Publications by authors named "Steens A"

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) introduced in childhood national immunization programs lowered vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but replacement with non-vaccine-types persisted throughout the PCV10/13 follow-up period. We assessed PCV10/13 impact on pneumococcal meningitis incidence globally.

Methods: The number of cases with serotyped pneumococci detected in cerebrospinal fluid and population denominators were obtained from surveillance sites globally.

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Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) that are ten-valent (PCV10) and 13-valent (PCV13) became available in 2010. We evaluated their global impact on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence in all ages.

Methods: Serotype-specific IPD cases and population denominators were obtained directly from surveillance sites using PCV10 or PCV13 in their national immunisation programmes and with a primary series uptake of at least 50%.

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National Immunisation Programmes (NIPs) develop historically. Its performance (disease incidences, vaccination coverage) is monitored. Reviewing the schedule as a whole could inform on further optimisation of the programme, i.

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Article Synopsis
  • During the early COVID-19 pandemic in Norway, social distancing measures led to a significant reduction in the number of daily social contacts, particularly among younger adults, with a decline of 67-73% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
  • *The study involved online surveys of a representative sample of Norwegian adults conducted from April to September 2020, collecting data on nearly 22,000 contacts.
  • *Despite relaxations of social distancing over time, the patterns of social interaction remained stable, indicating continued limited contact in community settings versus baseline measurements.*
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Background: New 15- and 20-valent pneumococcal vaccines (PCV15, PCV20) are available for both children and adults, while PCV21 for adults is in development. However, their cost-effectiveness for older adults, taking into account indirect protection and serotype replacement from a switch to PCV15 and PCV20 in childhood vaccination, remains unexamined.

Methods: We used a static model for the Netherlands to assess the cost-effectiveness of different strategies with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23), PCV15, PCV20, and PCV21 for a 65-year-old cohort from a societal perspective, over a 15-year time horizon.

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Article Synopsis
  • The IRIS Consortium investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on invasive diseases caused by specific bacteria over a four-year period, comparing data from before and during the pandemic.
  • Laboratories from 30 countries provided surveillance data, revealing a significant decrease in cases of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis during the pandemic, while Streptococcus agalactiae cases remained unchanged.
  • An estimated 36,289 cases of invasive bacterial disease were prevented due to COVID-19 containment measures during the first two years of the pandemic.
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Introduction: Representative information on disease course and outcome of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is important because of the shift in meningococcal epidemiology that recently occurred in the Netherlands. With this study, we update earlier research on the burden of IMD in the Netherlands.

Material And Methods: We performed a retrospective study using Dutch surveillance data on IMD from July 2011 to May 2020.

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COVID-19 control measures have resulted in a decline in invasive bacterial disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis (IMD), Streptococcus pneumoniae (IPD), and Haemophilus influenzae (Hi-D). These species comprise different serogroups and serotypes that impact transmissibility and virulence. We evaluated type- and pathogen-specific changes in invasive bacterial disease epidemiology in the Netherlands during the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

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We described the population structure of Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) in Norway from 1996 to 2019 and determined if there were evolutionary shifts and whether these correlated with changes in the childhood immunization program. We selected 180 B.

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Article Synopsis
  • The acellular pertussis vaccine has been part of Norway's immunization program since 1998, with booster doses introduced for specific age groups to address rising pertussis cases.
  • Among 8-15-year-olds, incidence rates decreased significantly after the introduction of booster shots, while similar trends were observed for 16-19-year-olds.
  • However, despite high vaccination rates, the incidence of pertussis increased among younger children (1-7 years) and older children (8-15 years) in recent years, highlighting a need for policy adjustments.
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The purpose of this study was to estimate simple measures of the burden of non-invasive pneumococcal pneumonia (PnPn) hospitalisations in those aged 50 years and older (50+) in Norway. We conducted a retrospective register-based study and used discharge codes from the Norwegian Patient Register (NPR). We identified episodes of non-invasive PnPn in 2015 to 2016 and predicted its incidence from 2015 to 2019 based on the trend found in notified invasive pneumococcal disease cases.

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Background: Pneumococcal disease outbreaks of vaccine preventable serotype 4 sequence type (ST)801 in shipyards have been reported in several countries. We aimed to use genomics to establish any international links between them.

