Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34175998›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology2021

The impact of varicella vaccination on paediatric herpes zoster epidemiology: a Canadian population-based retrospective cohort study.

Ellen Rafferty, Laura Reifferscheid, Margaret L Russell, Stephanie Booth, Lawrence W Svenson, Shannon E MacDonald

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Varicella zoster virus infection.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Effectiveness and safety of upadacitinib in refractory pediatric inflammatory bowel disease: A single-arm meta-analysis of observational studies.Saudi journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association · 2026
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Epidemiology of Herpes Zoster in the pre-vaccination era: establishing the baseline for vaccination programme's impact in Spain.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2023
    Article
  8. Viruses · 2022
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ellen RaffertyInstitute of Health Economics, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. erafferty@ihe.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9974-8016
Laura ReifferscheidFaculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Margaret L RussellDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Stephanie BoothDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Lawrence W SvensonDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Shannon E MacDonaldFaculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
University of Alberta · CAUniversity of Calgary · CA

Funding

Ministry of Health, Government of Alberta RSO 1026380
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The impact of universal varicella vaccination on herpes zoster (HZ) risk in unvaccinated and vaccinated children, and its long-term influence on HZ epidemiology, remains unknown. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using population-based administrative health data for children born between 1993 and 2018 (n = 924,124). We calculated age-specific cumulative HZ incidence rates by vaccination status for cohorts born before (1993-1999) and after (2000-2018) programme implementation; results were used to calculate relative risk of HZ by age group, vaccination status and vaccine availability period. Annual HZ incidence rates were calculated for 1993-2018. HZ risk was higher among unvaccinated children compared to vaccinated children across age groups; 64% higher before universal vaccination (RR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.39), and 32% higher after universal vaccination (RR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.73). Among unvaccinated children, HZ risk was 60% lower after vaccine programme implementation (RR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.43). Two-dose receipt corresponded with a 41% lower risk of HZ compared to one-dose receipt (RR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.65). Crude annual HZ incidence rates declined 64% after programme implementation, with decreases observed across age groups. Universal varicella vaccination programme implementation corresponds to decreased paediatric HZ incidence across age groups, in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Results from this study can be used to help inform varicella vaccination programme decision-making in other countries.

Indexed as

AdolescentCanadaChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHerpesvirus 3, HumanHerpes ZosterHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleVaccinationYoung AdultChickenpoxEpidemiologyHerpes zosterImmunisationPaediatric shinglesVaricella

Identifiers

PMID34175998
PMCPMC8520524
OpenAlexW3175920976

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.