Economic Evaluation of Selective Neonatal Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination of High-risk Infants in Ireland.

Background: In Western Europe, currently only Ireland and Portugal continue to provide universal neonatal bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination programs, despite not being considered as high tuberculosis (TB) incidence countries. Other European countries only vaccinate infants considered at high risk of contracting TB. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of selective BCG vaccination compared with strategies of universal and no vaccination.

A retrospective assessment of the completeness and timeliness of meningococcal disease notifications in the Republic of Ireland over a 16-year period, 1999-2015.

Objectives: To assess how invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) records held by the Irish Meningitis & Sepsis Reference Laboratory (IMSRL) compare to records of IMD notifications reported on the national integrated electronic Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting (CIDR) system.

Study Design: We assessed the completeness, data quality and timeliness of IMD notifications and reference laboratory records for the period between 01 July 1999 and 30 June 2015 by identifying discrepant and/or missing data items in a matched case data set and by measuring the timeliness of case reporting.

Methods: We matched anonymised cases notified to CIDR to records based at the IMSRL using birth, reporting and onset dates with gender and laboratory parameters of meningococcal strain characteristics and method of confirmation.

The epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease in older adults in the post-PCV era. Has there been a herd effect?

The 7 and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have reduced the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children in many countries. The objective of this work was to assess the impact of PCVs and potential herd-protection in older adults in Ireland. IPD notification and typing data from adults ⩾65 years of age from July 2007 to June 2016 was assessed using national surveillance data.

Tuberculosis contact investigations associated with air travel in Ireland, September 2011 to November 2014.

The risk of communicable disease transmission during air travel is of public health concern and has received much attention over the years. We retrospectively reviewed information from nine flights (≥ 8 hours) associated with infectious tuberculosis (TB) cases in Ireland between September 2011 and November 2014 to investigate whether possible transmission had occurred. Twenty-four flights notified in Ireland associated with sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB cases with a history of air travel were reviewed.

Reporting of Acute Flaccid Paralysis in Children under 15 years of age: Improving Surveillance, January 2009 - December 2014.

Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance, including case investigation and specimen collection is a gold standard method for poliomyelitis surveillance. The expected annual non-polio AFP rate <15 years of age in Ireland is = 1/100 000 population. This study reviewed all cases of AFP reported to the Irish Paediatric Surveillance Unit and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre between January 2009 and December 2014 and compared reporting rates with the expected incidence rate annually.

Evaluating the neonatal BCG vaccination programme in Ireland.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the cost effectiveness of the current Irish programme of universal BCG vaccination of infants versus a programme which considered selectively vaccinating high risk infants using decision analytical modelling.

Methods: The efficacy of the BCG vaccine was re-evaluated to inform a decision analytical model constructed to follow a birth cohort of vaccinated and unvaccinated infants over a 15 year time horizon. The number of life years gained (LYG) was the primary outcome measure and this was compared to the net cost of the vaccination strategies.

Low vaccination coverage for seasonal influenza and pneumococcal disease among adults at-risk and health care workers in Ireland, 2013: The key role of GPs in recommending vaccination.

The World Health Organization (WHO), and European Agencies recommend influenza vaccination for individuals at-risk due to age (≥65 years), underlying diseases, pregnancy and for health care workers (HCWs) in Europe. Pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for those at-risk of pneumococcal disease. In Ireland, vaccination uptake among at-risk adults is not routinely available.

Patients Accessing Ambulatory Care for HIV-infection: Epidemiology and Prevalence Assessment.

This study describes the demographics and treatment status of HIV-infected adults accessing ambulatory care in the Republic of Ireland and estimates diagnosed HIV prevalence rates. 3254 HIV-infected adults attended 1 of the 6 specialist HIV centres in the 12- month period 1st July 2009 to 30th June 2010. 2023/3254 (62%) were male, 1761/3133 (56%) Irish and 1048/3133 (34%) African.

A prolonged outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease in an extended Irish Traveller family across three Health Service Executive (HSE) areas in Ireland, 2010 to 2013.

Between March 2010 and November 2013 eight laboratory-confirmed cases of serogroup B, invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) were identified in an extended Irish Traveller family across three Health Service Executive (HSE) areas of Ireland. Cases were aged between 5 and 46 months, and were either a cousin or sibling of another case. All eight cases survived.

Tuberculosis incidence in the Irish Traveller population in Ireland from 2002 to 2013.

The health status of the Irish Traveller ethnic minority is low compared to the general population in Ireland in terms of infant mortality rates and life expectancies. Respiratory disease is an area of health disparity manifested as excess mortalities in Traveller males and females. In this study, we examined the available data with regard to tuberculosis (TB) notifications in Ireland from 2002 to 2013.

Outbreak of hepatitis A infection associated with the consumption of frozen berries, Ireland, 2013--linked to an international outbreak.

In May 2013, a European alert was issued regarding a hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreak in Italy. In June 2013, HAV subgenotype IA with an identical sequence was identified in Ireland in three cases who had not travelled to Italy. The investigation consisted of descriptive epidemiology, a case-control study, microbiological testing of human and food specimens, molecular typing of positive specimens and food traceback.

Investigation of an association between onset of narcolepsy and vaccination with pandemic influenza vaccine, Ireland April 2009-December 2010.

