New data highlight on exploring vaccine effectiveness against influenza in European children
Published: 2026-05-22
Our latest data highlight titled ‘exploring the influenza vaccine effectiveness in European children’, presents the work of Lucaccioni et al. (2026). The study evaluates how well influenza vaccines protected children attending primary care across Europe during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 flu seasons.
Lucaccioni et al. (2026) analysed data from almost 20,000 pediatric patients across multiple European countries using a test-negative case-control design. The study found that influenza vaccination provided substantial protection, with more than two-thirds of vaccinated children protected against medically attended influenza in both seasons. The study also revealed important differences in vaccine effectiveness by virus subtype and childhood age groups.
These findings underscore the importance of continuous monitoring of influenza vaccine effectiveness in pediatric populations. They also highlight the potential to further reduce disease burden by increasing vaccination coverage, particularly among high-risk groups.
This work provides valuable insights for public health decision-making, vaccine strategy optimisation, and infectious disease surveillance. Researchers and policymakers working on vaccination programs, pediatric infectious diseases, and epidemiology will find this study particularly relevant.
To find out more about the study, please read the latest data highlight.
If you are interested in having your work in the areas of pandemic preparedness and/or infectious disease promoted as a data highlight, please contact us.