Preliminary results of European vaccine effectiveness study show decreased protective effect of the seasonal influenza vaccine in 2011/2012 season. ECDC Director Marc Sprenger calls for action.
A pair of linked papers from Finland concerning the above topic, one epidemiological and the second combining both clinical and epidemiological were published on March 28th in the open access journal, PLoS One.(1,2).
In this study, the authors have combined a household method and a school study design to assess VE against mumps as well as VE against mumps infectiousness by comparing secondary attack rates in households of vaccinated and unvaccinated cases.
One of the most important functions and outputs of the laboratory aspect of the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) coordinated by WHO are biannual influenza vaccine strain selection meetings that take place each year around February and September. These scientific meetings make recommendations on the antigens to go into the influenza vaccines for the northern hemisphere (February meeting) and southern hemisphere seasons (September meeting).
4CMenB has the potential to reduce serogroup B meningococcal disease substantially. Despite its potential, the vaccine may have some limitations, and it remains to be seen if booster doses will be required to sustain protection.
Results of this study demonstrated that the RIX4414 vaccine was well tolerated and immunogenic in pre-term European infants: more than 75% of infants had seroconverted 30-83 days after dose 2.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced that it has asked for clinical trials of a vaccine targeted against the novel A(H3N2)v triple reassortment viruses infecting some people in the USA.