Recommendation for the use of respiratory syncytial virus vaccines.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common pathogen for young children hospitalized with bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Most infections occur below 1 year of age. RSV is also a significant viral pathogen for adults with respiratory tract infection.

Medication Hazards and Outcome Patterns of Pediatric Drug-Associated Liver Injury in Taiwan: An Analysis of 1998-2017 Spontaneous Adverse Drug Reaction Reports.

Background And Objectives: Accumulating pediatric efficacy and safety data on drug use is inherently challenging yet essential. This study aimed to analyze the frequency and compute the odds of pediatric drug-associated liver injury across age groups (early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence) and therapeutic categories using adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting data spanning nearly two decades.

Methods: We analyzed the reports of suspected ADRs occurring in children and adolescents in the Taiwan National Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting System during the period from May 1998 until July 2017.

Changing epidemic patterns of infectious diseases during and after COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan.

Mitigation measures aimed at curbing the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 effectively suppressed the occurrence of many respiratory infections other than coronavirus disease 2019. Several infections experienced a resurgence following the relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in Taiwan. This phenomenon, known as immune debt, primarily affected respiratory infections in young children, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.

Multicenter registry of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and Paired comparison with Kawasaki disease.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify clinical characteristics to differentiate multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and Kawasaki disease (KD) in Taiwan, an island with a delayed cluster of MIS-C and a high incidence of KD. Additionally, we studied risk factors for developing severe complications in patients with MIS-C.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter, cohort, and observational study that linked data on patients with MIS-C between May and December 2022 and patients with KD between 2019 and 2021 from 12 medical centers.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors of severe human parainfluenza virus infection in hospitalized children.

Background: Human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) commonly cause childhood respiratory illness requiring hospitalization in Taiwan. This study aimed to investigate clinical severity and identify risk factors predisposing to severe disease in hospitalized children with HPIV infection.

Methods: We included hospitalized patients with lab-confirmed HPIV infection from 2007 to 2018 and collected their demographic and clinical characteristics.

High incidence of cerebrovascular lesions on magnetic resonance imaging in pediatric COVID-19 during omicron outbreak - A retrospective case series.

Background: The incidence of pediatric hospitalizations has significantly increased since the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Changes of characteristics in respiratory and neurological symptoms have been reported. We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional study to characterize the MRI change in children with an emphasis on the change of cerebral vasculatures.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of cell-based versus egg-based quadrivalent influenza vaccines in the pediatric population in Taiwan.

Cell-based influenza vaccines avoid egg-adaptive mutations, potentially improving vaccine effectiveness. We assessed the one-season cost-effectiveness of cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc) against that of egg-derived quadrivalent influenza vaccines (QIVe) in children (6 months to 17 years of age) from payer and societal perspectives in Taiwan using an age-stratified static model. Base case and high egg adaptation scenarios were assessed.

Seasonality and risk factor analysis of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children in Taiwan-A retrospective study from 1995 to 2005.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the important pathogens leading to acute respiratory tract infection in infants and young children. We aimed to investigate the seasonality of RSV infection in different parts of Taiwan and to delineate the risk factors for severe RSV infections. We collected RSV-infected patients' data by retrospective chart review.

Viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections in a previously low COVID-19 prevalence region: Effects of vaccination status, antiviral agents, and age.

Background: In Taiwan, the prevalence of COVID-19 was low before April 2022. The low SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the population of Taiwan provides an opportunity for comparison with fewer confounding factors than other populations globally. Cycle threshold (Ct) value is an easily accessible method for modeling SARS-CoV-2 dynamics.

How Taiwan has responded to COVID-19 and how COVID-19 has affected Taiwan, 2020-2022.

From January 2020 to December 2022, there was a total of 8,872,955 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan. In addition, a total of 15,253 COVID-19 related deaths were reported. During these three years, the government and health authority did many efforts to response this pandemic.

Risk of myocarditis and pericarditis following coronavirus disease 2019 messenger RNA Vaccination-A nationwide study.

Background: An extended interval between the two primary doses may reduce the risk of myocarditis/pericarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Taiwan has implemented a two-dose regimen with a 12-week interval for adolescents. Here we present nationwide data of myocarditis/pericarditis following COVID-19 vaccinations.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: A dysregulated autoimmune disorder following COVID-19.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a dysregulated autoimmune-mediated illness in genetically susceptible patients following COVID-19 with an interval of 2-6 weeks. The median age of patients with MIS-C is 6-11 years. Most common manifestations are involvement of gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, hematological system, and mucocutaneous system.

