Vaccines Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Mucosal (and in minor extent transcutanous) stimulation can induce local or distant mucosa secretory IgA. Liposomes and other vesicles as mucosal and transcutaneous adjuvants are attractive alternatives to parenteral vaccination.... more

Mucosal (and in minor extent transcutanous) stimulation can induce local or distant mucosa secretory IgA. Liposomes and other vesicles as mucosal and transcutaneous adjuvants are attractive alternatives to parenteral vaccination. Liposomes can be massively produced under good manufacturing practices and stored for long periods, at high antigen/vesicle mass ratios. However, their uptake by antigen-presenting cells (APC) at the inductive sites remains as a major challenge. As neurotoxicity is a major concern in intranasal delivery, complexes between archaeosomes and calcium as well as cationic liposomes complexed with plasmids encoding for antigenic proteins could safely elicit secretory and systemic antigen-specific immune responses. Oral bilosomes generate intense immune responses that remain to be tested against challenge, but the admixing with toxins or derivatives is mandatory to reduce the amount of antigen. Most of the current experimental designs, however, underestimate the mu...

Non-invasive vaccine delivery is a top priority for public health agencies because conventional immunization practices are unsafe and associated with numerous limitations. Recently, the skin has emerged as a potential alternative route... more

Non-invasive vaccine delivery is a top priority for public health agencies because conventional immunization practices are unsafe and associated with numerous limitations. Recently, the skin has emerged as a potential alternative route for non-invasive delivery of vaccine. Topical immunization (TI), introduction of antigen through topical application onto the intact skin, has many practical merits compared to injectable routes of administration. One of the possibilities for increasing the penetration of bioactives through the skin is the use of vesicular systems. Specially designed lipid vesicles are attracting intense attention and can be used for non-invasive antigen delivery. In the present study, elastic vesicle transfersomes, non-ionic surfactant vesicles (niosomes) and liposomes were used to study their relative potential in non-invasive delivery of tetanus toxoid (TT). Transfersomes, niosomes and liposomes were prepared and characterized for shape, size and entrapment efficiency. These vesicles were extruded through polycarbonate filter (50-nm pore size) to assess the elasticity of the vesicles. The immune stimulating activity of transfersomes, niosomes and liposomes were studied by measuring the serum anti-TT IgG titre following topical immunization. The immune response elicited by topical immunization was compared with that elicited by same dose of alum-adsorbed tetanus toxoid (AATT) given intramuscularly. The results indicate that optimal formulations of transfersomes, niosomes and liposomes could entrap 72.7 ± 3.4, 42.5 ± 2.4 and 41.3 ± 2.2% of antigen and their elasticity values were 124.4 ± 4.2, 29.3 ± 2.4 and 21.7 ± 1.9, respectively. In vivo study revealed that topically given TT containing transfersomes, after secondary immunization, could elicit immune response (anti-TT-IgG) that was equivalent to one that produced following intramuscularly alum-adsorbed TT-based immunization. In comparison to transfersomes, niosomes and liposomes elicited weaker immune response. Thus transfersomes hold promise for effective non-invasive topical delivery of antigen(s).

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to investigate the adherence to vaccinations, especially pneumococcal vaccinations, in lung cancer patients.MethodsThe study was performed at the University Hospital Regensburg, Germany. All patients... more

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to investigate the adherence to vaccinations, especially pneumococcal vaccinations, in lung cancer patients.MethodsThe study was performed at the University Hospital Regensburg, Germany. All patients with a regular appointment scheduled between December 1, 2020, and April 29, 2021, and who provided informed consent were included. Available medical records, vaccination certificates and a questionnaire were analyzed.Results136 lung cancer patients (NSCLC n = 113, 83.1%, SCLC n = 23, 16.9%) were included. A correct pneumococcal vaccination according to national recommendations was performed in 9.4% (12/127) of patients.A correct vaccination was performed for tetanus in 50.4% (6/131), diphtheria in 34.4% (44/128), poliomyelitis in 25.8% (33/128), tick-borne encephalitis in 40.7% (24/59), hepatitis A in 45.5% (7/11), hepatitis B in 38.5% (5/13), shingles in 3.0% (3/101), measles in 50.0% (3/6), pertussis in 47.7% (62/130), influenza in 54.4% (74/136)...

