Surveying immunogenicity and safety of influenza vaccination in health care workers and HIV-infected individuals

Background: Influenza is a world-wide public health concern. It is one of the most important viral causes of acute respiratory illness, affecting all age groups, recurring several times during a lifetime. We assessed the antibody titers after vaccination against influenza among HIV-infected patients and health care workers (HCWs). Patients and methods: During this before-after study, the antibody responses were assessed in 60 HCW and 60 HIVinfected patients vaccinated with split influenza vaccine (influvac® 2005/2006 Solvay’s influenza vaccines for the influenza season 2005/2006 in the northern hemisphere). Results: Although all participants had protective antibody levels against A(H1N1), A(H3N2), and B components of trivalent influenza vaccine (before vaccination), HIV-infected patients showed seroconversion against A(H1N1), A(H3N2), and B components in 75%, 45%, and 28.3% of cases, respectively. The corresponding values were 70%, 33.3%, and 53.3% among HCWs, respectively. There were no repots of any vaccine adverse reaction. Conclusion: A comparable rise in antibody titers against influenza antigens without any adverse reaction supports the previous recommendations for influenza vaccination. Such programs can effectively decrease the probability of influenza infection in both HCWs and HIV-infected patients who are not seriously immune compromised.