Optimizing the dose of pre-pandemic influenza vaccines to reduce the infection attack rate.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The recent spread of avian influenza in wild birds and poultry may be a precursor to the emergence of a 1918-like human pandemic. Therefore, stockpiles of human pre-pandemic vaccine (targeted at avian strains) are being considered. For many countries, the principal constraint for these vaccine stockpiles will be the total mass of antigen maintained. We tested the hypothesis that lower individual doses (i.e., less than the recommended dose for maximum protection) may provide substantial extra community-level benefits because they would permit wider vaccine coverage for a given total size of antigen stockpile.

Methods and findings

We used a mathematical model to predict infection attack rates under different policies. The model incorporated both an individual's resp

SUBMITTER: Riley S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1892041 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature