Table 1.

Overview of influenza vaccination programs and sentinel hospitals in countries participating in the pilot influenza vaccine effectiveness case–control study in Central America, 2012

Country	Participating sentinel hospitals	Catchment populations	Vaccine introduction (public sector)	Target groups included in the pilot vaccine effectiveness case–control study	Population size for vaccination target groups	Official start date of influenza vaccination campaign (2012 influenza season)	Duration of the vaccination campaign	Influenza vaccination coveragea	Vaccine type and formulation usedc	Pneumococcal vaccination among children and older adults
Costa-Rica	Secondary level (all ages): Hospital Tony Facio, Limón; Hospital Max Peralta, Cartago; Hospital San Carlos, San Carlos Alajuela; Hospital Monseñor Sanabria, Puntarenas; Hospital Escalante Pradilla, Pérez Zeledón San José; Hospital San Rafael de Alajuela, Alajuela. Tertiary level hospital (pediatric): Hospital Nacional de Niños, San José.	1,098,375 < 15 years for the pediatric hospital. 2,447,708 inhabitants for hospitals covering all ages.	2004	6 months–11 years with chronic conditions, ≥65 years.	National census projections for 2012: 365,896 < 5 years, and 316,031 ≥ 65 years.	1 February 2012	6–8 weeks	In 2013b, 83 % among 6–36 months, 50 % among 3–10 years and 67 % among ≥65 years.	Trivalent Inactivated virus Vaccine (TIV), Northern Hemisphere formulation.	Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)-13 in ≤15 months.
El Salvador	Tertiary level (pediatric):Hospital del Niño Benjamín Bloom, San Salvador. Secondary level (all ages): Hospital San Juan de Dios, Santa Ana; Hospital San Juan de Dios, San Miguel; Hospital de Cojutepeque, Cojutepeque.	No catchment population data available.	2004	6–23 months, ≥60 years.	National census projections for 2012: 607,671 < 5 years, and 464,988 ≥ 65 years.	27 April 2012	6 weeks	In 2010b, 64 % among 6–23 months and 89 % among ≥60 years.	TIV, Southern Hemisphere formulation (changed from Northern to Southern in May 2011).	PCV-13 in <2 years and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV)-23 in ≥60 years.
Honduras	Tertiary level (all ages): Instituto Hondureño de Seguridad Social, San Pedro Sula; Hospital Catarino Rivas, San Pedro Sula; Instituto Cardiopulmonar “TORAX”, Tegucigalpa. Secondary level: Hospital Militar, Tegucigalpa.	No catchment population data available.	2003	6–35 months with chronic conditions, ≥60 years.	National census projections for 2012: 1,085,293 < 5 years, and 358,553 ≥ 65 years.	15 November 2011	6 weeks	In 2011b, 71 % among children with chronic conditions. In 2012 73 % among ≥65 years.	TIV, Northern Hemisphere formulation.	PCV-13 in <1 year (as per Expanded Programme on Immunization schedule). In 2011–2012, PPV-23 in individuals 2–59 years with chronic conditions and ≥60 years (vaccine donation).
Panama	Tertiary level (pediatric): Hospital del niño, Panama City; Hospital de Especialidades Pediátricas, Panama City; Hospital José D. De Obaldía, Chiriquí. Secondary level (all ages): Hospital José Luis “Chicho” Fábrega, Veraguas; Hospital Rafael Hernández, Chiriquí; Hospital Rafael Estévez, Coclé; Hospital Joaquín Pablo Franco, Los Santos.	No catchment population data available.	2005	6–59 months, ≥60 years.	National census projections for 2012: 3,787,511 < 5 years, and 384,754 ≥ 65 years.	15 April 2012	Vaccination concentrated during the “vaccination week of the Americas” (last week of April) and offered throughout the season depending on stocks availability and expiration dates.	In 2012, 69 % among 6–59 months and 83 % among ≥60 years.	TIV, Southern Hemisphere formulation.	PCV-13 in <1 year, and PPV-23 in ≥60 years.

^aAs officially reported by the Expanded Programs on Immunization

^bVaccination coverage estimates unavailable for 2012

^cNorthern and Southern formulations were identical in 2012 including an: A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus, A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus and B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus