Background: In 2021 we launched the BronchStart study, which collected information on 17,899 presentations in children with serious respiratory tract infections following the release of lockdown restrictions. Our study informed the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's decision to recommend the introduction maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination, which was introduced in the United Kingdom in August/September 2024.
Study Question: We modified our original protocol to conduct a United Kingdom-wide assessment of maternal vaccination against RSV.
On 27–29 of September 2022, Wellcome convened an international multi-stakeholder workshop to discuss the use of Correlates of Protection (CoP) to accelerate vaccine development, the hybrid format meeting was attended by 80 delegates including developers, manufacturers, regulators, public health officials and policy-makers from 17 countries, including 7 LMIC’s.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe infections in infants, immunocompromised or elderly individuals resulting in annual epidemics of respiratory disease. Currently, limited clinical surveillance and the lack of predictable seasonal dynamics limit the public health response. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has recently been used globally as a key metric in determining prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in the community, but its application to other respiratory viruses is limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStud Health Technol Inform
January 2024
Interferons (IFN) constitute a primary line of protection against mucosal infection, with IFN research spanning over 60 years and encompassing a vast ever-expanding amount of literature. Most of what is currently understood has been derived from extensive research defining the roles of "classical" type I IFNs, IFNα and IFNβ. However, little is known regarding responses elicited by less well-characterized IFN subtypes such as IFNε.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRespiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major global cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Palivizumab, a monoclonal antibody that provides passive immunity against RSV, is currently licensed for prophylactic use in specific "high-risk" populations, including congenital heart disease, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and prematurity. Available research suggests palivizumab use in these high-risk populations can lead to a reduction in RSV-related hospitalization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnmet health-related social needs contribute to high morbidity and poor population health. Improving social conditions are likely to reduce health disparities and improve the health of the overall U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Sudan virus disease outbreak in Uganda in 2022 showed our vulnerability to viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs). Although there are regular outbreaks of VHFs with high morbidity and mortality, which disproportionally affect low-income settings, our understanding of how to treat them remains inadequate. In this systematic review, we aim to explore the availability, scope, standardisation, and quality of clinical management guidelines for VHFs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of evidence-based clinical decision-making. Clinical management guidelines (CMGs) may help reduce morbidity and mortality by improving the quality of clinical decisions. This systematic review aims to evaluate the availability, inclusivity, and quality of pandemic influenza CMGs, to identify gaps that can be addressed to strengthen pandemic preparedness in this area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has expanded its geographical reach in recent decades and is an emerging global health threat. CHIKV can cause significant morbidity and lead to chronic, debilitating arthritis/arthralgia in up to 40% of infected individuals. Prevention, early identification, and clinical management are key for improving outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Monkeypox (MPX) is an important human Orthopoxvirus infection. There has been an increase in MPX cases and outbreaks in endemic and non-endemic regions in recent decades. We appraised the availability, scope, quality and inclusivity of clinical management guidelines for MPX globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The "Ending Cholera: A Global Roadmap to 2030" (Roadmap) was launched in October 2017. Following its launch, it became clear that additional evidence is needed to assist countries in controlling cholera and that a prioritized list of research questions is required to focus the limited resources to address the issues most relevant to the implementation of the Roadmap.
Methods: A comprehensive list of research questions was developed based on inputs from the Working Groups of the Global Taskforce for Cholera Control and other experts.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unprecedented implementation of wide-ranging public health measures globally. During the pandemic, dramatic decreases in seasonal influenza virus detection have been reported worldwide. Information on the impact on paediatric influenza-related hospitalisations is limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: On March 11, 2020, the New Mexico Governor declared a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Mexico medical advisory team contacted University of New Mexico (UNM) faculty to form a team to consolidate growing information on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its disease to facilitate New Mexico's pandemic management. Thus, faculty, physicians, staff, graduate students, and medical students created the "UNM Global Health COVID-19 Intelligence Briefing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFT follicular helper cell (TFH)-dependent antibody responses are critical for long-term immunity. Antibody responses are diminished in early life, limiting long-term protective immunity and allowing prolonged or recurrent infection, which may be important for viral lung infections that are highly prevalent in infancy. In a murine model using respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), we show that TFH and the high-affinity antibody production they promote are vital for preventing disease on RSV reinfection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Gordonia species, aerobic, weakly acid-fast, Gram-positive bacilli, are a rare cause of peritonitis in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). We report the first pediatric case of PD-related peritonitis caused by Gordonia bronchialis.
Case Presentation: A 13-year-old girl with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5D, on continuous cycling PD (CCPD) for 8 years, presented with cloudy PD effluent, with no abdominal discomfort or fever.
Background: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in implementation of public health measures worldwide to mitigate disease spread, including; travel restrictions, lockdowns, messaging on handwashing, use of face coverings and physical distancing. As the pandemic progresses, exceptional decreases in seasonal respiratory viruses are increasingly reported. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on laboratory confirmed detection of seasonal non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viruses in Canada.
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