Methods: Sequence data from ST801-related outbreak isolates from Norway (n = 17), Finland (n = 11) and Northern Ireland (n = 2) were combined with invasive pneumococcal disease surveillance from the respective countries, and ST801-related genomes from an international collection (n = 41 of > 40,000), totalling 106 genomes.

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We studied the secondary attack rate (SAR), risk factors, and precautionary practices of household transmission in a prospective, longitudinal study. We further compared transmission between the Alpha (B.1.

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Between 2016 and 2019, a catch-up human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination took place in Norway for women born between 1991 and 1996. The aim of this study was to identify sociodemographic determinants of complete vaccination (3 doses) and partial vaccination (1-2 doses). A random sample of 10,000 women who were offered catch-up HPV vaccination were invited.

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The incidence of most respiratory-transmitted diseases decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of containment measures. In contrast, in the Netherlands we noted an increase in invasive disease caused by b (Hib) (from < 0.3/100,000 before 2019 to 0.

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Between September and October 2019, the Norwegian Institute for Public Health (NIPH) surveyed women born between 1991 and 1996 who were offered catch-up vaccination for human papilloma virus (HPV). The aim was to identify determinants of vaccine schedule adherence. A random sample of 10,000 women who were offered catch-up vaccination were invited to participate in the survey.

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The elderly and adults with medical risk conditions remain at high risk of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), highlighting the importance of adequate preventive efforts. In an observational population-based study in Norway (pop ≥ 5 years, 2009-2017) covering six years post-PCV13 implementation, we explored the incidence and risk of IPD associated with age and comorbidities. We obtained the data on 5535 IPD cases from the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases and the population data from Statistics Norway.

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Article Synopsis
  • The IMI2-VITAL project aims to evaluate the burden of disease (BoD) from potentially vaccine-preventable diseases in older adults across Europe, focusing on specific pathogens like E. coli and norovirus.
  • A survey and literature review revealed general availability of morbidity and mortality data for these diseases, but a lack of comprehensive BoD estimates, particularly lacking age and risk group stratification.
  • The study highlights the existing data sources and identifies gaps, which can help in future pathogen-specific BoD studies to better inform immunization programs for ageing adults in the EU.
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We aim to discuss whether preventive quarantine can mitigate the spread of Covid-19 during the pandemic. We did a cross-sectional, observational study design in a mass-screening program in the enrolment to the Norwegian military during April 19-28th 2020 (COVID-NOR-MIL). 1170 presumptively healthy young Norwegian conscripts.

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Background: Accurate estimates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in different population groups are important for the health authorities. In Norway, public infection control measures have successfully curbed the pandemic. However, military training and service are incompatible with these measures; therefore extended infection control measures were implemented in the Norwegian Armed Forces.

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Background: The first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Norway was confirmed on 26 February 2020. Following sharpened advice on general infection control measures at the beginning of the outbreak, extensive national control measures were implemented on 12 March, and testing was focused on those with severe illness. We describe the first six weeks of the outbreak in Norway, viewed in light of testing criteria and control measures.

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To limit SARS-CoV-2 spread, quarantine and isolation are obligatory in several situations in Norway. We found low self-reported adherence to requested measures among 1,704 individuals (42%; 95% confidence interval: 37-48). Adherence was lower in May-June-July (33-38%) compared with April (66%), and higher among those experiencing COVID-19-compatible symptoms (71%) compared with those without (28%).

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Changes in pneumococcal antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have been reported following use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in childhood vaccination programmes. We describe AMR trends and clonality in Norway during 2004-2016; we studied 10,239 invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) isolates in terms of serotypes, antimicrobial susceptibility, and for a systematically collected subset of 2473 isolates, multilocus sequence types (ST). The IPD cases were notified to the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases and pneumococcal isolates were collected through the National Reference Laboratory for Pneumococci.

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In Norway, childhood immunisation is offered on voluntary basis, free of charge and is delivered through trained nurses at > 650 child health centres and school health services. Maintaining high confidence in the vaccination programme is key to sustaining high vaccine uptake. We aimed to investigate confidence in childhood vaccination in the general population and to identify determinants for lower confidence.

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