OBJECTIVE:
to describe trends in mortality from influenza-related respiratory diseases in the elderly comparing the periods before and after the annual influenza vaccination campaigns.
METHODS:
a time-series ecological study using data from the Mortality Information System on deaths among the elderly between 1992 and 2005 where the underlying cause was: pneumonia, influenza, bronchitis and chronic airway obstruction. Analysis performed by linear regression adjusting the historical trend and seasonality.
RESULTS:
we identified a statistically significant reduction of specific mortality rates in the period after vaccination campaign implementation among the elderly in Brazil as a whole and in the country's Southern, Southeastern and Midwestern regions, and in all age subgroups studied in Brazil and its Southeastern region.
CONCLUSION:
the results show evidence of the plausibility of a possible protective effect of influenza vaccination campaigns in reducing elderly mortality from respiratory diseases.
Respiratory Tract Diseases; Influenza Vaccines; Immunization; Time Series Studies
