Global epidemiology of serogroup Y invasive meningococcal disease: a literature review.

Serogroup epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is constantly evolving, varying by time and location. Surveillance reports have indicated a rise in meningococcal serogroup Y (MenY) in some regions in recent years. This systematic literature review explores the evolving epidemiology of MenY IMD globally based on review of recent articles and national surveillance reports published between 1 January 2010 and 25 March 2021.

Real-world impact and effectiveness of MenACWY-TT.

In response to escalating cases of serogroup W (MenW) invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), multiple countries introduced quadrivalent conjugate MenACWY vaccines into their national immunization programs (NIPs). Here, we summarize the real-world impact and vaccine effectiveness (VE) data of MenACWY-TT from Chile, England, the Netherlands, and Australia. Incidence rate reductions (IRRs) and VE from baseline to post-NIP period were extracted from publications or calculated.

A database study of clinical and economic burden of invasive meningococcal disease in France.

Objective: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is life-threatening and associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The study aimed to examine the clinical characteristics and hospital-based healthcare resource use and related costs following IMD diagnosis in France.

Methods: Patients admitted to hospitals due to IMD between 2014 and 2016 were selected from the French hospital discharge database (PMSI).

Communicating Benefits from Vaccines Beyond Preventing Infectious Diseases.

Despite immunisation being one of the greatest medical success stories of the twentieth century, there is a growing lack of confidence in some vaccines. Improving communication about the direct benefits of vaccination as well as its benefits beyond preventing infectious diseases may help regain this lost confidence. A conference was organised at the Fondation Merieux in France to discuss what benefits could be communicated and how innovative digital initiatives can used for communication.

Serotype evolution in Western Europe: perspectives on invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD).

: Epidemiologic trends for IPD have evolved with the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines into childhood immunization programs. We document the ongoing impact of PCV programs in 15 Western European countries.: Data were collected from relevant published observational studies and national surveillance websites from January 2010 through January 2018.

ADVANCE: Towards near real-time monitoring of vaccination coverage, benefits and risks using European electronic health record databases.

Background: The Accelerated Development of VAccine beNefit-risk Collaboration in Europe (ADVANCE) is a public-private partnership aiming to develop and test a system for rapid benefit-risk (B/R) monitoring of vaccines using European electronic health record (eHR) databases. This proof-of-concept study aimed to test the feasibility of near real-time (NRT) monitoring of vaccination coverage, benefits and risks based on multiple European eHR databases, using acellular pertussis vaccination in children aged <6 years as test case.

Methods: A qualitative feasibility assessment on NRT monitoring was carried out using a survey and face-to-face discussion with ADVANCE data partners.

Advance system testing: Vaccine benefit studies using multi-country electronic health data - The example of pertussis vaccination.

The Accelerated Development of VAccine benefit-risk Collaboration in Europe (ADVANCE), a public-private consortium, implemented and tested a distributed network system for the generation of evidence on the benefits-risks of marketed vaccines in Europe. We tested the system by estimating the incidence rate (IR) of pertussis and pertussis-related complications in children vaccinated with acellular (aP) and whole-cell (wP) pertussis vaccine. Data from seven electronic databases from four countries (Denmark: AUH and SSI, Spain: SIDIAP and BIFAP, UK: THIN and RCGP RSC and Italy: Pedianet) were included in a retrospective cohort analysis.

The impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on serotype 19A nasopharyngeal carriage.

: By preventing nasopharyngeal carriage acquisition among vaccinated persons, and thus reducing transmission, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) provide protection against pneumococcal vaccine serotypes among unvaccinated individuals. This systematic review assessed PCVs containing serotype 19A or cross-reactive 19F for 19A carriage effects.: Peer-reviewed literature was searched for manuscripts published between 1/1/2000 and 06/18/2018 assessing the impact of PCV on 19A carriage.

The impact of routine childhood immunization with higher-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on antimicrobial-resistant pneumococcal diseases and carriage: a systematic literature review.

: The introduction of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in childhood immunization programs reduced antimicrobial-resistant pneumococcal infections by vaccine serotypes. However, emerging antimicrobial-resistant non-vaccine serotypes, particularly serotype 19A, attenuated the overall effect. In 2010, higher-valent PCVs became available containing serotypes that are prone to become antimicrobial-resistant, like serotype 7F in PCV10 and PCV13, and serotype 19A in PCV13.

Guidance for the governance of public-private collaborations in vaccine post-marketing settings in Europe.

Introduction: The 2009 influenza pandemic highlighted challenges for vaccine post-marketing monitoring in Europe, particularly the need to have appropriate infrastructures to strengthen public-private collaborations (PPCs) with suitable processes to improve stakeholder interactions and collection and analysis of safety and effectiveness data. The ADVANCE consortium comprises public and private stakeholders who have worked together to build and test new system components for vaccine post-marketing projects, one component being a governance framework for efficient, transparent and trustworthy PPCs.

