Publications by authors named "Carol Tevi-Benissan"

Typhoid fever, an acute febrile illness caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), is endemic in many low- and middle-income countries (1). In 2015, an estimated 11-21 million typhoid fever cases and 148,000-161,000 associated deaths occurred worldwide (2).

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The World Health Organization (WHO) African Region has approximately 100 million people with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This review describes the status of hepatitis B control in the Region. We present hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) coverage data and from available data in the published literature, the impact of HepB vaccination on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence, a marker of chronic infection, among children, HBsAg prevalence in pregnant women, and risk of perinatal transmission.

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The Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic plan outlines the phased removal of oral polio vaccines (OPVs), starting with type 2 poliovirus-containing vaccine and introduction of inactivated polio vaccine in routine immunization to mitigate against risk of vaccine-associated paralytic polio and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus. The objective includes strengthening routine immunization as the primary pillar to sustaining high population immunity. After 2 years without reporting any wild poliovirus (July 2014-2016), the region undertook the synchronized switch from trivalent OPV (tOPV) to bivalent OPV (bOPV) as recommended by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.

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Article Synopsis
  • An enhanced meningitis surveillance network was created in preparation for the MenAfriVac vaccine, aimed at reducing meningococcal group A cases in the African meningitis belt.
  • Analysis of data from 2005 to 2015 across nine countries showed a 57% decline in suspected meningitis cases in vaccinated groups and over 99% reduction in confirmed group A cases.
  • The introduction of MenAfriVac led to significant decreases in both meningitis incidence and epidemic risks, highlighting the need for continued surveillance against other meningococcal threats.
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Introduction: The WHO recommends annual influenza vaccination to prevent influenza illness in high-risk groups. Little is known about national influenza immunization policies globally.

Material And Methods: The 2014 WHO/UNICEF Joint Reporting Form (JRF) on Immunization was adapted to capture data on influenza immunization policies.

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Background: During the first introduction of a group A meningococcal vaccine (PsA-TT) in 2010-2011 and its rollout from 2011 to 2013, >150 million eligible people, representing 12 hyperendemic meningitis countries, have been vaccinated.

Methods: The new vaccine effectiveness evaluation framework was established by the World Health Organization and partners. Meningitis case-based surveillance was strengthened in PsA-TT first-introducer countries, and several evaluation studies were conducted to estimate the vaccination coverage and to measure the impact of vaccine introduction on meningococcal carriage and disease incidence.

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Background: A group A meningococcal conjugate vaccine (PsA-TT) was developed specifically for the African "meningitis belt" and was prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 2010. The vaccine was first used widely in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in December 2010 with great success. The remaining 23 meningitis belt countries wished to use this new vaccine.

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A number of countries now include meningococcal vaccines in their routine immunization programs. This review focuses on different approaches to including meningococcal vaccines in country programs across the world and their effect on the burden of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) as reflected by pre and post-vaccine incidence rates in the last 20 years. Mass campaigns using conjugated meningococcal vaccines have lead to control of serogroup C meningococcal disease in the UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, and Iceland.

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We studied the innate immune system of Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) experimentally infected via the vaginal mucosae with a virulent simian immunodeficiency virus isolate SIVmac251. Animals were evaluated for their natural killer (NK) cell activity, and for their antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. NK cells from SIVmac251-infected macaques show impaired NK cell activity compared to cells from uninfected animals.

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