The COVID-19 infection fatality rate for children under the age of 17 is less than 0,003%. Children are at extremely low risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and children do not spread the illness in any significant way. Once a vaccine... more

The COVID-19 infection fatality rate for children under the age of 17 is less than 0,003%. Children are at extremely low risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and children do not spread the illness in any significant way. Once a vaccine becomes widely available for schoolchildren, will lawmakers leave it up to parents and guardians to choose whether to vaccinate their children or will they mandate schoolchildren to get a COVID-19 vaccine to attend school? This article assesses both arguments for and against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for school children. The article further analyzes applicable international bioethical and human rights norms and standards with regard to informed consent as contained in the various international treaties to hold states legally accountable for their actions under international law. To determine whether states may impose vaccine mandates for school children in terms of international human rights law, a proportionality test is applied. The critical focus of this article is explicating the rudiments of the bioethical and human rights standards relating to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of schoolchildren that must be confronted to ensure that children, that is, humanity's most valuable asset for the future, are afforded their fundamental human rights. Ultimately, it highlights the importance that these international bioethical norms are built into decision-making by public authorities when measures to prevent the spread of infectious disease with a case fatality rate of less than 0,003% in children are instituted.

The systematic review focused on the prognosis, mortality, medications, and promising vaccines for COVID-19. COVID-19 severity varies. Mild cases often recover within two weeks, while people with severe diseases may take 3 – 6 weeks to... more

The systematic review focused on the prognosis, mortality, medications, and promising vaccines for COVID-19. COVID-19 severity varies. Mild cases often recover within two weeks, while people with severe diseases may take 3 – 6 weeks to recover. Among people who died, the time from the onset of symptom to death ranged from 2 – 8 weeks. Children constitute a small percentage of reported cases, with around 1% of cases under 10 years and 4% aged 10 to 19 years. The risk of death is below 0.5% in those younger than 50 years, while more than 8% in those older than 70. Most of the people who die of COVID-19 have pre-existing conditions, including diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. The impact of COVID-19 and its rate of mortality are different for both men and women; mortality rate is higher in men. As of May 2020, it is not known if past infection provides long-term and effective immunity in those who recover from the viral disease. Some of the infected people were reported to develop protective antibodies; the acquired immunity is presumed possible, based on other coronaviruses’ behaviour. The total infection fatality rate (IFR) is estimated to be 0.66%. No approved vaccine to treat the disease yet. International research on medicines and vaccines in COVID-19 is underway by academic groups, industry researchers, and government organizations. As of May 2020, there are over 300 active clinical trials underway. Many existing medications are under evaluation for COVID-19 treatment, including remdesivir, chloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine, and lopinavir/ritonavir combined with interferon beta; as of May 2020, there is tentative evidence for remdesivir efficacy. Other candidates in trials are vasodilators, immune therapies, lipoic acid, corticosteroids, recombinant angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, bevacizumab, etc. Preliminary evidence suggests hydroxychloroquine might have anti-cytokine storm properties. Transferring concentrated and purified antibodies produced by immune systems of those who recovered from COVID-19 to those who need them is being investigated as non-vaccine method of passive immunization.

Whether children should be vaccinated against coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) (or other infectious diseases such as influenza) and whether some degree of coercion should be exercised by the state to ensure high uptake depends, among... more

Whether children should be vaccinated against coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) (or other infectious diseases such as influenza) and whether some degree of coercion should be exercised by the state to ensure high uptake depends, among other things, on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. For COVID-19, these factors are currently unknown for children, with unanswered questions also on children’s role in the transmission of the virus, the extent to which the vaccine will decrease transmission, and the expected benefit (if any) to the child. Ultimately, deciding whether to recommend that children receive a novel vaccine for a disease that is not a major threat to them, or to mandate the vaccine, requires precise information on the risks, including disease severity and vaccine safety and effectiveness, a comparative evaluation of the alternatives, and the levels of coercion associated with each. However, the decision also requires balancing self-interest with duty to others, and liberty with usefulness. Separate to ensuring vaccine supply and access, we outline 3 requirements for mandatory vaccination from an ethical perspective: (1) whether the disease is a grave threat to the health of children and to public health, (2) positive comparative expected usefulness of mandatory vaccination, and (3) proportionate coercion. We also suggest that the case for mandatory vaccine in children may be strong in the case of influenza vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. (J Pediatr 2021;231:10-6).

