Table 1.
Overview of vaccination target groups, timing of vaccination campaigns, and sentinel hospitals among countries participating in the multicenter case-control study in nine Latin American countries, 2013.
| Country | Year of vaccine introduction | Target groups for vaccination | Definition of chronic conditions used for vaccination | Timing and duration of vaccination campaigns | Start date of vaccination campaign in 2013 | Vaccine formulation used | Number of participating severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) sentinel surveillance hospitals | Types of respiratory specimens collected in SARI surveillance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1993 | 6–23 monthsa, ≥65 yearsa, pregnant and postpartum women, healthcare workers, 2–64 years with chronic conditions, security and essential services personnel | Respiratory diseases, heart diseases, congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies, transplanted oncohematologic patients, morbid obesity, diabetes, chronic renal failure on dialysis, severe cognitive impairment, genetic or neuromuscular respiratory distress syndromes, chronic treatment with Acetylsalicylic Acid in 18 years, partners of oncohematologic patients, contacts of infants <1500 g of weight | End of February or mid-March and vaccine offered throughout the season through routine services | 1 March 2013 | Southern Hemisphere. | 4 hospitals (50%)selected out of 8 SARI sentinel surveillance hospitals | Nasopharyngeal aspirates |
| Brazil | 1999 | 6–23 monthsa, ≥60 yearsa, pregnant and postpartum women, healthcare workers, indigenous populations, persons with chronic diseases | Diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, chronic hepatic diseases, chronic cardiac diseases, chronic renal diseases, chronic neurologic diseases, obesity, immuno suppressed individuals, transplanted individuals, Down syndrome | End of April to mid-may | 17 April 2013 | Southern Hemisphere | 29 hospitals selected from the South and South East regions of Brazil (SARI reporting is universal in Brazil) | Nasopharyngeal aspirates; nasopharyngeal swabs in Brazil, Panama, and three hospitals in Chile. |
| Chile | 1975 | 6–23 monthsa, ≥65 yearsa, pregnant women, healthcare workers, persons with chronic diseases, poultry workers | Diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease specifically bronchial asthma, COPD, Pulmonary fibrosis, cardiopathy: congenital, rheumatic ischemic, and cardiomyopathies, neuromuscular disease, (congenital or acquired), Morbid obesity, chronic renal insufficiency in phase ≥4, chronic renal insufficiency in dialysis, chronic hepatic insufficiency, autoimmune disorders (LES, scleroderma; AR, Crohn’s disease etc.), Cancer under radiotherapy treatment, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or palliative measures of any kind. HIV, congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, healthcare personnel (private or public) | End of March | 18 March 2013 | Southern Hemisphere | 6 (all SARI sentinel surveillance hospitals) | Nasopharyngeal aspirates in 5 hospitals; nasopharyngeal swabs in 3 hospitals |
| Colombia | 2005 | 6–23 monthsa, ≥60 yearsa, healthcare workers, persons with chronic diseases or cohabiting with cancer patients, pregnant women | Chronic renal disease or other conditions as recommended by the physician | Beginning of April | 17 April 2013 | Southern Hemisphere in 2013. Changed from Northern to Southern Hemisphere vaccine in 2007 | 7 hospitals (50%) selected out of 15 SARI sentinel surveillance hospitals | Nasopharyngeal aspirates |
| Costa-Rica | 2004 | 6 months–11 years with chronic diseasesa, ≥65 yearsa, pregnant women, individuals with chronic diseases, and health care workers | Diabetes, morbid obesity, respiratory illnesses, and cardiovascular disease | Mid February, lasts for 6–8 weeks | 1 February 2013 | Northern Hemisphere in 2013. Changed from Northern to Southern Hemisphere vaccine in 2015 | 6 (all SARI sentinel surveillance hospitals) | Nasopharyngeal aspirates |
| El Salvador | 2004 | 6–59 monthsa, ≥60 yearsa, pregnant women, healthcare workers, persons with chronic conditions | Cardiovascular disease, renal disease and chronic respiratory diseases | 6 weeks | 30 April -June 30 | Southern Hemisphere. Changed from Northern Hemisphere to Southern Hemisphere vaccine in 2011 | 4 (all SARI sentinel surveillance hospitals) | Combined mid-turbinate nasal and oropharyngeal swabs |
| Honduras | 2003 | ≥60 yearsa, 6–35 months with chronic diseasesa, 3–64 years with chronic conditions, health care workers, and poultry workers | Respiratory diseases specified as asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, renal disease, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease specified as diabetes, immunodeficiency, obesity, and patients with long-term aspirin treatment | Mid-November, lasts for 6 weeks. | 19–30 November 2013 | Northern Hemisphere. Changed to Southern Hemisphere in 2015 | 3 (all SARI sentinel surveillance hospitals) | Combined mid-turbinate nasal and oropharyngeal swabs |
| Panama | 2005 | 6–59 monthsa, ≥60 yearsa, pregnant women, individuals with chronic diseases, healthcare workers, and poultry workers | Metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, morbid obesity | Mid-April, vaccination concentrated during the “vaccination week of the Americas” and offered throughout the season through routine services | April 1 2013 | Southern Hemisphere | 10 (all SARI sentinel surveillance hospitals) | Nasopharyngeal swabs |
| Paraguay | 2005 | 6–35 monthsa, ≥60 yearsa, healthcare workers, pregnant women, persons with chronic conditions, poultry workers | Chronic diseases (unspecified), morbid obesity, immunocompromised | Mid-April | April 11 2013 | Southern Hemisphere | 2 hospitals (29%) selected out of 7 SARI sentinel surveillance hospitals | Combined mid-turbinate nasal and oropharyngeal swabs; nasopharyngeal aspirates |
a
Included in multicenter case-control study, 2013.