Early season co-circulation of influenza A(H3N2) and B(Yamagata): interim estimates of 2017/18 vaccine effectiveness, Canada, January 2018

Danuta M Skowronski, Catharine Chambers, Gaston De Serres, James A Dickinson, Anne-Luise Winter, Rebecca Hickman, Tracy Chan, Agatha N Jassem, Steven J Drews, Hugues Charest, Jonathan B Gubbay, Nathalie Bastien, Yan Li, Mel Krajden, Danuta M Skowronski, Catharine Chambers, Gaston De Serres, James A Dickinson, Anne-Luise Winter, Rebecca Hickman, Tracy Chan, Agatha N Jassem, Steven J Drews, Hugues Charest, Jonathan B Gubbay, Nathalie Bastien, Yan Li, Mel Krajden

Abstract

Using a test-negative design, we assessed interim vaccine effectiveness (VE) for the 2017/18 epidemic of co-circulating influenza A(H3N2) and B(Yamagata) viruses. Adjusted VE for influenza A(H3N2), driven by a predominant subgroup of clade 3C.2a viruses with T131K + R142K + R261Q substitutions, was low at 17% (95% confidence interval (CI): -14 to 40). Adjusted VE for influenza B was higher at 55% (95% CI: 38 to 68) despite prominent use of trivalent vaccine containing lineage-mismatched influenza B(Victoria) antigen, suggesting cross-lineage protection.

Keywords: Influenza; genomics; influenza virus; mid-season; vaccine effectiveness; vaccine-preventable diseases; vaccines and immunisation.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: GDS has received grants unrelated to influenza from GSK and Pfizer and travel reimbursement to attend an ad hoc advisory board meeting of GSK also unrelated to influenza; he has provided paid expert testimony in a grievance against a vaccinate-or-mask healthcare worker influenza vaccination policy for the Ontario Nurses Association. JBG has received research grants from GlaxoSmithKline Inc. and Hoffman-La Roche Ltd to study antiviral resistance in influenza, and from Pfizer Inc. to conduct microbiological surveillance of Streptococcus pneumoniae. MK has received research grants from Roche, Merck, Siemens, Hologic, and Boerhinger Ingelheim for unrelated studies. Other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Influenza detections among eligible patients presenting with influenza-like illness by week of specimen collection, Canadian Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Network, 5 November 2017–20 January 2018 (n = 1,408)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clade distribution of influenza A(H3N2) variants, Canada, 2017/18 interim vaccine effectiveness evaluation vs other sources of data

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Source: PubMed

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