Vaccination is undoubtedly one of the most effective strategies to halt the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study aimed to investigate the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and its associated factors using two health behavior change... more

Vaccination is undoubtedly one of the most effective strategies to halt the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study aimed to investigate the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and its
associated factors using two health behavior change frameworks: the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A total of 639 Bangladeshi adults (mean age: 24 years) participated in a cross-sectional online study between July and August 2021. The questionnaire covered
questions regarding vaccine intentions, sociodemographic features, health status, perceived trust in/satisfaction with health authorities, reasons for vaccine hesitancy, and factors related to the health behavior change frameworks. Hierarchical logistic regression was employed to determine associations between these predictors and vaccine acceptance. The intention to get a COVID-19 vaccination was expressed among 85% of the participants. In jully adjusted models, students and respondents with more normal body weights reported higher intentions to get vaccinated. Respondents were also
more likely to seek vaccination if they reported greater levels of perceived susceptibility, benefits, and cues to action, as well as lower levels of barriers and self-efficacy. Fear of future vaccine side effects was the most common reason for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and was expressed by 94% of the vaccine-hesitant respondents. These factors should be considered by health authorities in Bangladesh and perhaps other countries when addressing the plateauing COVID-19 vaccination
rates in many populations.

Successful use of liposomes as immunological adjuvants in vaccines requires simple, easy to scale up technology capable of high-yield antigen entrapment. Recent work from this laboratory has led to the development of techniques that can... more

Successful use of liposomes as immunological adjuvants in vaccines requires simple, easy to scale up technology capable of high-yield antigen entrapment. Recent work from this laboratory has led to the development of techniques that can generate liposomes of various sizes containing soluble antigens such as proteins or particulate antigens such as whole, live, or attenuated bacteria or viruses. Entrapment of proteins is carried out by the dehydration-rehydration procedure, which entails freeze-drying of a mixture of "empty" small unilamellar vesicles and free antigens. Upon rehydration, the large multilamellar vesicles that are formed incorporate up to 80% of the antigen used. When such liposomes are microfluidized in the presence of nonentrapped material, their size is reduced to about 100 nm in diameter, with much of the originally entrapped antigen still associated with the vesicles. A similar technique applied to the entrapment of particulate antigens (e.g., Bacillus s...

Jembrana disease constitutes the main concern in cattle industry especially in Indonesia and Australia as it has caused important economic losses due to mortality of cattle. The pathology of the disease is unusual for a lentivirus... more

Jembrana disease constitutes the main concern in cattle
industry especially in Indonesia and Australia as it has caused important
economic losses due to mortality of cattle. The pathology of the disease is
unusual for a lentivirus infection as it is associated with a severe, often
lethal disease syndrome and a short incubation period in cattle. For lack of
efficient medical treatment of JDV-infected cattle, vaccination may
therefore constitute an effective measure for the prevention or eradication
of Jembrana disease. Up to date, only one type of vaccine has been
reported and tested. It is based on inactivated, tissue-derived virus
antigens (Tabanan/87 isolate, JDVTAB/87). This review summarize show
current Jembrana disease vaccine was developed as well as evaluated and
how these information might be useful in future vaccine design.

Introduction: New York City is one of the areas most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Healthcare workers are among those at high risk of contracting the virus, and a vital source of information and trust in vaccines... more

Introduction: New York City is one of the areas most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Healthcare workers are among those at high risk of contracting the virus, and a vital source of information and trust in vaccines to the community. Methods: This study was conducted about attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers at a public hospital in New York City during the beginning of COVID-19 vaccination. 428 hospital employees responded. Results: Several factors were significantly associated with vaccine attitudes, including demographics such as gender (p = 0.002), age (p = 0.005), race (p < 0.001) and home location (p < 0.001), role within the hospital (p < 0.001), knowledge about the virus (p < 0.001) and confidence in and expectations about personal protective equipment and behaviors (p < 0.001). Structural equation modeling revealed that the most predictive factors were prior vaccine attitudes and concern with the speed of test...

This online publication has been corrected. The first corrected version first appeared at thelancet.com/ infection on May 12, 2020 and the second on Summary Background Cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)... more

This online publication has been corrected. The first corrected version first appeared at thelancet.com/ infection on May 12, 2020 and the second on Summary Background Cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection continue to rise in the Arabian Peninsula 7 years after it was first described in Saudi Arabia. MERS-CoV poses a significant risk to public health security because of an absence of currently available effective countermeasures. We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the candidate simian adenovirus-vectored vaccine expressing the full-length spike surface glycoprotein, ChAdOx1 MERS, in humans.

