Migration and infectious disease risk: knowledge and perception among university students in two European countries.

Background: In the past years, migration has increasingly affected the European continent. The concerns of the local population about infection spread by migrants may increase as an unjustified stigma. Our study aimed to assess the knowledge and risk perception of infectious disease associated with migration among university students.

Influenza vaccination for elderly, vulnerable and high-risk subjects: a narrative review and expert opinion.

Influenza is associated with a substantial health burden, especially in high-risk subjects such as older adults, frail individuals and those with underlying chronic diseases. In this review, we summarized clinical findings regarding the impact of influenza in vulnerable populations, highlighted the benefits of influenza vaccination in preventing severe illness and complications and reviewed the main evidence on the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of the vaccines that are best suited to older adults among those available in Italy. The adverse outcomes associated with influenza infection in elderly and frail subjects and those with underlying chronic diseases are well documented in the literature, as are the benefits of vaccination (mostly in older adults and in patients with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic lung disease).

Performance comparison between heterologous and homologous COVID19 vaccine schedules on Omicron variant incidence: A real-world retrospective cohort study in Southern Italy.

As the COVID19 pandemic progresses, there is an increasing need to evaluate the performance of vaccine strategies. This study investigated the vaccine schedule performance of heterologous vaccination compared to homologous vaccination in preventing Omicron SARS-CoV2 infection in the adult population. This retrospective cohort study utilized data from the Infections Regional Information System and the Apulia Regional Vaccine Registry to identify individuals who received a booster dose of one of 14 different COVID19 vaccination schedules between September 2021 and August 2022 in the province of Lecce, Southern Italy.

Hepatitis A notifications in the EU/EEA, 2010-2019: what can we learn from case reporting to the European Surveillance System?

BackgroundEuropean Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries annually report hepatitis A (HepA) notifications to The European Surveillance System (TESSy).AimTo describe EU/EEA HepA notifications from 2010 to 2019 and identify infection drivers and surveillance improvements.MethodsWe analysed demographic, clinical and transmission information of HepA confirmed cases from TESSy.

The future for COVID-19 vaccines: public health assessment and perspectives based on scientific evidence.

The development and use of messenger RNA-based (mRNA) vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have proven to be highly effective against symptomatic COVID-19, especially for severe forms. Since the declaration of a public health emergency in early 2020, however, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has continuously evolved, giving rise to several variants that have caused and continue to cause concern in the scientific community. Currently, viruses circulating worldwide belong to the Omicron lineage, with several identified sub-variants.

Vaccine hesitancy and cognitive biases: Evidence for tailored communication with parents.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy (VH) remains worldwide a reason of concern. Most of the vaccination education strategies followed a "fact-based" approach, based on the assumption that decision making is a rational process, without considering the influence of cognitive biases and heuristics. Our study aimed at identifying factors involved in the parents' vaccination choice to inform and shape communication interventions.

Severity of the clinical presentation of hepatitis A in five European countries from 1995 to 2014.

Objectives: We analysed hepatitis A (HepA) notifications and hospitalisations in Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden for available periods between 1995 and 2014. We aimed to investigate whether decreasing HepA incidence is associated with increasing age at infection and worsening HepA presentation and to identify groups at risk of severe disease.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study including 36 734 notified and 36 849 hospitalised patients.

Screening for antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in hospitalised patients, and risk of progression from colonisation to infection: Systematic review.

Background: Transmission of antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (AMR-GNB) amongst hospitalised patients can lead to new cases of carriage, infection and outbreaks, hence the need for early carrier identification. We aim to explore two key elements that may guide control policies for colonisation/infection in hospital settings: screening practices on admission to hospital wards and risk of developing infection from colonisation.

Methods: We searched on PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases for studies published from 2010 up to 2021 reporting on adult patients hospitalised in high-income countries.

Inaction, under-reaction action and incapacity: communication breakdown in Italy's vaccination governance.

This article explores why governments do not respond to public compliance problems in a timely manner with appropriate instruments, and the consequences of their failure to do so. Utilising a case study of Italian vaccination policy, the article considers counterfactuals and the challenges of governing health policy in an age of disinformation. It counterposes two methods of governing vaccination compliance: , which uses public institutions to inculcate the population with favourable attitudes and practices, and , which uses access to public institutions as a form of control.

[Integrated management method in the prevention department of a COVID-19 epidemic outbreak in a large meat processing plant in Bari province].

Aim of this paper is to describe the management of an outbreak of COVID-19 in a slaughtering and meat processing plant in Bari Province (Southern Italy). At the end of the outbreak investigation, 18.4% of the employees were positive to the molecular test for SARS-CoV-2.

