Immunization
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Association Between SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and Myocarditis or Pericarditis
There have been reports of potential negative cardiovascular effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, such as myocarditis or pericarditis. This study sought to ascertain the risk of myocarditis/pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination by conducting an extensive meta-analysis of published cases.The Association Between Previous Influenza Vaccination and COVID-19 Infection Risk and Severity: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
The association between influenza vaccination and COVID-19 remains controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether influenza vaccination reduces the susceptibility and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Interventions in the U.S.: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Despite current recommendations, human papillomavirus vaccine uptake remains low. A systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of interventions targeting human papillomavirus vaccine initiation and completion among children, adolescents, and young adults aged 9–26 years.Immunization Coverage of Children in Care of the Child Welfare System in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
Children in care of the child welfare system tend to underutilize preventive health services compared with other children. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess current knowledge regarding immunization coverage levels for children in the child welfare system and to determine barriers and supports to them utilizing immunization services.The Cost of Interventions to Increase Influenza Vaccination: A Systematic Review
Influenza vaccination rates remain below Healthy People 2020 goals. This project sought to systematically review economic evaluations of healthcare-based quality improvement interventions for improving influenza vaccination uptake among general populations and healthcare workers.The National Adult Immunization Plan: Strengthening Adult Immunization Through Coordinated Action
Despite the widespread availability of safe and effective vaccines, adult vaccination rates remain low in the U.S. and far below Healthy People 2020 targets.1–3 Vaccine-preventable diseases exert a heavy toll on adults aged 18 years and older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that among U.S. adults, each year there are roughly 40,000 cases and 4,000 deaths attributable to invasive pneumococcal disease,4 between 3,000 and 49,000 deaths due to seasonal influenza,5 9,000 reported cases of pertussis,6 approximately 3,000 reported cases of acute hepatitis B,7 and about 1 million cases of herpes zoster.Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Sexual Disinhibition in Females: A Systematic Review
Some parents believe human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination increases the chance of risky sexual behaviors among adolescents. This review summarizes the evidence available on adolescent girls and women engaging in risky sexual activity following HPV vaccination.Increasing Coverage of Appropriate Vaccinations: A Community Guide Systematic Economic Review
Population-level coverage for immunization against many vaccine-preventable diseases remains below optimal rates in the U.S. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended several interventions to increase vaccination coverage based on systematic reviews of the evaluation literature. The present study provides the economic results from those reviews.Prospects for a Globally Effective HIV-1 Vaccine
A globally effective vaccine strategy must cope with the broad genetic diversity of HIV and contend with multiple transmission modalities. Understanding correlates of protection and the role of diversity in limiting protective vaccines with those correlates is key. RV144 was the first HIV-1 vaccine trial to demonstrate efficacy against HIV-1 infection. A correlates analysis comparing vaccine-induced immune responses in vaccinated-infected and vaccinated-uninfected volunteers suggested that IgG specific for the V1V2 region of gp120 was associated with reduced risk of HIV-1 infection and that plasma Env IgA was directly correlated with infection risk.Value of Post-Licensure Data on Benefits and Risks of Vaccination to Inform Vaccine Policy: The Example of Rotavirus Vaccines
In 1999, the first rhesus-human reassortant rotavirus vaccine licensed in the U.S. was withdrawn within a year of its introduction after it was linked with intussusception at a rate of ~1 excess case per 10,000 vaccinated infants. While clinical trials of 60,000–70,000 infants of each of the two current live oral rotavirus vaccines, RotaTeq (RV5) and Rotarix (RV1), did not find an association with intussusception, post-licensure studies have documented a risk in several high and middle income countries, at a rate of ~1–6 excess cases per 100,000 vaccinated infants.Trials and Tribulations on the Path to Developing a Dengue Vaccine
Dengue is a rapidly expanding global health problem. Development of a safe and efficacious tetravalent vaccine along with strategic application of vector control activities represents a promising approach to reducing the global disease burden. Although many vaccine development challenges exist, numerous candidates are in clinical development and one has been tested in three clinical endpoint studies. The results of these studies have raised numerous questions about how we measure vaccine immunogenicity and how these readouts are associated with clinical outcomes in vaccine recipients who experience natural infection.Vaccines for Prevention of Group B Meningococcal Disease: Not Your Father’s Vaccines
For decades, there was no licensed vaccine for prevention of endemic capsular group B meningococcal disease, despite the availability of vaccines for prevention of the other most common meningococcal capsular groups. Recently, however, two new vaccines have been licensed for prevention of group B disease. Although immunogenic and considered to have an acceptable safety profile, there are many scientific unknowns about these vaccines, including effectiveness against antigenically diverse endemic meningococcal strains; duration of protection; whether they provide any herd protection; and whether there will be meningococcal antigenic changes that will diminish effectiveness over time.Enhancing Vaccine Safety Capacity Globally: A Lifecycle Perspective
Major vaccine safety controversies have arisen in several countries beginning in the last decades of 20th century. Such periodic vaccine safety controversies are unlikely to go away in the near future as more national immunization programs mature with near elimination of target vaccine-preventable diseases that result in relative greater prominence of adverse events following immunizations, both true reactions and temporally coincidental events. There are several ways in which vaccine safety capacity can be improved to potentially mitigate the impact of future vaccine safety controversies.The March Toward Malaria Vaccines
In 2013 there were an estimated 584,000 deaths and 198 million clinical illnesses due to malaria, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa. Vaccines would be the ideal addition to the existing armamentarium of anti-malaria tools. However, malaria is caused by parasites, and parasites are much more complex in terms of their biology than the viruses and bacteria for which we have vaccines, passing through multiple stages of development in the human host, each stage expressing hundreds of unique antigens.Prospects for Broadly Protective Influenza Vaccines
The development of vaccines that could provide broad protection against antigenically variant influenza viruses has long been the ultimate prize in influenza research. Recent developments have pushed us closer to this goal, and such vaccines may now be within reach. This brief review outlines the current approaches to broadly protective vaccines, and the probable hurdles and roadblocks to achieving this goal.Predictors of Human Papillomavirus Awareness and Knowledge in 2013: The Importance of Health Literacy
The recent article by Blake et al.1 highlights the important gaps in awareness and knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV), its relationship with cancer, and the HPV vaccine in the U.S. population. As noted by the authors, the introduction of a health technology can lead to health inequalities if there is differential learning among population subgroups, the so-called “Knowledge Gap Hypothesis.” Comparisons with previous analyses of the Health Information and National Trends Survey (HINTS) suggest awareness has increased among the U.S.Redefining Meaningful Use: Achieving Interoperability with Immunization Registries
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has instituted substantial incentives to providers to help foster the adoption and “meaningful use” of certified electronic health records (EHRs).1 The Meaningful Use Incentive Program, established under the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, includes three successive stages, each with certain objectives that must be met to receive incentive payments. In the program's first year (2011), more than 100,000 providers have registered,2 and more than $2.5 billion in incentives has already been paid by CMS to eligible providers.
