vaccinating asthmatic children against influenza is

unlikely to protect them from attacks and may even

worsen their condition, say researchers who have found

asthma-related emergency department visits are

significantly more likely among children who have

received a flu shot.

 

The US study comes a week after Australian authorities

said they would consider whether local immunisation

recommendations should be brought into line with

America's.

 

Asthmatic children in the US are told to use the

vaccine but from September the recommendation will be

extended to all children aged between six months and

two years. In Australia, influenza immunisation is not

recommended for all children; however, a universal

program is being considered by the Federal

Government's vaccine advisory panel.

 

Professor David Isaacs, a specialist in immunology and

infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital at

Westmead and the chairman of the Australian Technical

Advisory Group on Immunisation's committee on

influenza, said: " In the United States they say

children with asthma should be given a vaccine against

the flu because getting the flu could make their

asthma worse, but the evidence supporting this idea is

far from brilliant. "

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Professor Isaacs said previous studies had failed to

show different rates of asthma attack between groups

of children given either the vaccine or a placebo.

 

" People seem to assume the vaccine will be good [for

asthmatics] but the evidence does not show that it

is, " he said.

 

" In fact, there are lots of studies now suggesting it

does not offer much benefit at all. "

 

The American researchers compared two groups of 400

asthmatic children. One group received the vaccine.

Those who were vaccinated were found to be almost

twice as likely to seek assistance at an emergency

department because of their asthma.

 

However, one specialist says doctors and parents

should not read too much into the research. A medical

virologist at Prince of Wales Hospital, Associate

Professor Bill Rawlinson, said the findings might only

reflect the higher use of the vaccine among children

with severe asthma.

 

" If you are a more severe asthmatic, you are more

likely to get the vaccine, " he said.

 

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