Background Subcutaneous immunotherapy is effective for the treatment of respiratory allergy, and it is largely used in Italy, but no systematic safety assessment has been carried out so far.Objective To assess prospectively the safety of... more

Background Subcutaneous immunotherapy is effective for the treatment of respiratory allergy, and it is largely used in Italy, but no systematic safety assessment has been carried out so far.Objective To assess prospectively the safety of injection immunotherapy in a multicentre, real-life survey.Methods Eleven Italian allergy departments recorded the clinical characteristics of systemic reactions (SRs) due to immunotherapy. Vaccines were prescribed according to guidelines; only standardized depot extracts were used. SRs were graded according to the EAACI recommendations, and were classified as immediate or delayed.Results One thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight patients (847 males, age range 5–71) received immunotherapy from eight different manufacturers, for a total of 2038 courses (300 patients received two extracts). A total of 60 785 injections were given over a mean immunotherapy duration of 3 years. Overall, 95 reactions were observed in 57 patients (3.28%), corresponding to 4.7% of the courses and 1.56/1000 injections. Twenty-five patients experienced more than one adverse event. There were 34 grade 2, 60 grade 3 and one grade 4 reactions and no fatality. SRs occurred more frequently in patients with asthma than in patients with rhinitis alone (4.1% vs. 1.1%), and were equally distributed between the build-up and the maintenance phase. Ragweed and grass extracts caused significantly more side effects than other allergens.Conclusion In this large prospective study, the rate of SRs was low, thus confirming that injection immunotherapy has an acceptable risk/benefit ratio when prescribed and carried out according to recommendations.

Macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF) is a specific histological lesion assessing the persistence of vaccine-derived aluminum oxyhydroxide in muscle tissue, at a site of previous immunization. Long-lasting MMF is usually detected in patients... more

Macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF) is a specific histological lesion assessing the persistence of vaccine-derived aluminum oxyhydroxide in muscle tissue, at a site of previous immunization. Long-lasting MMF is usually detected in patients with arthromyalgias, chronic fatigue, and stereotyped cognitive dysfunction. MMF diagnosis requires muscle biopsy, an invasive procedure not suitable for the routine investigation of all patients with musculoskeletal pain. To help decision making in routine practice, we designed a retrospective analysis of 130 consecutive arthro-myalgic patients, previously immunized with aluminum-containing vaccines, in whom deltoid muscle biopsy was performed for diagnostic purposes. According to biopsy results, the patients were ascribed to either the MMF or the non-MMF group. MMF was diagnosed in 32.3% of the patients. MMF and non-MMF groups were similar according to both the injected vaccines and the delay between vaccination and biopsy. MMF patients had less frequent fibromyalgia than non-MMF patients (≥11 fibromyalgic tender points in 16.6 vs 55.5%, p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.04), and more often abnormal evoked potentials suggestive of CNS demyelination (38.5 vs 5.7%, p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.01). Predictive bioclinical scores based on simple variables such as the number of fibromyalgic tender points, arthralgias, and spinal pain, had sensitivity ranging from 50 to 88.1% and specificity from 36.4 to 76.1%. (i) most aluminum-containing vaccine receivers do not have long-lasting MMF in their muscle, but the prevalence of MMF among patients with arthromyalgia following immunization is substantial; (ii) patients with MMF have more CNS dysfunction and less fibromyalgic tender points than non-MMF patients; (iii) predictive scores may help to identify patients at high vs low risk of MMF.

In addition to more narrow criteria such as safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, vaccines can also be evaluated based on broader criteria such as their economic impact, contribution to disease eradication objectives, caregiver... more

In addition to more narrow criteria such as safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, vaccines can also be evaluated based on broader criteria such as their economic impact, contribution to disease eradication objectives, caregiver aspects, financial protection offered, equity or social acceptability. We summarize a survey executed in a sample of the population (n = 1000) in Flanders, Belgium, in which we investigated support for using these broader criteria to evaluate vaccines for funding decisions. By means of both favourable and unfavourable framings of a hypothetical vaccine across 40 value dimensions, we find support for the view that people indeed consider a broad range of medical and socio-economic criteria relevant. Several of these are not incorporated in standard evaluation frameworks for vaccines. The different results we find for different framings highlight the importance of developing a consistent a priori value framework for vaccine evaluation, rather than evalua...

