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Vaccine May 2024Immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases prior to pregnancy is an important measure of primary prevention both for the mother and the unborn child. We analyzed...
BACKGROUND
Immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases prior to pregnancy is an important measure of primary prevention both for the mother and the unborn child. We analyzed immunity rates against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and pertussis in pregnant employees in Germany prior to significant changes in legal conditions in 2020, to provide a basis of comparison for future research.
METHODS
We analyzed occupational-medical routine data in three collectives of pregnant women with an occupational risk of infection in the years 2018 and 2019: 1: hospital staff with regular access to an in-house company physician (n = 148); 2: employees in childcare with regular access to external occupational-health services (n = 139); 3: teachers with no regular access to occupational healthcare (n = 285). Immune status was assessed by a physician based on vaccination certificates, laboratory results, and medical documentation on prior infections. We compared immunity rates against measles, rubella, varicella, and pertussis as well as full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases.
RESULTS
Altogether, n = 572 pregnant women were included in our study. Of these women, 96.5 % were immune to rubella, 95.8 % to varicella, 88.3 % to measles, 82.7 % to mumps, and 67.8 % to pertussis. Only 56.2 % of the women had full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases. Collective 1 showed the highest immunity rates against measles and pertussis as well as the highest rate of full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases. The immunity rates against rubella and varicella did not differ significantly between the collectives. With the exception of rubella, the lowest immunity rates during pregnancy were found in Collective 3.
CONCLUSION
We found pregnancy-relevant immunity gaps in all our study groups with significant differences between the collectives. Considering the potentially devastating consequences of infections during pregnancy, all medical professionals and health-policy makers should be involved in an increased effort to improve vaccination rates prior to pregnancy.
PubMed: 38824086
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.044 -
Journal of Clinical Virology : the... Aug 2024Measles, mumps, and rubella(MMR) vaccination is critical to measles outbreak responses. However, vaccine reactions and detection of measles vaccine RNA in recently...
BACKGROUND
Measles, mumps, and rubella(MMR) vaccination is critical to measles outbreak responses. However, vaccine reactions and detection of measles vaccine RNA in recently immunized persons may complicate case classification especially in those presenting with another respiratory viral illness. We aim to characterize cases of measles vaccine shedding in recently vaccinated children presenting with respiratory viral symptoms.
METHODS
Children who were tested with a multiplex respiratory panel <30 days after receiving MMR were identified. Remnant nasopharyngeal(NP) samples were tested for measles vaccine by PCR. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, presenting symptoms, and test results.
RESULTS
From January 2022 to March 2023, 127 NP from children who received MMR were tested. Ninety-six NP were collected after the first dose, of which 33(34.4 %) were positive for vaccine RNA. The median interval between MMR and detection was 11.0 days. Thirty-one NP were collected after the second MMR and 1(3.2 %) was positive; time between the vaccination and detection was 18.9 days. Median cycle threshold(Ct) value of the measles PCR for vaccine shedding was significantly higher than median Ct in children with wild-type infection.
CONCLUSION
Shedding of measles vaccine RNA is not uncommon and vaccine RNA can be detected up to 29 days post MMR; the amount of vaccine RNA shedding is low indicated by high Ct values. Clinicians and public health officials should consider performing measles vaccine testing on those testing positive for measles within one month of MMR vaccination, especially if the Ct value is high and definitive epidemiological links are absent.
Topics: Humans; Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine; Female; Male; Virus Shedding; RNA, Viral; Child, Preschool; Infant; Vaccination; Child; Measles; Nasopharynx; Mumps; Rubella; Adolescent
PubMed: 38823291
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2024.105696 -
Vaccine May 2024In Italy, the measles elimination target has not yet been reached despite a significant reduction in cases. A multicenter study was conducted to estimate the prevalence...
In Italy, the measles elimination target has not yet been reached despite a significant reduction in cases. A multicenter study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of anti-measles (MV) IgG antibodies in the Italian population by age, sex and geographical area. To determine the level of MV-specific antibodies in sera, the immunoenzymatic assay ELISA was used (Enzygnost Anti-VZV/IgG, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostic Products GmbH, Germany). Overall, 3746 serum samples collected in the years 2019-20 from healthy subjects aged 6-64 years residing in 13 Italian regions. The overall seroprevalence of anti-MV IgG was 91.2 % (90.6 % male, 91.7 % female). Significantly higher seroprevalence values (p < 0.05) were recorded for the extreme age groups of the study population (6-9 years: 94.2 %; 40-64 years: 97.6 %). Subjects 20-39 and 40-64 years old had significantly higher antibody titers suggesting a protection against measles mainly derived from natural infection. Seroprevalence was significantly higher in the South (93.2 %) than in the Northern-Central Italy (88.9 %). The results indicate an increase in the overall seroprevalence data compared to previous investigations. However, further efforts must be made to implement and maintain high measles vaccination coverage to avoid the risk of future epidemic outbreaks.
PubMed: 38821819
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.060 -
Euro Surveillance : Bulletin Europeen... May 2024A measles outbreak with 51 cases occurred in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, between January and March 2024. The outbreak was triggered by an imported case, and 37...
A measles outbreak with 51 cases occurred in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, between January and March 2024. The outbreak was triggered by an imported case, and 37 (72.5%) subsequent cases were previously vaccinated individuals. Epidemiological investigations showed that vaccinated measles cases were symptomatic and infectious. In a highly vaccinated population, it is important to raise awareness among healthcare professionals to suspect and test for measles virus when an outbreak is declared, irrespective of the vaccination status of the patients.
