Vaccine
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A series of state-level statute changes have allowed pharmacists to provide influenza vaccinations in community pharmacies. The study aim was to estimate the effects of pharmacy-based immunization statutes changes on per capita influenza vaccine prescriptions, adult vaccination rates, and the utilization of other preventive health services. ⋯ Pharmacists are providing millions of influenza vaccines as a consequence of immunization statutes, but we do not observe significant differences in adult influenza vaccination rates. The main gains from pharmacy-based immunization may be in providing a more convenient way to obtain an important health service.
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Bexsero, a new vaccine against serogroup B meningococcal disease (MenB), was licensed in Europe in January 2013. In Germany, Bexsero is recommended for persons at increased risk of invasive meningococcal disease, but not for universal childhood vaccination. To support decision making we adapted the independently developed model for England to the German setting to predict the potential health impact and cost-effectiveness of universal vaccination with Bexsero(®) against MenB disease. ⋯ In the long term (20+ years) policies including routine adolescent vaccination are most favourable if herd effects are assumed. Under base case assumptions with a vaccine list price of €96.96 the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was >€500,000 per QALY for all considered strategies. Given the current very low incidence of MenB disease in Germany, universal vaccination with Bexsero(®) would prevent only a small absolute number of cases, at a high overall cost.
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On-going post-licensure surveillance of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) is critical to detecting and responding to potentially serious adverse events in a timely manner. SmartVax is a vaccine safety monitoring tool that uses automated data extraction from existing practice management software and short message service (SMS) technology to follow-up vaccinees in real-time. We report on childhood vaccine safety surveillance using SmartVax at a medical practice in Perth, Western Australia. ⋯ Automated SMS-based reporting can facilitate sustainable, real-time, monitoring of adverse reactions and contribute to early identification of potential vaccine safety issues.
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Herd protection from infant pneumococcal conjugate vaccination is well established for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) but not for non-IPD pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (PCAP). We assessed the contribution of vaccine-serotypes in non-IPD PCAP in adults 65 years and older in the period 2008-2013. ⋯ PCV7 serotypes declined in non-IPD PCAP among elderly between 2008 and 2013, comparable to IPD data. No reduction in the additional PCV10 serotypes could be demonstrated within the first two years after PCV10 introduction.
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This review on the dengue vaccine pipeline was a solicited article and drafted based on the pre-defined template for PD-VAC.