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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Smallpox vaccination and all-cause infectious disease hospitalization: A Danish register-based cohort study
International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 40, No. 4, Article dyr063, Year 2011
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Description
Background There is growing evidence from observational studies and randomized trials in low-income countries that vaccinations have nonspecific effects. Administration of live vaccines reduces overall child morbidity and mortality, presumably due to protection against non-targeted infections. In Denmark, the live vaccine against smallpox was phased out in the 1970s due to the eradication of smallpox. We used the phasing-out period to investigate the effect of smallpox vaccination on the risk of hospitalization for infections. Methods From the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, a cohort of 4048 individuals was sampled, of whom 3559 had information about receiving or not receiving smallpox vaccination. Infectious disease hospitalizations were identified in the Danish National Patient Register. Results During 87 228 person-years of follow-up, 1440 infectious disease hospitalizations occurred. Smallpox-vaccinated individuals had a reduced risk of all-cause infectious disease hospitalization compared with smallpox-unvaccinated individuals [hazard ratio (HR) 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72-0.98]. The reduced risk of hospitalizations was seen for most subgroups of infectious diseases. The effect may have been most pronounced after early smallpox vaccination (vaccination age <3.5 years: HR 0.81; 95% CI 0.69-0.95; vaccination age ≥3.5 years: HR 0.91 95% CI 0.76-1.10). Among the smallpox-vaccinated, the risk of infectious disease hospitalization increased 6% with each 1-year increase in vaccination age (HR 1.06; 95% CI 1.02-1.10). Conclusion Smallpox vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of infectious disease hospitalization in a high-income setting. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association © The Author 2011; all rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
SØrup, Signe
Denmark, Copenhagen
Statens Serum Institut
Denmark, Copenhagen
Institut for Sygdomsforebyggelse
Villumsen, Marie
Denmark, Copenhagen
Statens Serum Institut
Denmark, Copenhagen
Institut for Sygdomsforebyggelse
Ravn, Henrik
Denmark, Copenhagen
Statens Serum Institut
Benn, Christine Stabell
Denmark, Copenhagen
Statens Serum Institut
Sørensen, T. I. A.
Denmark, Copenhagen
Institut for Sygdomsforebyggelse
Aaby, Peter
Denmark, Copenhagen
Statens Serum Institut
Ghana, Accra
Indepth Network
Jess, Tine
Denmark, Copenhagen
Institut for Sygdomsforebyggelse
Denmark, Copenhagen
Statens Serum Institut
Roth, Adam Edvin
Ghana, Accra
Indepth Network
Sweden, Lund
Skånes Universitetssjukhus
Statistics
Citations: 8
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1093/ije/dyr063
ISSN:
03005771
e-ISSN:
14643685
Research Areas
Environmental
Health System And Policy
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cohort Study
Study Approach
Quantitative