Methods: Based on the results of a landscape analysis and screening of formalised existing governance structures, we identified the elements of a governance framework and developed recommendations to support stakeholders willing and able to implement collaborative projects.

Tick-borne encephalitis: A 43-year summary of epidemiological and clinical data from Latvia (1973 to 2016).

Background: The incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) varies significantly over time. To better understand the annual incidence of all TBE cases in Latvia we investigated the disease burden in the country from 1973-2016 using several available sources and case definitions.

Methods: We identified cases of TBE from an electronic database (maintained by the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control of Latvia [CDPC]) by the use of ICD-10 diagnosis codes for TBE (A84; A84.

Exploring the costs of a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination program for home care patients.

Objective: The city of Joensuu in Finland vaccinated 409 elderly home care patients with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in autumn 2012. All home care patients were also eligible for a seasonal influenza vaccine. The objective of this retrospective real-world data cohort study was to evaluate whether the immunization intervention with PCV13 for home care patients was cost saving from the payer's (municipality's) perspective in terms of a return on investment (ROI).

Effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines in preventing pneumonia in adults, a systematic review and meta-analyses of observational studies.

Introduction: S. pneumoniae can cause a wide spectrum of diseases, including invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia. Two types of pneumococcal vaccines are indicated for use in adults: 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines (PPV23) and a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13).

Pneumococcal serotype evolution in Western Europe.

Background: Pneumococcal diseases remain a leading cause of vaccine-preventable death worldwide in children <5 years of age. The seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was approved in 2001 in Europe and was introduced into the national immunization programmes of many European countries from 2006-2008. In 2009, higher-valent PCVs (PCV10 and PCV13) became available, replacing PCV7 from 2009-2011.

Pneumococcal vaccination in Europe: schedule adherence.

Nonadherence to recommended pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) schedules may have implications for protection against pneumococcal disease. In this commentary, we have assessed adherence to the recommended dosing schedules (the completion of the primary PCV and booster series) in different European countries. We found that adherence with the PCV schedule was lower than that for diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) and that higher adherence was observed in countries where PCV vaccination is recommended and funded.

A review of the impact of pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (7-valent) on pneumococcal meningitis.

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis. Young children, the elderly and those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic diseases have the highest risk of developing pneumococcal meningitis. A 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was licensed in 2000 in the US and in 2001 in Europe.

The impact of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on invasive pneumococcal disease: a literature review.

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae can cause invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD), such as bacteremic pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis, and sepsis, and non-IPDs, such as otitis media, nonbacteremic pneumonia, and upper respiratory tract infections. It was estimated in 2000 that, worldwide, S. pneumoniae was responsible for 826,000 deaths annually in children aged between 1 month and 5 years.

Summary of effectiveness and impact of rotavirus vaccination with the oral pentavalent rotavirus vaccine: a systematic review of the experience in industrialized countries.

The pentavalent rotavirus (RV) vaccine RotaTeq™ has been available in industrialized countries since 2006. Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the benefit of RV vaccination under routine conditions of use. A systematic review of all publicly available data from RotaTeq™ vaccine-effectiveness and vaccination-impact studies in the USA, Europe and Australia between 2006 and February 2010 was undertaken.

Radiofrequency ablation with internally cooled versus perfused electrodes for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis.

Purpose: To compare the results of radiofrequency (RF) ablation with internally cooled electrodes (ICEs) versus perfused electrodes (PEs) in patients with cirrhosis with small (
Materials And Methods: Patients treated with RF ablation over two consecutive periods were analyzed retrospectively. From 2000 to 2002, 45 patients were treated with 17-gauge ICEs, and from 2002 to 2004, 44 patients were treated with 15-gauge PEs.

Liver stiffness measurement versus clinicians' prediction or both for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to estimate the additional value of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) with physicians' assessment of fibrosis based on epidemiological, clinical, and biological parameters.

Methods: One hundred forty-two unselected patients with chronic hepatitis C were included. Liver biopsy and LSM were performed simultaneously.

Ethanol versus radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis: a retrospective study of efficacy and cost.

Objective: To compare cost effectiveness of radio-frequency (RF) ablation versus percutaneous ethanol (Pe) ablation for treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: 57 patients with 72 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) treated with ethanol ablation were retrospectively compared with 60 new patients who had 72 HCC treated with RF ablation. All patients had Child-Pugh A cirrhosis and HCC less than 3.

Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with alcoholic or viral C cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Influence of being overweight and diabetes mellitus on the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis has not been evaluated prospectively. The aim of this study was to show the predictive value of these factors in a cohort of 771 patients with well-compensated alcohol- or hepatitis C (HCV)-related cirrhosis who were screened prospectively for HCC.

Methods: The predictive value for HCC occurrence was assessed by using the log-rank test and the Cox proportional hazards model.