India records a high incidence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related infections and cancers, with cervical cancer being the second biggest cause of mortality among women with cancer in the country. Immunization against the high-risk HPV... more

India records a high incidence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related infections and cancers, with cervical cancer being the second biggest cause of mortality among women with cancer in the country. Immunization against the high-risk HPV serotypes can efficiently prevent related diseases. The HPV vaccine was recommended to be added to the Universal Immunization Program (UIP) of India by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) in 2017. However, following a controversial vaccine trial in 2009 and a pending decision on a related legal case, the Government of India has refrained from including the vaccine in the UIP. This study is an analysis of the media coverage of HPV-related issues and HPV vaccine-related sentiment in English language news media in India from 2015 to 2018. The sampled news media for the study include four national daily newspapers, The Hindu, The Times of India, The Indian Express and Hindustan Times; and two Indian news websites, The Wire and Scroll.in. Results based on the sentiment analysis of the media coverage reveal a predominantly positive sentiment towards the HPV vaccine with a marginal presence of thematically framed negative and contested opinion against the vaccine. The analysis of media framing of the issue reveals a prevalence of authoritative frames devoid of exemplification, and extensive use of behavioral determinants of health to establish responsibility in HPV-related health status.

Orf virus (ORFV), the prototype species of the parapoxvirus genus, is the causative agent of contagious ecthyma, an extremely devastating skin disease of sheep, goats, and humans that causes enormous economic losses in livestock... more

Orf virus (ORFV), the prototype species of the parapoxvirus genus, is the causative agent of contagious ecthyma, an extremely devastating skin disease of sheep, goats, and humans that causes enormous economic losses in livestock production. ORFV is known for its ability to repeatedly infect both previously infected and vaccinated sheep due to several immunomodulatory genes encoded by the virus that temporarily suppress host immunity. Therefore, the development of novel, safe and effective vaccines against ORFV infection is an important priority. Although, the commercially licensed live-attenuated vaccines have provided partial protection against ORFV infections, the attenuated viruses have been associated with major safety concerns. In addition to safety issues, the persistent reinfection of vaccinated animals warrants the need to investigate several factors that may affect vaccine efficacy. Perhaps, the reason for the failure of the vaccine is due to the long-term adaptation of the...

Background: COVID-19 vaccines have had expedited reviews without sufficient safety data. We wanted to compare risks and benefits. Method: We calculated the number needed to vaccinate (NNTV) from a large Israeli field study to prevent one... more

Background: COVID-19 vaccines have had expedited reviews without sufficient safety data. We wanted to compare risks and benefits. Method: We calculated the number needed to vaccinate (NNTV) from a large Israeli field study to prevent one death. We accessed the Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) database of the European Medicines Agency and of the Dutch National Register (lareb.nl) to extract the number of cases reporting severe side effects and the number of cases with fatal side effects. Result: The NNTV is between 200–700 to prevent one case of COVID-19 for the mRNA vaccine marketed by Pfizer, while the NNTV to prevent one death is between 9000 and 50,000 (95% confidence interval), with 16,000 as a point estimate. The number of cases experiencing adverse reactions has been reported to be 700 per 100,000 vaccinations. Currently, we see 16 serious side effects per 100,000 vaccinations, and the number of fatal side effects is at 4.11/100,000 vaccinations. For three deaths prevented by vacc...

Salmon rickettsial septicaemia (SRS) is the infectious disease that produces the highest losses in the Chilean salmon industry. As a new strategy for the control of SRS outbreaks, in this study we evaluated the effect of... more

Salmon rickettsial septicaemia (SRS) is the infectious disease that produces the highest losses in the Chilean salmon industry. As a new strategy for the control of SRS outbreaks, in this study we evaluated the effect of alginate-encapsulated Piscirickettsia salmonis antigens (AEPSA) incorporated in the feed as an oral vaccine to induce the immune response in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Fish were distributed into three vaccination groups (injectable, oral high dose, oral low dose). Feed intake and fish growth were recorded during the trial. The P. salmonis-specific IgM levels in blood plasma were measured by ELISA. Alginate microparticles containing the antigen were effectively incorporated in fish feed to produce the oral vaccine. Incorporation of AEPSA did not affect the palatability of the feed or the fish appetite. Furthermore, the oral vaccine did not have a negative effect on fish growth. Finally, the oral vaccine (high and low dose) produced an acquired immune response (Ig...

