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EFFICACY OF THE INFLUENZA VIRUS SUBUNIT VACCINE IN 1970
Author(s) -
Gill P. W.,
Babbage N. F.,
Gunton P. E.,
Flower W.,
Garrett D. A.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1971.tb88006.x
Subject(s) - virology , virus , medicine , influenza vaccine , commonwealth , population , immunology , environmental health , political science , law
A study was conducted by five general practitioners, partners in a single practice, during the 1970 winter epidemic of influenza. Its purpose was to determine the value of the influenza virus subunit vaccine produced by the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, as a means of preventing clinical influenza. In 291 cases the clinical diagnosis of influenza, based on strict criteria, was checked by the Virology Department of the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Lidcombe, N.S.W. Of 210 patients confirmed by the laboratory as suffering from Hong Kong influenza, only 17 were found to have been immunized (8·1%), whereas the proportion of immunized subjects among the patient population of the practice was found to be 39%. From these figures, it was concluded that the vaccine, when used as directed by the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, had conferred substantial protection during 1970 against clinical attack by the A2/Hong Kong/68 virus. Of 20 patients confirmed by the laboratory as suffering from influenza B infection, eight were found to have been immunized (40%). On the basis of these figures, no evidence was found that the vaccine had protected against the strain of influenza B current in 1970. The Hong Kong virus isolated in 1970 showed no evidence of antigenic change from that isolated in 1969, and it was identical with the virus used in the vaccine. This virus was responsible for approximately 90% of the influenza confirmed among these patients, and influenza B for the remainder.