Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics
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Hum Vaccin Immunother · Jan 2015
Seroprevalence of measles, mumps and rubella among young adults, after 20 years of universal 2-dose MMR vaccination in Israel.
Evidence-based vaccination policy is important for the global and local efforts of achieving control over measles. In 2007, the first Israeli birth cohort to be twice vaccinated during childhood with Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine reached adulthood. In parallel, Israel experienced its largest measles outbreak since 1994. ⋯ Results were similar for Israeli-born only. Our findings indicate that measles seroprevalence decreased after the last change in vaccination policy and reach sub-optimal level. Until global eradication is reached, a proactive vaccination program to supplement routine childhood vaccination program should be considered in Israel and in other countries.
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Hum Vaccin Immunother · Jan 2015
Influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing inpatient and outpatient cases in a season dominated by vaccine-matched influenza B virus.
Studies that have evaluated the influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) to prevent laboratory-confirmed influenza B cases are uncommon, and few have analyzed the effect in preventing hospitalized cases. We have evaluated the influenza VE in preventing outpatient and hospitalized cases with laboratory-confirmed influenza in the 2012-2013 season, which was dominated by a vaccine-matched influenza B virus. In the population covered by the Navarra Health Service, all hospitalized patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) and all ILI patients attended by a sentinel network of general practitioners were swabbed for influenza testing, and all were included in a test-negative case-control analysis. ⋯ The VE against virus B was 87% (52 to 96) in hospitalized patients and 56% in outpatients (-5 to 81). Adjusted comparison of vaccination status between inpatient and outpatient cases with influenza B did not show statistically significant differences (odds ratio: 1.13; p = 0.878). These results suggest a high protective effect of the vaccine in the 2012-2013 season, with no differences found for the effect between outpatient and hospitalized cases.
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Hum Vaccin Immunother · Jan 2015
Maternal uptake of pertussis cocooning strategy and other pregnancy related recommended immunizations.
Maternal immunization is an important strategy to prevent severe morbidity and mortality in mothers and their offspring. This study aimed to identify whether new parents were following immunization recommendations prior to pregnancy, during pregnancy, and postnatally. A cross-sectional survey was conducted by a questionnaire administered antenatally to pregnant women attending a maternity hospital with a follow-up telephone interview at 8-10 weeks post-delivery. ⋯ Multiparous pregnant women were less likely to have received an influenza vaccine during their current pregnancy (p = 0.015). Uptake of pregnancy related immunization is low and likely due to poor knowledge of availability, language barriers and lack of recommendations from HCPs. Strategies to improve maternal vaccine uptake should include education about recommended vaccines for both HCPs and parents and written information in a variety of languages.
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Hum Vaccin Immunother · Jan 2015
Apps for immunization: Leveraging mobile devices to place the individual at the center of care.
Mobile technology and applications (apps) have disrupted several industries including healthcare. The advantage of apps, being personally focused and permitting bidirectional communication, make them well suited to address many immunization challenges. As of April 25, 2015 searching the Android app store with the words 'immunize app' and 'immunization app' in Canada yielded 225 apps. ⋯ For individuals, mobile apps offer the opportunity for better record keeping, assistance with the logistics of vaccination, and novel ways of communicating with and receiving information from public health officials. For the system, mobile apps offer the potential to improve the quality of information residing in immunization information systems and program evaluation, facilitate harmonization of immunization information between individuals, health care providers and public health as well as reduce vaccine hesitancy. As mobile technology continues to rapidly evolve there will emerge new ways in which apps can enhance immunization practice.
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Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by helminths belonging to the Schistosoma genus. Approximately 700 million people are at risk of infection and 200 million people are currently infected. Schistosomiasis is the most important helminth infection, and treatment relies solely on the drug praziquantel. ⋯ Schistosomiasis vaccine development has been an uphill battle, and there are still several hurdles to overcome in the future. Fortunately, the research groups involved in the research for vaccine development have not abandoned their work. Furthermore, in the last few years, schistosomiasis has garnered some additional attention on a global scale due to its significant impact on public health.