Topics: Humans; Measles; Switzerland; Disease Outbreaks; Measles Vaccine; Vaccination; Male; Female; Adult; Adolescent; Child; Measles virus; Child, Preschool; Young Adult; Infant
PubMed: 38818746
DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.22.2400275 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2024Vectored RNA vaccines offer a variety of possibilities to engineer targeted vaccines. They are cost-effective and safe, but replication competent, activating the humoral... (Review)
Review
Vectored RNA vaccines offer a variety of possibilities to engineer targeted vaccines. They are cost-effective and safe, but replication competent, activating the humoral as well as the cellular immune system.This chapter focuses on RNA vaccines derived from negative-strand RNA viruses from the order Mononegavirales with special attention to Newcastle disease virus-based vaccines and their generation. It shall provide an overview on the advantages and disadvantages of certain vector platforms as well as their scopes of application, including an additional section on experimental COVID-19 vaccines.
Topics: Animals; Humans; COVID-19; Genetic Vectors; Newcastle disease virus; RNA Viruses; SARS-CoV-2; Viral Vaccines; mRNA Vaccines
PubMed: 38814390
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3770-8_3 -
Health Policy and Planning May 2024The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system was adopted by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health (MOH) in 2008, which was based on paper-based tools for...
The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system was adopted by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health (MOH) in 2008, which was based on paper-based tools for health data recording and reporting from health facilities to the national level. The Sierra Leone MoH introduced the implementation of electronic case-based disease surveillance reporting of immediately notifiable diseases. This study aimed to document and describe the experience of Sierra Leone in transforming her paper-based disease surveillance system into an electronic disease surveillance system. Retrospective mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative data were reviewed. Qualitative data was collected by reviewing surveillance technical reports, epidemiological bulletins, COVID-19, IDSR technical guidelines, Digital Health strategy, and DHIS2 documentation. Content and thematic data analysis were performed for the qualitative data, while Microsoft Excel and DHIS2 platform were used for the quantitative data analysis to document the experience of Sierra Leone in digitalizing its disease surveillance system. In early 2017, a web-based electronic Case-Based Disease Surveillance (eCBDS) for real-time reporting of immediately notifiable diseases and health threats was piloted using the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) software. The eCBDS, integrates case profile, laboratory, and final outcome data. All captured data and information are immediately accessible to users with the required credentials. The system can be accessed via a browser or an Android DHIS2 application. By 2021, there was a significant increase in the proportion of immediately notifiable cases reported through the facility-level electronic platform, and more than 80% of the cases reported through the weekly surveillance platform had case-based data in eCBDS. Case-based data from the platform is analyzed and disseminated to stakeholders for public health decision-making. Several outbreaks of Lassa fever, Measles, vaccine-derived Polio, and Anthrax have been tracked in real-time through the eCBDS.
PubMed: 38813658
DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czae039 -
Journal of Health Economics Jun 2024Childhood vaccinations are among the most cost-effective health interventions. Yet, in India, where immunisation services are widely available free of charge, a... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Childhood vaccinations are among the most cost-effective health interventions. Yet, in India, where immunisation services are widely available free of charge, a substantial proportion of children remain unvaccinated. We revisit households 30 months after a randomised experiment of a health information intervention designed to educate mothers on the benefits of child vaccination in Uttar Pradesh, India. We find that the large short-term effects on the uptake of diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus and measles vaccination were sustained at 30 months, suggesting the intervention did not simply bring forward vaccinations. We apply causal forests and find that the intervention increased vaccination uptake, but that there was substantial variation in the magnitude of the estimated effects. We conclude that characterising those who benefited most and conversely those who benefited least provides policy-makers with insights on how the intervention worked, and how the targeting of households could be improved.
Topics: Humans; India; Mothers; Female; Infant; Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine; Health Education; Child, Preschool; Adult; Male; Vaccination; Immunization Programs; Measles Vaccine
PubMed: 38805881
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2024.102899 -
Vaccine May 2024Our goal was to provide an overview of uptake rates across vaccine types and factors associated with vaccine uptake among cancer survivor populations. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Our goal was to provide an overview of uptake rates across vaccine types and factors associated with vaccine uptake among cancer survivor populations.
METHODS
A literature search was conducted using Ovid MEDLINE® ALL (Wolters Kluwer), Embase (Elsevier) and CINAHL Complete (EBSCO) databases and according to PRISMA guidelines. Eligible articles were limited to those examining vaccination uptake among cancer survivors who had completed treatment, reported factors associated with uptake (e.g., barriers and facilitators), and published in English between 2011 and 2021. Two independent reviewers screened citations for inclusion and two performed data abstraction, verified by an arbiter.
RESULTS
The search returned 4,215 total articles, and 271 duplicates were removed. During abstract/title screening, 212 articles were identified. Following full-text screening, 47 articles/abstracts were found to meet inclusion criteria, 16 articles/abstracts were removed, and 31 studies were included in the review. Among the 31 studies, participant age ranged from 9 years to adults of all ages. Vaccine types included: influenza (n = 18), human papillomavirus (n = 10), pneumococcal (n = 8), hepatitis A/B (n = 1), shingles (n = 1), measles (n = 1), tetanus/diphtheria (n = 1), and haemophilus influenza B (n = 1). Vaccine uptake varied greatly across studies, vaccine types, and participant populations. Factors affecting vaccination uptake included sociodemographic variables and social determinants of health, health beliefs/attitudes/knowledge, provider recommendation, and cancer treatment/clinical variables.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings highlight the need for further examining factors associated with vaccine uptake, the need for clinical guidelines that specifically address vaccination among cancer survivors, and potential targets for multi-level interventions to improve vaccination rates among cancer survivor populations.
PubMed: 38802291
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.043 -
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association... May 2024
Topics: Humans; Measles; Measles Vaccine; Canada
PubMed: 38802137
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.240415-f -
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association... May 2024
Topics: Humans; Measles; Measles Vaccine; Vaccination; Canada
PubMed: 38802135
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.240371-f