Non tutti quelli che vengono a contatto con SARS-CoV-2 s’ammalano e non tutti quelli che s’ammalano sviluppano la forma grave della malattia. Il libro analizza i fattori che influenzano il sistema immunitario: fattori modificabili da... more

Non tutti quelli che vengono a contatto con SARS-CoV-2 s’ammalano e non tutti quelli che s’ammalano sviluppano la forma grave della malattia.
Il libro analizza i fattori che influenzano il sistema immunitario: fattori modificabili da ognuno di noi, come l’alimentazione, l’attività fisica e lo stato mentale ed emozionale; modificabili con uno sforzo collettivo, guidato da una scienza e da una politica lungimiranti, come l’inquinamento, la povertà, il servizio sanitario.
Sulla base di una revisione ampia della letteratura scientifica, dettaglia tutto ciò che può sostenere la risposta del sistema immunitario, con capitoli dedicati all’alimentazione, alla nutraceutica, alla gestione dello stress. Esamina anche la letteratura scientifica disponibile sui trattamenti farmacologici e non farmacologici.
Il libro si rivolge alle persone che vogliono conoscere per accrescere le proprie risorse nella gestione della salute. Si rivolge agli operatori sanitari mettendo a loro disposizione una bussola scientifica per orientare la propria attività. Si rivolge alle autorità scientifiche, sanitarie e politiche affinché siano creative e coraggiose. La vaccinazione infatti non fermerà la pandemia in tempi ragionevoli. Potrà essere di grande aiuto se sarà strettamente monitorata e inquadrata in uno sforzo collettivo di cambiamento delle condizioni che hanno reso inefficiente la resilienza al virus SARS-CoV-2.

Fish diseases have a significant negative influence on the Malaysian aquaculture industry. Since the 1980s, the sector has grown in size, which has resulted in a rise in the prevalence of infectious outbreaks affecting both freshwater and... more

Fish diseases have a significant negative influence on the Malaysian aquaculture industry. Since the 1980s, the sector has grown in size, which has resulted in a rise in the prevalence of infectious outbreaks affecting both freshwater and marine cultured fish species. Demand for commercially available fish vaccinations is predicted to increase as infectious disease outbreaks continue to occur. In Malaysia, aquaculture vaccine research and development (R&D) are still in its infancy, with most efforts concentrating on producing vaccines against bacterial infections, most notably streptococcosis, vibriosis, and motile Aeromonas septicemia. Despite several attempts, no homegrown vaccine has been effectively introduced into the manufacturing pipeline to date. At the moment, only three imported aquatic vaccines have received full permission, a far cry from the 314 and 60 vaccines licensed in the poultry and porcine industries, respectively. This review will describe recent findings regard...

This paper reviews the key design features, accomplishments of and lessons learned from two regional group procurement mechanisms dealing with vaccines that have been in operation for more than 25 years. The Pan American Health... more

This paper reviews the key design features, accomplishments of and lessons learned from two regional group procurement mechanisms dealing with vaccines that have been in operation for more than 25 years. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) EPI Revolving Fund purchases vaccines and immunization supplies on behalf of more than 35 countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Based on a ‘central contracting’ model, the program handles most aspects of procurement—from tendering to contracting with and paying producers—using a common fund to pay producers before being reimbursed by countries once goods are received in-country. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Group Purchasing Program among seven Persian Gulf States issues joint tenders for vaccines, as well as drugs and other medical goods. Through this ‘group contracting’ program, countries are responsible for contracting with and paying producers on their own, once the group has selected winning bids. Both programs have experienced substantial growth in the past two decades and are considered to have contributed to or accelerated achievements of immunization programs in both regions, including the introduction of new vaccines. The paper identifies several features of both programs—both those designed to attract country participation and those designed to ensure the programs' financial viability—which help explain their success and longevity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vaccination could be an effective strategy for slowing the spread of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy could pose a serious problem for COVID-19 prevention, due to the spread of misinformation... more

Vaccination could be an effective strategy for slowing the spread of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy could pose a serious problem for COVID-19 prevention, due to the spread of misinformation surrounding the ongoing pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes towards the prospective COVID-19 vaccines among the general public in Jordan, Kuwait and other Arab countries. We also aimed to assess the association between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and conspiracy beliefs. This study used an online survey distributed in December 2020, with items assessing conspiracies regarding COVID-19’s origin and vaccination. Attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines were assessed using the Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale (VCBS), with higher scores indicating a greater belief in vaccine conspiracy. A total of 3414 respondents completed the survey, the majority being residents of Jordan (n = 2173, 63.6%), Kuwait (n = 771, 22.6%) and Saudi Arabia (n = 1...

