Safety of inadvertent administration of live zoster vaccine to immunosuppressed individuals in a UK-based observational cohort analysis

• Published in: BMJ open 2020-01, Vol.10 (1), p.e034886-e034886
• Main Authors: Grint, Daniel J, McDonald, Helen I, Walker, Jemma L, Amirthalingam, Gayatri, Andrews, Nick, Thomas, Sara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adverse events; Age; Aged; Chemotherapy; Chicken pox; Cohort analysis; Disease; Drug dosages; Encephalitis; England - epidemiology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; geriatric dermatology; Herpes Zoster - epidemiology; Herpes Zoster - prevention & control; Herpes Zoster Vaccine - administration & dosage; Herpesvirus 3, Human - immunology; Hospitals; Humans; Immunization; Immunocompromised Host; immunology; Incidence; infectious diseases and infestations; Male; Observational studies; Population; Primary care; Prospective Studies; Public Health; Sensitivity analysis; Transplants & implants; Vaccines; Vaccines, Attenuated - administration & dosage
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034886

ObjectivesTo investigate the safety of live attenuated varicella zoster vaccination when administered to immunosuppressed individuals.DesignProspective observational cohort study.SettingThe study used anonymised data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), comprising a representative sample of routinely collected primary care data in England between 2013 and 2017 and and linked Hospital Episode Statistics data.Participants168 767 individuals age-eligible for varicella zoster vaccination registered at a general practice in England contributing data to CPRD.Main outcome measuresElectronic health records indicating immunosuppression, zoster vaccination, diagnoses of specific varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-related disease and non-specific rash/encephalitis compatible with VZV-related disease.ResultsBetween 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2017, a period of immunosuppression was identified for 9093/168 767 (5.4%; 95% CI: 5.3%–5.5%) individuals age-eligible for zoster vaccination. The overall rate of vaccination while immunosuppressed was 1742/5251 (33.2 per 100 adjusted person years at risk; 95% CI: 31.9%–34.5%). Follow-up of the 1742 individuals who were inadvertently vaccinated while immunosuppressed identified only two cases of VZV-related disease within 8 weeks of vaccination (0.1%; 95% CI: 0.01%–0.4%), both primary care diagnoses of ‘shingles’, neither with a related hospital admission.ConclusionsDespite evidence of inadvertent vaccination of immunosuppressed individuals with live zoster vaccination, there is a lack of evidence of severe consequences including hospitalisation. This should reassure primary care staff and encourage vaccination of mildly immunosuppressed individuals who do not meet current thresholds for contraindication. These findings support a review of the extent to which live zoster vaccination is contraindicated among the immunosuppressed.