The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a substantial burden worldwide. After over six decades of research, there is finally a licensed immunization option that can protect the broad infant population, and other will follow soon. RSV immunization should be in place from season 2023/2024 onwards.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew technologies for the prevention of infectious diseases are emerging to address unmet medical needs, in particular, the use of long-acting monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to prevent Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease in infants during their first RSV season. The lack of precedent for mAbs for broad population protection creates challenges in the assessment of upcoming prophylactic long-acting mAbs for RSV, with associated consequences in legislative and registration categorization, as well as in recommendation, funding, and implementation pathways. We suggest that the legislative and regulatory categorization of preventative solutions should be decided by the effect of the product in terms of its impact on the population and health-care systems rather than by the technology used or its mechanism of action.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Esp Salud Publica
September 2022
After about a year and a half (at the moment these lines are being written) since the start of the massive vaccination campaign in which, thanks to the high coverage achieved in all groups eligible for vaccination, it has been possible to significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19, it is important to review the scientific basics that have supported the recommendations implemented to date and those that could be adopted in the near future taking into consideration the epidemiological situation. The objective of this article is, therefore, to address the foundations of some of the technical decisions proposed by the Committee on Programme and Registry of Vaccinations (National Immunization Technical Advisory Group in Spain) and the Technical Working Group on Vaccination against COVID-19. Throughout the eleven updates of the Vaccination Strategy against COVID-19 in Spain, several issues pose intense debate as the vaccination intervals between doses, the convenience of using different types of vaccines, the use of heterologous schemes of vaccination, the benefits of hybrid immunity and the use of a fourth dose (second booster dose) for selected populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerg Themes Epidemiol
October 2021
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-the most common viral cause of bronchiolitis-is a significant cause of serious illness among young children between the ages of 0-5 years and is especially concerning in the first year of life. Globally, RSV is a common cause of childhood acute lower respiratory illness (ALRI) and a major cause of hospital admissions in young children and infants and represents a substantial burden for health-care systems. This burden is strongly felt as there are currently no effective preventative options that are available for all infants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOutbreaks in temporary camps are an important risk for the health of the displaced population. The town of Lorca (Murcia, Spain) suffered 2 earthquakes on May 2011 that required the re-housing of 1,424 victims in a temporary camp. Following 4 cases of chickenpox control measures were adopted among the displaced population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunization schedules are intrinsically dynamic in order to embed the immunologic and epidemiologic changes in any specific geographic Region. According to this, the current study addresses a proposal to modify the Childhood Immunization Schedule in Spain. In order to move from a three plus one schema to a two plus one, we undertake a review of the available literature to explore the immunological and clinical rationale behind this change, including an overview of the potential impact on this schedule of premature infants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe immunization Schedule is a dynamic public health tool that has incorporated different changes over the years influenced by the epidemiologic situation and the scientific evidence. The Immunization Advisory Committee [Ponencia de Programa y Registro de Vacunaciones], as the Interterritorial Council scientific and technical advisory body, carries out assessments of different programmes and vaccines and proposes changes that after approval will be introduced in the Regions schedule. This article is divided into two parts presenting the rationale followed to propose a new schedule for the immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and invasive disease by Haemophilus influenzae type b.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has shown high efficacy in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) caused by vaccine serotypes. We aimed to assess the overall effectiveness of PCV7 against IPD in Navarra, Spain.
Methods: All children aged <5 years who were diagnosed with IPD during the period 2001-2005 (n=85) and 5 control subjects per case patient (n=425), individually matched by birth date and birth hospital, were analyzed.
Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin
November 2003
Serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis causes high morbidity and mortality rates over the world. This article reviews the current vaccination strategies against this microorganism, including vaccines already tested on a large scale, particularly those based on class 1 outer membrane proteins, and vaccines in different stages of development. The latter involve several approaches, such as modification of the polysaccharide capsule composition or conjugation with proteins, and the use of recombinant DNA techniques to obtain vaccines that express the prevalent sero-subtypes in a particular geographical area.
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