In 2011, the Irish Medicines Board received reports of onset of narcolepsy following vaccination against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 with Pandemrix. A national steering committee was convened to examine the association between narcolepsy and pandemic vaccination. We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study.

Seasonal influenza immunisation in Europe. Overview of recommendations and vaccination coverage for three seasons: pre-pandemic (2008/09), pandemic (2009/10) and post-pandemic (2010/11).

Since 2008, annual surveys of influenza vaccination policies, practices and coverage have been undertaken in 29 European Union (EU)/ European Economic Area (EEA) countries. After 2009, this monitored the impact of European Council recommendation to increase vaccination coverage to 75% among risk groups. This paper summarises the results of three seasonal influenza seasons: 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11.

Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake in HSE-funded hospitals and nursing homes during the 2011/2012 influenza season.

Annual seasonal influenza vaccine is recommended for all health care workers (HCWs) in Ireland. For the 2011/2012 influenza season, information was collected on influenza vaccination uptake among HCWs employed in Health Service Executive (HSE)-funded hospitals (primarily acute) and of nursing homes (NHs) and also among NH long-term and short-term respite care residents. Forty-five hospitals (80%) and 120 NHs (75%) provided uptake data.

Influenza in hospitalized children in Ireland in the pandemic period and the 2010/2011 season: risk factors for paediatric intensive-care-unit admission.

Influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality in children. This study's objectives were to describe influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 during the pandemic, to compare it with circulating influenza in 2010/2011, and to identify risk factors for severe influenza defined as requiring admission to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Children hospitalized with influenza during the pandemic were older, and more likely to have received antiviral therapy than children hospitalized during the 2010/2011 season.

Increased incidence of invasive group A streptococcal disease in Ireland, 2012 to 2013.

Invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections have been notifiable in Ireland since 2004. Incidence rates (2004-2011) have ranged from 0.8 to 1.

Leptospirosis in Ireland: annual incidence and exposures associated with infection.

Human leptospirosis is found throughout the world, albeit with a higher incidence in tropical regions. In temperate regions it is associated with certain occupational and recreational activities. This paper reports both on the incidence of human leptospirosis in Ireland and on possible associated exposures, using leptospirosis case notification, enhanced surveillance, hospital discharge data and death registrations.

A snapshot of genetic lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Ireland over a two-year period, 2010 and 2011.

Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit-variable-number tandem repeat typing alone was used to investigate the genetic lineages among 361 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains circulating in Ireland over a two-year period, 2010 and 2011. The majority of isolates, 63% (229/361), belonged to lineage 4 (Euro-American), while lineages 1 (Indo-Oceanic), 2 (East-Asian) and 3 (East-African–Indian) represented 12% of isolates each (42/361, 45/361, and 45/361, respectively). Sub-lineages Beijing (lineage 2), East-African–Indian (lineage 1) and Delhi/central-Asian (lineage 3) predominated among foreign-born cases, while a higher proportion of Euro-American lineages were identified among cases born in Ireland.

Seroepidemiology of mumps in Europe (1996-2008): why do outbreaks occur in highly vaccinated populations?

Mumps outbreaks have recently been recorded in a number of highly vaccinated populations. We related seroprevalence, epidemiological and vaccination data from 18 European countries participating in The European Sero-Epidemiology Network (ESEN) to their risk of mumps outbreaks in order to inform vaccination strategies. Samples from national population serum banks were collected, tested for mumps IgG antibodies and standardized for international comparisons.

Effectiveness of 2010/2011 seasonal influenza vaccine in Ireland.

We conducted a case-control study to estimate the 2010/2011 trivalent influenza vaccine effectiveness (TIVE) using the Irish general practitioners' influenza sentinel surveillance scheme. Cases were influenza-like illness (ILI) patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Controls were ILI patients who tested negative for influenza.

Comparative seroepidemiology of diphtheria in six European countries and Israel.

Serological surveys for diphtheria were conducted in six European countries including Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Slovakia and one country outside Europe, Israel. For each country, a nationally representative population sample was collected across the entire age range and was tested for antibodies to diphtheria toxin. Although each national laboratory used its preferred assay, the results were all standardized to those of the in vitro neutralization test and expressed in international units (IU) which allowed comparative analyses to be performed.

Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccination policies and coverage in Europe.

In August 2010 the Vaccine European New Integrated Collaboration Effort (VENICE) project conducted a survey to collect information on influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccination policies and vaccination coverage in the European Union (EU), Norway and Iceland. Of 29 responding countries, 26 organised national pandemic influenza vaccination and one country had recommendations for vaccination but did not have a specific programme. Of the 27 countries with vaccine recommendations, all recommended it for healthcare workers and pregnant women.

Invasive Group A streptococcal disease in Ireland, 2004 to 2010.

Invasive group A streptococcal infections (iGAS) are a major clinical and public health challenge. iGAS is a notifiable disease in Ireland since 2004. The aim of this paper is to describe the epidemiology of iGAS in Ireland for the first time over the seven-year period from 2004 to 2010.

First reported cases of human adenovirus serotype 14p1 infection, Ireland, October 2009 to July 2010.

We report the first nine confirmed cases of human adenovirus 14p1 infection (HAdV-14p1), identified at different locations in Ireland between October 2009 and July 2010. These were the first notifications in Ireland and all were sporadic cases. Following these notifications, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre set up an enhanced surveillance system for HAdV-14p1 infection.