Physicians have a major influence on parental vaccine decisions. We tested a physician-targeted communication intervention designed to (1) reduce vaccine hesitancy in mothers of infants seen by trained physicians and (2) increase... more

Physicians have a major influence on parental vaccine decisions. We tested a physician-targeted communication intervention designed to (1) reduce vaccine hesitancy in mothers of infants seen by trained physicians and (2) increase physician confidence in communicating about vaccines. We conducted a community-based, clinic-level, 2-arm cluster randomized trial in Washington State. Intervention clinics received physician-targeted communications training. We enrolled mothers of healthy newborns from these clinics at the hospital of birth. Mothers and physicians were surveyed at baseline and 6 months. The primary outcome was maternal vaccine hesitancy measured by Parental Attitudes on Childhood Vaccines score; secondary outcome was physician self-efficacy in communicating with parents by using 3 vaccine communication domains. We enrolled 56 clinics and 347 mothers. We conducted intervention trainings at 30 clinics, reaching 67% of eligible physicians; 26 clinics were randomized to the co...

Background: In Italy, the under-30 age category was the one that joined the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign in an important way. This study investigates the emotional states and motivations underlying joining the anti-COVID-19... more

Background: In Italy, the under-30 age category was the one that joined the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign in an important way. This study investigates the emotional states and motivations underlying joining the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of SF-12, STAI Y, and open questions was administered to investigate the state of health, the state of anxiety, and motivational states of the participants. Results: Of the sample, 80.7% were vaccinated at the first call, deeming the action important to combat the infection. However, 48.2% stated that they were quite worried about the problems related to the pandemic, 37.3% feared being directly infected, and 43.4% were worried about the health of relatives and friends. Conclusions: The positive impact that the vaccination campaign has had on the under-30 category is very significant for the immunization process, which is of fundamental importance for fighting the pandemic, so the “benefits” outweigh the “risks” related to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is primarily associated with respiratory disorders globally. Despite the availability of information, there is still no competitive vaccine available for RSV. Therefore, the present study has been... more

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is primarily associated with respiratory disorders globally. Despite the availability of information, there is still no competitive vaccine available for RSV. Therefore, the present study has been designed to develop a multiepitope-based subunit vaccine (MEV) using a reverse vaccinology approach to curb RSV infections. Briefly, two highly antigenic and conserved proteins of RSV (glycoprotein and fusion protein) were selected and potential epitopes of different categories (B-cell and T-cell) were identified from them. Eminently antigenic and overlapping epitopes, which demonstrated strong associations with their respective human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and depicted collective ~70% coverage of the world’s populace, were shortlisted. Finally, 282 amino acids long MEV construct was established by connecting 13 major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I with two MHC class-II epitopes with appropriate adjuvant and linkers. Adjuvant and linkers...

In June 2013, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) suspended its active recommendation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination after a small number of highly publicized alleged adverse events stoked public... more

In June 2013, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) suspended its active recommendation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination after a small number of highly publicized alleged adverse events stoked public fears about the vaccine’s safety.2 While the MHLW continues to provide the HPV vaccination for those who request it through the National Immunization Programme (NIP), as of mid-April, the suspension of the HPV vaccination recommendation continues. Since the release of our CSIS report The HPV Vaccination in Japan: Issues and Options3 in May 2014, anti-vaccine groups have strengthened their control of the narrative surrounding the HPV vaccine, intensified their activities, and continued to capture media and public attention. The medical community has split as prominent personalities have come forward to support claims of adverse effects linked to the HPV vaccine even in the absence of any evidence of association. Countermeasures by the MHLW, medical prof...

