Safety, Efficacy, and Effectiveness of Maternal Vaccination against Respiratory Infections in Young Infants.

Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Maternal vaccination is an effective strategy in protecting young infants from LRTI, particularly in the first few months after birth when infant is most vulnerable, and most primary childhood vaccinations have not been administered. Additionally, maternal vaccination protects the mother from illness during pregnancy and the postnatal period, and the developing fetus from adverse outcomes such as stillbirth and prematurity.

Immunogenicity and safety following a homologous booster dose of a SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein vaccine with Matrix-M adjuvant (NVX-CoV2373) versus a primary series in people living with and without HIV-1 infection in South Africa: A randomized crossover phase 2a/2b trial.

COVID-19 remains a global public health issue and an improved understanding of vaccine performance in immunocompromised individuals, including people living with HIV (PLWH), is needed. Initial data from the present study's pre-crossover/booster phase were previously reported. This phase 2a/b clinical trial in South Africa (2019nCoV-501/NCT04533399) revisits 1:1 randomly assigned HIV-negative adults (18-84 years) and medically stable PLWH (18-64 years) who previously received two NVX-CoV2373 doses (5 μg recombinant Spike protein with 50 μg Matrix-M™ adjuvant) or placebo.

Vaccine stock-outs: A preventable health facility obstacle contributing to missed vaccinations in South African children.

In 2019 the National Department of Health (NDoH) conducted a national immunisation coverage survey of caregivers of children aged 24-35 months in all 52 districts of South Africa, and reported a national fully immunised under one year-old coverage of 83.9 %, and 76.8 % coverage for all vaccines scheduled up to 18 months of age.

Contribution of malnutrition to infant and child deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Introduction: Malnutrition contributes to 45% of all childhood deaths globally, but these modelled estimates lack direct measurements in countries with high malnutrition and under-5 mortality rates. We investigated malnutrition's role in infant and child deaths in the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network.

Methods: We analysed CHAMPS data from seven sites (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and South Africa) collected between 2016 and 2023.

Single priming and a booster dose of 10-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) maintains suppression of vaccine serotype colonization in South African children at 3, 4, and 5 years of age: a single-centre, open-labelled, randomized trial.

Background: Surveillance on nasopharyngeal carriage in older children would be informative in determining whether a single priming and booster dose of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) provides durable protection against pneumococcal disease compared with traditional dosing schedules.

Methods And Objectives: We report on the secondary study objective to evaluate overall, vaccine-serotype (VT), and non-vaccine serotype (NVT) colonization at 3, 4, and 5 years of age in children who were randomized to receive 10-valent or 13-valent PCV formulations at 6 (6w + 1) or 14 (14w + 1) weeks compared with a two-dose primary series (2 + 1), with all children receiving a booster dose at 9 months of age, using a multiplex nanofluidic qPCR assay.

Results: The prevalence of overall, VT, or NVT at 5 years of age between the 2 + 1 compared with the 6w + 1 or 14w + 1 groups for both PCV10 and PCV13 did not differ.

Surface protein distribution in Group B Streptococcus isolates from South Africa and identifying vaccine targets through in silico analysis.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis in infants younger than 3 months of age. Furthermore, GBS infection in pregnant women is associated with stillbirths and pre-term delivery. It also causes disease in immunocompromised adults and the elderly, but the highest incidence of the disease occurs in neonates and young infants.

Immunogenicity and safety of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein vaccine in South African people living with and without HIV-1 infection: A phase 2 randomised trial.

Background: Response data for COVID-19 vaccines in immunosuppressed individuals are typically limited to standard dosing in small populations. Adjusting number or interval of doses may impact immune responses based on HIV status.

Methods: This phase 2 randomised, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled South African study (2019nCoV-505/NCT05112848) enrolled medically stable people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV-uninfected participants aged 18-65 years.

Neurological Symptoms and Cause of Death Among Young Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Importance: The emergence of acute neurological symptoms in children necessitates immediate intervention. Although low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the highest burden of neurological diseases, there is a scarcity of diagnostic and therapeutic resources. Therefore, current understanding of the etiology of neurological emergencies in LMICs relies mainly on clinical diagnoses and verbal autopsies.

Long-term effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on invasive pneumococcal disease incidence among people of all ages from national, active, laboratory-based surveillance in South Africa, 2005-19: a cohort observational study.

Background: In South Africa, 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced in 2009 and 13-valent PCV (PCV13) was introduced in 2011, both in a two plus one schedule. We evaluated the ongoing effects of PCV on the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) over 15 years of sustained surveillance in South Africa before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We conducted national, active, laboratory-based surveillance for IPD among all ages in South Africa, including isolate serotyping and susceptibility testing.

Immunogenicity and seroefficacy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Vaccination of infants with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines is recommended by the World Health Organization. Evidence is mixed regarding the differences in immunogenicity and efficacy of the different pneumococcal vaccines.

Objectives: The primary objective was to compare the immunogenicity of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-10 versus pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-13.

Geographical migration and fitness dynamics of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia and meningitis worldwide. Many different serotypes co-circulate endemically in any one location. The extent and mechanisms of spread and vaccine-driven changes in fitness and antimicrobial resistance remain largely unquantified.

Hemagglutinin Stalk-Specific Fc-Mediated Functions Are Associated With Protection Against Influenza Illness After Seasonal Influenza Vaccination.

Background: Future vaccine candidates aim to elicit antibodies against the conserved hemagglutinin stalk domain. Understanding the protective mechanism of these antibodies, which mediate broad neutralization and Fc-mediated functions, following seasonal vaccination is critical.

Methods: Plasma samples were obtained from pregnant women with or without HIV-1 enrolled in a randomised trial (138 trivalent inactivated vaccine [TIV] and 145 placebo recipients).

Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health care workers from South Africa.

Health care workers (HCWs) are primary health providers therefore ensuring their protection and recovery from Covid-19 is of high interest. We investigated post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) in HCWs who had previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 68 HCWs were classified as PASC according to duration of persisting symptoms.

Distributions of candidate vaccine Targets, virulence Factors, and resistance features of invasive group B Streptococcus using Whole-Genome Sequencing: A Multicenter, population-based surveillance study.

Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young infants worldwide. This study aimed to investigate candidate GBS vaccine targets, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance determinants.

Methods: We used whole-genome sequencing to characterize invasive GBS isolates from infants < 3 months of age obtained from a multicenter population-based study conducted from 2015 to 2021 in China.

Facilitating the development of urgently required combination vaccines.

The essence of a vaccine lies in its ability to elicit a set of immune responses specifically directed at a particular pathogen. Accordingly, vaccines were historically designed, developed, registered, recommended, procured, and administered as monopathogen formulations. Nonetheless, the control and elimination of an astonishing number of diseases was realised only after several once-separate vaccines were provided as combinations.