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.
Despite a reduction in pertussis among younger children and infants, rates of pertussis-related sickness and death remain high compared with rates for other vaccine-preventable diseases in England and Wales.
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.
Influenza viruses pose a particular challenge for those designing vaccines for humans. Much of the protective immunity that humans have against these viruses following natural infection or vaccination is due to immunological recognition of the haemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprotein.
In a recent scientific article (Udwadia, F et al. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2011, Dec 21, Eprint) four cases of so-called total drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) were reported from India.
This study demonstrates that PCV13 is immunogenic and safe in children previously vaccinated with PCV7. By eliciting high antibacterial immune responses to the additional serotypes, PCV13 provides protection against these serotypes, which are important causes of pneumococcal disease globally.