Differential clinical characteristics and performance of home antigen tests between parents and children after household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the Omicron variant pandemic.

Objectives: The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant pandemic struck Taiwan in April 2022. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) play an important role in providing rapid results during a pandemic. However, self-collected samples by the children's caregivers without the supervision of medical personnel raise some concerns.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales bacteremia in pediatric patients.

Background/purpose: Clinical data on carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) bacteremia in the pediatric population are limited. This study investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of pediatric CRE bacteremia.

Methods: Clinical data on bacteremia caused by carbapenem-susceptible and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp.

Expert review of global real-world data on COVID-19 vaccine booster effectiveness and safety during the omicron-dominant phase of the pandemic.

Introduction: COVID-19 vaccines have been highly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality during the pandemic. However, the emergence of the Omicron variant and subvariants as the globally dominant strains have raised doubts about the effectiveness of currently available vaccines and prompted debate about potential future vaccination strategies.

Areas Covered: Using the publicly available IVAC VIEW-hub platform, we reviewed 52 studies on vaccine effectiveness (VE) after booster vaccinations.

Long COVID: An inevitable sequela of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

At present, there are more than 560 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. Although more than 98% of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can survive acute COVID, a significant portion of survivors can develop residual health problems, which is termed as long COVID. Although severe COVID-19 is generally associated with a high risk of long COVID, patients with asymptomatic or mild disease can also show long COVID.

Monkeypox: An emerging global threat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The emergence of the monkeypox outbreak in early 2022 has posed a new global health threat. As of July 8, 2022, 9069 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported, and most of them are from non-endemic countries. The monkeypox virus is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus, and preliminary genetic data suggest that the 2022 monkeypox virus belongs to the West African clade.

Expert review on global real-world vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction: COVID-19 vaccines have been highly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality during the pandemic. While primary series vaccination rates are generally high in Southeast Asian (SEA) countries, various factors have limited the rollout and impact of booster doses.

Areas Covered: We reviewed 79 studies in the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) VIEW-hub platform on vaccine effectiveness (VE) after primary immunizations with two-dose schedules.

Impact of prior infection and repeated vaccination on post-vaccination antibody titers of the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 strain in Taiwan schoolchildren: Implications for public health.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of prior-infection and repeated vaccination on post-vaccination antibody titers.

Methods: A(H1N1)pdm09 strain was included in 2009 pandemic monovalent, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012 trivalent influenza vaccines (MIVpdm09, TIV10/11, TIV11/12) in Taiwan. During the 2011-2012 influenza season, we conducted a prospective sero-epidemiological cohort study among schoolchildren from grades 1 - 6 in the two elementary schools in Taipei with documented A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccination records since 2009.

Immunogenicity and safety of homologous and heterologous ChAdOx1-S and mRNA-1273 vaccinations in healthy adults in Taiwan.

Background: In Taiwan, the vaccination program started in March 2021, with ChAdOx1-S being the first available WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccine, followed by Moderna vaccine. This study aimed to investigate the immunogenicity and safety of homologous and heterologous prime-boost regimens with ChAdOx1-S and mRNA-1273.

Methods: From March to November 2021, homologous or heterologous regimens with ChAdOx1-S and mRNA-1273 vaccination (ChAdOx1-S/ChAdOx1-S, mRNA-1273/mRNA-1273, ChAdOx1-S/mRNA-1273) were given to 945 healthy participants.

Exploration of changes in pharmacy students' perceptions of and attitudes towards professionalism: outcome of a community pharmacy experiential learning programme in Taiwan.

Background: A powerful way to nurture and strengthen professionalism is by accruing practice-based experiences. However, few studies in Taiwan have evaluated the impacts of experiential learning programmes on pharmacy students' views on professionalism - the core of quality healthcare practices and services. This study aimed to measure changes in perceptions of and attitudes towards professionalism among third-year pharmacy students following an introductory-intermediate experiential learning course.

Taiwan's Response to Influenza: A Seroepidemiological Evaluation of Policies and Implications for Pandemic Preparedness.

Objectives: To evaluate class suspension and mass vaccination implemented among Taipei schoolchildren during the 2009 influenza pandemic and investigate factors affecting antibody responses.

Methods: We conducted 2 cohort studies on: (1) 972 schoolchildren from November 2009-March 2010 to evaluate pandemic policies and (2) 935 schoolchildren from November 2011-March 2012 to verify factors in antibody waning. Anti-influenza H1N1pdm09 hemagglutination inhibition antibodies (HI-Ab) were measured from serum samples collected before vaccination, and at 1 and 4 months after vaccination.