At the end of 2022 and most notably during the first half of 2023, the number of invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) notifications increased in Norway, largely affecting children younger than 10 years, as observed in several other countries. Following this atypical season, a new surge in the number of iGAS notifications began in December 2023 and peaked between January and February 2024, now particularly affecting both children younger than 10 years and older adults (70 years and above).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) among Norwegian 16-19-year-olds was 1-7/100,000 in the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic, with serogroup Y (MenY) dominance. In contrast to many other European countries, meningococcal vaccines are not part of the national immunisation program (NIP) in Norway. This cross-sectional study aimed to measure the degree of natural immunity against Neisseria meningitidis among adolescents in Norway to evaluate the need for introducing tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) in the NIP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe spleen is responsible for blood filtration and mounting an immune response against pathogens. In some people the spleen must be surgically removed because of traumatic events or oncological and hematological conditions. These patients are at higher risk of developing diseases caused by encapsulated bacteria throughout their lives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis remains a worldwide public health challenge, despite the steadily decreasing incidence in Western countries. The objective of this study was to explore the epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease in Norway over the last two decades.
Design: All isolates sent to the National Reference Laboratory from patients with invasive meningococcal disease between the years 2000 and 2019 were analyzed using whole genome sequencing (total: 625).
Objectives: We estimated the BNT162b2 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against any (symptomatic or not) SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron infection among adolescents (aged 12-17 years) in Norway from August 2021 to January 2022.
Methods: We used Cox proportional hazard models, where vaccine status was included as a time-varying covariate and models were adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, residence county, birth country, and living conditions.
Results: The VE against Delta infection peaked at 68% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 64-71%) and 62% (95% CI: 57-66%) in days 21-48 after the first dose among those aged 12-15 years and 16-17 years, respectively.
Background: There have been concerns about COVID-19 vaccination safety among frail older individuals. We investigated the relationship between COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and mortality among individuals aged ≥ 70 years and whether mortality varies across four groups of health services used.
Methods: In this nationwide cohort study, we included 688,152 individuals aged ≥ 70 years at the start of the Norwegian vaccination campaign (December 27, 2020).
BMC Med
September 2022
Background: COVID-19 vaccines have been crucial in the pandemic response and understanding changes in vaccines effectiveness is essential to guide vaccine policies. Although the Delta variant is no longer dominant, understanding vaccine effectiveness properties will provide essential knowledge to comprehend the development of the pandemic and estimate potential changes over time.
Methods: In this population-based cohort study, we estimated the vaccine effectiveness of Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech; BNT162b2), Spikevax (Moderna; mRNA-1273), Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca; ChAdOx nCoV-19; AZD1222), or a combination against SARS-CoV-2 infections, hospitalisations, intensive care admissions, and death using Cox proportional hazard models, across different vaccine product regimens and age groups, between 15 July and 31 November 2021 (Delta variant period).
Clin Microbiol Infect
June 2022
Objectives: We estimated the length of stay (LoS) in hospital and the intensive care unit (ICU) and risk of admission to ICU and in-hospital death among COVID-19 patients ≥18 years in Norway who had been fully vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine (at least two doses or one dose and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection), compared to unvaccinated patients.
Methods: Using national registry data, we analyzed SARS-CoV-2-positive patients hospitalized in Norway between 1 February and 30 November 2021, with COVID-19 as the main cause of hospitalization. We ran Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for vaccination status, age, sex, county of residence, regional health authority, date of admission, country of birth, virus variant, and underlying risk factors.
In late November 2021, an outbreak of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 following a Christmas party with 117 attendees was detected in Oslo, Norway. We observed an attack rate of 74% and most cases developed symptoms. As at 13 December, none have been hospitalised.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSome variants of SARS-CoV-2 are associated with increased transmissibility, increased disease severity or decreased vaccine effectiveness (VE). In this population-based cohort study (n = 4,204,859), the Delta variant was identified in 5,430 (0.13%) individuals, of whom 84 were admitted to hospital.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPublic Health Pract (Oxf)
November 2021
Objectives: Higher education institutions all over the world struggled to balance the need for infection control and educational requirements, as they prepared to reopen after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A particularly difficult choice was whether to offer for in-person or online teaching. Norwegian universities and university colleges opted for a hybrid model when they reopened for the autumn semester, with some students being offered more in-person teaching than others.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess rates of cardiovascular and haemostatic events in the first 28 days after vaccination with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine ChAdOx1-S in Denmark and Norway and to compare them with rates observed in the general populations.
Design: Population based cohort study.
Setting: Nationwide healthcare registers in Denmark and Norway.
In Norway, the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is higher among 16-19-year-olds than in the general population. Most IMD cases among teenagers are caused by serogroup Y. Since 2011, one dose of meningococcal ACWY conjugate vaccine (MCV4) has been recommended for teenagers with out-of-pocket payment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLancet
February 2017
Background: rVSV-ZEBOV is a recombinant, replication competent vesicular stomatitis virus-based candidate vaccine expressing a surface glycoprotein of Zaire Ebolavirus. We tested the effect of rVSV-ZEBOV in preventing Ebola virus disease in contacts and contacts of contacts of recently confirmed cases in Guinea, west Africa.
Methods: We did an open-label, cluster-randomised ring vaccination trial (Ebola ça Suffit!) in the communities of Conakry and eight surrounding prefectures in the Basse-Guinée region of Guinea, and in Tomkolili and Bombali in Sierra Leone.
The 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa has by far been the largest and most devastating Ebola outbreak so far. At the start of the epidemic only 2 Ebola DNA vaccine candidates had been tested in clinical trials and the correlate of protection in humans was unknown. International stakeholders coordinated by the World Health Organization agreed to fast-track the development of 2 Ebola vaccine candidates, based on adenovirus and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) vectors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe live attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV is currently undergoing clinical trials in West Africa. The vaccine is to be stored at -70°C or less. Since maintaining the cold chain is challenging in rural areas, the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine's short-term and long-term stability at different temperatures was examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTidsskr Nor Laegeforen
October 2009
Background: Congenital malformations of the kidneys and urinary tract may have changed over time.
Material And Methods: Data for diagnosis, treatment and results were retrospectively recorded in children born in one of three Norwegian counties 1987-2006; their age at time of recording was from 1 to 21 years.
Results: 389 of 142 986 (2.