Universal Vaccination Associated with Reductions in Influenza-related Deaths, Hospitalizations and Doctor Visits

A long-awaited Canadian study on the effectiveness of universal vaccination for seasonal influenza was published by Canadian researchers yesterday in the open access journal PLoS Medicine. The study was led by Dr. Jeff Kwong, a CIHR-funded researcher at the Institute of Clinical and Evaluative Sciences and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

The province of Ontario in Canada has the world’s only universal vaccination program. Kwong and his colleagues examined the effect of Ontario’s universal vaccination program on influenza-related mortality and use of healthcare services relative to other Canadian provinces, which have targeted vaccination programs. These researchers found that universal vaccination was associated with reductions in influenza-related deaths, hospitalizations and doctor visits. To read this paper, CLICK HERE.