No temporal association between influenza outbreaks and invasive pneumococcal infections

Objective: To assess whether the influenza peak in populations
precedes the annual peak for invasive pneumococcal infections (IPI)
in winter.Design: Ecological study. Active surveillance data on
influenza A and IPI in children up to 16 years of age collected
from 1997 to 2003 were analysed.Setting: Paediatric hospitals in
Germany.Patients: Children under 16 years of age.Results: In all
years under study, the influenza A season did not appear to affect
the IPI season (p = 0.49). Specifically, the influenza peak never
preceded the IPI peak.Conclusion: On a population level there was
no indication that the annual influenza epidemic triggered the
winter increase in the IPI rate or the peak of the IPI distribution
in children.