Childhood invasive pneumococcal disease and acute otitis media in Central Greece during 2005-2024 - A report at the doorstep of the new multivalent PCV era.

Background: In Greece, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) became sequentially available: 7-valent in October 2004, 10-valent in May 2009, 13-valent in June 2010 and 15-valent in March 2023; soon after availability all vaccines were incorporated in the National Ιmmunization Program except for PCV7 which was implemented in January 2006. Since July 2010, PCV13 has been the most commonly used PCV. Surveillance at a regional and a national level is a valuable tool to monitor the impact of PCVs.

KINGELLA KINGAE SEQUENCE TYPE 25 MENINGITIS IN AN IMMUNOCOMPETENT TODDLER: CLINICAL AND MOLECULAR APPROACH.

Kingella kingae is a cause of bacteremia, endocarditis, and the leading cause of osteoarticular infections between 6 and 48 months of life. We report on a rare case of K. kingae meningitis in the absence of endocarditis and immune deficiency in a 26-month-old boy emphasizing the distinct genomic determinants of the strain which may be of importance to the pathogenesis of the disease.

A Case Report of Meningitis in an Infant: A Rare Entity not to Forget.

Introduction: Salmonellae are gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic Enterobacteriaceae consisting of two species, and . Invasive diseases, such as meningitis, result in hospitalization, short and long-term complications, and high mortality rates.

Case Presentation: A 4-month-old baby girl was admitted to a district hospital because of diarrhea and fever.

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination against school absenteeism in children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19.

Background: COVID-19 vaccination has been recommended for children to protect them and to enable in-person educational and social activities.

Methods: We estimated COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness (VE) against school absenteeism in children 5-17 years old hospitalized from September 1, 2021 through May 31, 2023. Full vaccination was defined as two vaccine doses.

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among children in Greece during Omicron variant period.

The Omicron variant is associated with increased transmissibility, but evidence about the impact of Omicron in seropositivity of children is limited. This study aims to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children during the different variants' subperiods. A prospective multicenter seroprevalence study was conducted in 7 University public hospitals in Greece from November 2021 to August 2022 (3 subperiods: November 2021-February 2022, March 2022-May 2022, June 2022-August 2022).