Prevalence and management of measles susceptibility in healthcare workers in Italy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The national and international guidelines recommend evaluating all healthcare workers (HCWs) for their measles immune status and possibly vaccinating those who are seronegative.

Areas Covered: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to estimate the rate of measles susceptibility among HCWs in Italy and to explore possible options for the management of those found to be susceptible. Twenty-three studies were included in the meta-analysis.

Use of Corticosteroids in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

The aim was to investigate the effectiveness of glucocorticoid therapy in patients with COVID-19. A systematic search of the literature across nine databases was conducted from inception until 15th March 2020, following the PRISMA guidelines. Patients with a validated diagnosis of COVID-19 and using corticosteroids were included, considering all health outcomes.

Prolonged outbreak of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (NDM-CRE), Tuscany, Italy, 2018 to 2019.

In Tuscany, Italy, New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (NDM-CRE) have increased since November 2018. Between November 2018 and October 2019, 1,645 samples were NDM-CRE-positive: 1,270 (77.2%) cases of intestinal carriage, 129 (7.

The GISA call to action for the appropriate use of antimicrobials and the control of antimicrobial resistance in Italy.

The spread of antibiotic resistance is one of the leading public health problems in Italy. A European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control country visit recently confirmed the major challenges and made important suggestions. In response, the Ministry of Health published the National Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance Containment, and a group of experts belonging to the Italian Group of Antimicrobial Stewardship (GISA) convened to develop a summary of practical recommendations.

Management and control of communicable diseases in schools and other child care settings: systematic review on the incubation period and period of infectiousness.

Background: Information on the incubation period and period of infectiousness or shedding of infectious pathogens is critical for management and control of communicable diseases in schools and other childcare settings.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature review (Pubmed and Embase) to identify and critically appraise all relevant published articles using incubation, infectiousness or shedding, and exclusion period as parameters for the search. No language, time, geographical or study design restrictions were applied.

Misinformation on vaccination: A quantitative analysis of YouTube videos.

In Italy, the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy has increased with time and represents a complex problem that requires a continuous monitoring. Misinformation on media and social media seems to be one of the determinants of the vaccine hesitancy since, for instance, 42.8 percent of Italian citizens used the internet to obtain vaccine information in 2016.

Seroprevalence and susceptibility to hepatitis A in the European Union and European Economic Area: a systematic review.

Most of the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) is considered a region of very low hepatitis A virus (HAV) endemicity; however, geographical differences exist. We did a systematic review with the aim of describing seroprevalence and susceptibility in the general population or special groups in the EU and EEA. We searched databases and public health national institutes websites for HAV seroprevalence records published between Jan 1, 1975, and June 30, 2014, with no language restrictions.

Strong Public Health Recommendations from Weak Evidence? Lessons Learned in Developing Guidance on the Public Health Management of Meningococcal Disease.

The evidence underpinning public health policy is often of low quality, leading to inconsistencies in recommended interventions. One example is the divergence in national policies across Europe for managing contacts of invasive meningococcal disease. Aiming to develop consistent guidance at the European level, a group of experts reviewed the literature and formulated recommendations.

Perspectives on the impact of varicella immunization on herpes zoster. A model-based evaluation from three European countries.

The introduction of mass vaccination against Varicella-Zoster-Virus (VZV) is being delayed in many European countries because of, among other factors, the possibility of a large increase in Herpes Zoster (HZ) incidence in the first decades after the initiation of vaccination, due to the expected decline of the boosting of Cell Mediated Immunity caused by the reduced varicella circulation. A multi-country model of VZV transmission and reactivation, is used to evaluate the possible impact of varicella vaccination on HZ epidemiology in Italy, Finland and the UK. Despite the large uncertainty surrounding HZ and vaccine-related parameters, surprisingly robust medium-term predictions are provided, indicating that an increase in HZ incidence is likely to occur in countries where the incidence rate is lower in absence of immunization, possibly due to a higher force of boosting (e.

Hepatitis B immunisation programmes in European Union, Norway and Iceland: where we were in 2009?

In January 2009 25 European Union (EU) Member States (MSs), Norway and Iceland, participated in a survey seeking information on national hepatitis B vaccination programmes. Details of vaccination policy, schedule, population groups targeted for vaccination, programme funding, vaccine coverage and methods of monitoring of vaccine coverage were obtained. Twenty (74%) countries reported that they have a universal hepatitis B vaccination programme, in addition to immunisation of at risk groups; seven (26%) countries recommend HBV for high risk groups only (with some inter-country variation on groups considered at high risk).