The Anti Vaccination Movement grew out as a result of Andrew Wakefield's claims regarding the link between autism and vaccines. Although his claims have been massively refuted, and it was later evident that he engaged in gross ethical... more

The Anti Vaccination Movement grew out as a result of Andrew Wakefield's claims regarding the link between autism and vaccines. Although his claims have been massively refuted, and it was later evident that he engaged in gross ethical misconduct, adherents to the Anti Vaccination Movement persist in their belief that vaccines cause autism. In this article, I explore three psychological mechanisms that partly explain why the Anti Vaccination Movement keeps its strength. First, conditioning: most parents of autistic children discover their child's condition at around the same time they receive vaccines shots, and this facilitates the association of those two events in their minds. Second, modeling: the endorsement of the Anti Vaccination Movement by celebrities encourages people to believe in their mistaken theories. Third, agency detection: the Anti Vaccination Movement relies on conspiratorial thinking, and this way of thinking is based on the natural tendency of all humans to attribute agency to purposeless events.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire planet, and within about a year and a half, has led to 174,502,686 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with 3,770,361 deaths. Although it is now clear that SARS-CoV-2 can affect various... more

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire planet, and within about a year and a half, has led to 174,502,686 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with 3,770,361 deaths. Although it is now clear that SARS-CoV-2 can affect various different organs, including the lungs, brain, skin, vessels, placenta and others, less is yet known about adverse reactions from vaccines, although more and more reports are starting to emerge. Among the adverse events, we focused particularly on skin rashes. In this short report, we describe the case of a patient vaccinated with Comirnaty, who developed a purpuric rash resistant to oral steroid therapy after 2 weeks. To date, this is one of the very few cases in which skin biopsy was performed to better characterize the histopathological picture of this rash. Finally, we conduct a literature review of the cases of rashes from SARS-CoV-2 vaccines described in the literature, with the aim of laying foundations for future, larger case studies.

Since emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged between 12 and 15 years old was recently obtained in the United States and Europe, we aimed to assess the willingness to vaccinate children with a COVID-19 vaccine in lower-... more

Since emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged between 12 and 15 years old was recently obtained in the United States and Europe, we aimed to assess the willingness to vaccinate children with a COVID-19 vaccine in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, we launched an online cross-sectional survey in several LMICs. Questions relating to socio-demographic information, knowledge of COVID-19, level of fear/worry of being infected with COVID-19, and willingness to vaccinate children with the COVID-19 vaccine at 50%, 75% and 95% effectiveness levels, were asked. Of the 6571 participants (mean age = 39 ± 14 years), 64.0%, 72.6%, and 92.9% were willing to vaccinate children at 50%, 75%, and 95% effectiveness levels, respectively. Respondents who were undergraduates, who were more worried/fearful about COVID-19, had higher knowledge scores regarding COVID-19, and a higher belief that COVID-19 vaccination is important to protect others, were more willing to ac...

Managing the COVID-19 pandemic—and other communicable diseases—involves broad societal uptake of vaccines. As has been demonstrated, however, vaccine uptake is often uneven and incomplete across populations. This is a substantial... more

Managing the COVID-19 pandemic—and other communicable diseases—involves broad societal uptake of vaccines. As has been demonstrated, however, vaccine uptake is often uneven and incomplete across populations. This is a substantial challenge that must be addressed by public health efforts. To this point, significant research has focused on demographic and attitudinal correlates with vaccine hesitancy to understand uptake patterns. In this study, however, we advance understandings of individual decision-making processes involved in vaccine uptake through a mixed-methods investigation of the role of timing in COVID-19 vaccine choices. In the first step, a survey experiment, we find the timing of vaccine rollout (i.e., when a vaccine becomes available to the respondent) has a significant impact on public decision-making. Not only is there a higher level of acceptance when the vaccine becomes available at a later time, but delayed availability is correlated with both lower levels of ‘desi...

During industrial scale production of virus for vaccine manufacturing, antiviral response of host cells can dampen maximal viral antigen yield. In addition to interferon responses, many other cellular responses such as the AMPK signaling... more

During industrial scale production of virus for vaccine manufacturing, antiviral response of host cells can dampen maximal viral antigen yield. In addition to interferon responses, many other cellular responses such as the AMPK signaling pathway or senescence-like response may inhibit or slow down virus amplification in the cell culture system. In this study, we first performed a Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of the whole-genome mRNA transcriptome and found a senescence-like cellular response in BHK-21 cells when infected with bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV). To demonstrate that this senescence-like state may reduce virus growth, BHK-21 subclones showing varying degrees of senescence-like state were infected with BEFV. Results showed the BHK-21 subclones showing high senescence staining could inhibit BEFV replication while low senescence-staining subclones are permissive to virus replication. Using a different approach, a senescence-like state was induced in BHK-21 using a small ...