Vaccine
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Over 1200 cases of 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1 (pH1N1) have been identified in Kenya since the first case in June 2009. In April 2010 the Kenyan government launched a program to immunize high-risk groups and healthcare workers (HCWs) with pH1N1 vaccines donated by the World Health Organization. To characterize HCWs' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding pH1N1 vaccination, we conducted a quantitative and qualitative survey in 20 healthcare facilities across Kenya between January 11 and 26, 2010. ⋯ In focus group discussions, many HCWs said that pH1N1 virus infection did not cause severe disease in Kenyans and questioned the need for vaccination. However, most were willing to accept vaccination if they had adequate information on safety and efficacy. In order for the influenza vaccination campaign to be successful, HCWs must understand that pH1N1 can cause severe disease in Kenyans, that pH1N1 vaccination can prevent HCWs from transmitting influenza to their patients, and that the vaccine has been widely used globally with few recognized adverse events.
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Understanding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake patterns is critical to improve vaccination levels. Approximately half (56%) of female undergraduate students surveyed at a large public university reported HPV vaccine series initiation, with 79% of initiators completing the three dose series. ⋯ Compared to whites, black/African-American women were 33% less likely to have initiated HPV vaccination. Common reasons for not receiving the HPV vaccine included concerns about vaccine safety and doctors' not recommending vaccination.
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We determined impact and cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccination programs among children<5 years of age in Uganda from the public health system perspective. Disease-specific models compared the disease burden and cost with and without a vaccination program. If introduced, pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccine programs will save 10,796 and 5265 lives, respectively, prevent 94,071 Streptococcus pneumoniae and 94,729 rotavirus cases in children<5 years, and save 3886 and 996 million Ugandan shillings ($2.3 and $0.6 million US dollars), respectively, in direct medical costs annually. At the GAVI price ($0.15/dose), pneumococcal vaccine will be cost-saving and rotavirus vaccine highly cost-effective.
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Ebola virus is a Filoviridae that causes hemorrhagic fever in humans and induces high morbidity and mortality rates. Filoviruses are classified as "Category A bioterrorism agents", and currently there are no licensed therapeutics or vaccines to treat and prevent infection. The Filovirus glycoprotein (GP) is sufficient to protect individuals against infection, and several vaccines based on GP are under development including recombinant adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and virus-like particles. ⋯ The ZEBOVGP-Fc vaccinated mice were protected against challenge with a lethal dose of ZEBOV. These results show that vaccination with the ZEBOVGP-Fc fusion protein alone without the need of a viral vector or assembly into virus-like particles is sufficient to induce protective immunity against ZEBOV in mice. Our data suggested that Filovirus GP Fc fusion proteins could be developed as a simple, safe, efficacious, and cost effective vaccine against Filovirus infection for human use.
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In March 2009, a swine origin influenza A (2009 H1N1) virus was introduced into the human population and quickly spread from North America to multiple continents. Human serologic studies suggest that seasonal influenza virus vaccination or infection would provide little cross-reactive serologic immunity to the pandemic 2009 H1N1 virus. However, the efficacy of seasonal influenza infection or vaccination against 2009 H1N1 virus replication and transmission has not been adequately evaluated in vivo. ⋯ The impact of single-dose LAIV inoculation on 2009 H1N1 disease and virus transmission was also measured in vaccinated ferrets that were challenged with pandemic A/Netherlands/1132/09 virus. Although a single dose of LAIV reduced virus shedding and the frequency of transmission following homologous seasonal virus challenge, it failed to reduce respiratory droplet transmission of 2009 H1N1 virus. The results demonstrate that prior immunization with seasonal LAIV or H1N1 virus infection provides some cross-protection against the 2009 H1N1 virus, but had no significant effect on the transmission efficiency of the 2009 H1N1 virus.