Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics
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Hum Vaccin Immunother · Jan 2014
Attitude toward immunization and risk perception of measles, rubella, mumps, varicella, and pertussis in health care workers working in 6 hospitals of Florence, Italy 2011.
Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of infection and transmission of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. In recent years cases of measles or varicella in health care workers were observed with increasing frequency. The aim of our study was to investigate attitude toward immunization and risk perception of measles, rubella, mumps, varicella, and pertussis in HCWs working in 6 hospitals of Florence (Italy). ⋯ Attitudes toward immunization observed in this study are generally positive for preventing some infectious diseases (i.e., measles and rubella), but relatively poor for others (i.e., varicella). More information should be made available to HCWs on the benefits of vaccination and efforts to encourage vaccination uptake should be performed. Educational program on the risk of being infected working in a hospital should be implemented in order to increase the risk perception toward infectious diseases among HCWs.
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Hum Vaccin Immunother · Jan 2014
Tracking the global spread of vaccine sentiments: the global response to Japan's suspension of its HPV vaccine recommendation.
In June 2013 the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) suspended its HPV vaccination recommendation after a series of highly publicized alleged adverse events following immunization stoked public doubts about the vaccine's safety. This paper examines the global spread of the news of Japan's HPV vaccine suspension through online media, and takes a retrospective look at non-Japanese media sources that were used to support those claiming HPV vaccine injury in Japan. ⋯ The news of Japan's suspension of the HPV vaccine recommendation has traveled globally through online media and social media networks, being applauded by anti-vaccination groups but not by the global scientific community. The longer the uncertainty around the Japanese HPV vaccine recommendation persists, the further the public concerns are likely to travel.
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Effective protection against mumps can be achieved through 2 doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. However, outbreaks of mumps have recently been described among populations with high vaccination coverage, including 2 doses of MMR. Here we describe an outbreak at a school in the East of England, UK. ⋯ Offering an additional dose of MMR appeared to be acceptable to parents, and we found it feasible to administer the intervention in a timely manner with resources from the local Public Health Centre (Primary Care Trust). An additional dose of MMR to all individuals at risk can be considered as an acceptable control measure for mumps outbreaks in schools even if the vaccination coverage is high. However, further evidence on the effectiveness, acceptability, and safety of this intervention is needed.
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Hum Vaccin Immunother · Jan 2014
Factors associated with pneumococcal vaccination among an urban elderly population in China.
To investigate the coverage of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23-PPV) in the Chinese urban elderly population and to understand the attitudes, knowledge and beliefs of this population toward the 23-PPV vaccination. ⋯ The administration of the 23-PPV vaccine among the urban elderly population is not optimistic in China. Emphasis on persuasion from families and the improvement of knowledge about vaccination might encourage elderly people to get the 23-PPV vaccination. Suggestions from physicians did not affect the participants' willingness to get the 23-PPV vaccination in multivariate analysis, but elderly people typically visited the Community Health Center (CHC) in their residential districts, and thus, systematic encouragement from healthcare physicians might be the key to increasing 23-PPV vaccination.
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Hum Vaccin Immunother · Jan 2014
Multicenter StudyAssessing safety and immunogenicity of post-exposure prophylaxis following interchangeability of rabies vaccines in humans.
Rabies post exposure prophylaxis with cell culture vaccines by either intramuscular route or intradermal route spans over a period of one month. World Health Organization recommends completing post exposure prophylaxis against rabies with the same cell culture or embryonated egg rabies vaccine and with same route of administration and any deviation from this shall be an exception. In the present study, the safety and immunogenicity of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis was studied prospectively in 90 animal bite cases that had interchangeability of rabies vaccines either by route of administration or brand/type and such changes had occurred due to logistical/financial problems. ⋯ None of the study subjects had any adverse reactions. The rabies virus neutralizing antibody titers was assessed by rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test and all the vaccinees had titers ≥0.5 IU per mL on day 14 which is considered as adequate for protection against rabies. Thus, the present study showed that, rabies post-exposure prophylaxis was safe and immunogenic despite changes in the route of administration and brand/type of rabies vaccine.