Letter
Infectious Diseases
Paulo Camargos, Eliane Drumond, Cristiana M. Nascimento-Carvalho
Summary: The reduction in pneumococcal meningitis was not solely attributed to PCV implementation, but may also be influenced by various factors such as socioeconomic and healthcare improvements. Furthermore, the uncertainty in diagnosing the etiology of meningitis may limit the assessment of missed cases of pneumococcal meningitis, hindering the evaluation of PCV efficacy.
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Brita Askeland Winje, Didrik Frimann Vestrheim, Richard Aubrey White, Anneke Steens
Summary: The study indicates that the elderly and adults with medical risk conditions are still at high risk of invasive pneumococcal disease, highlighting the importance of age- and risk-group-based prevention strategies.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Supavit Chesdachai, Alexandra R. Graden, Daniel C. DeSimone, Amy L. Weaver, Larry M. Baddour, Avni Y. Joshi
Summary: The study found a significant decrease in the incidence of IPD after PCV13, with an increase in non-PCV13 serotypes. The survival rate of IPD cases among those who received pneumococcal vaccine was relatively high.
MAYO CLINIC PROCEEDINGS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Lindsay R. Grant, Mary P. E. Slack, Christian Theilacker, Jelena Vojicic, Stephane Dion, Ralf Rene Reinert, Luis Jodar, Bradford D. Gessner
Summary: The distribution of pneumococcal serotypes in children from high-income countries has been examined. Much of the burden of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is caused by serotypes in PCV15 and PCV20; including these pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) into existing pediatric immunization programs may help reduce the incidence of IPD.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Nobuhiro Asai, Hiroshige Mikamo
Summary: Pneumococcal disease is a global burden with high mortality rates. The use of pneumococcal vaccines in children has been effective, but vaccination for at-risk individuals aged 19-64 requires careful consideration due to insufficient evidence.
Article
Immunology
Mallory J. Trent, Daniel A. Salmon, C. Raina MacIntyre
Summary: This study aimed to identify perceived barriers to pneumococcal vaccination among high-risk adults. The results showed that the pneumococcal vaccine uptake was low among high-risk adults, with the highest coverage among adults aged 65 and over.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yeon Haw Jung, Yong June Choe, Chae Young Lee, Sang Oun Jung, Dong Han Lee, Jae Il Yoo
Summary: This study describes the epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in South Korea and highlights the changes in serotypes following the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. The findings suggest the need for continued monitoring during the development of new vaccines.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Larisa Savrasova, Angelika Krumina, Hedija Cupeca, Indra Zeltina, Anita Villerusha, Ilze Grope, Ludmila Viksna, Elina Dimina, Sooria Balasegaram
Summary: From 2012 to 2018, 466 cases of IPD were reported in Latvia. The highest incidence was in 2015 at 4.4/100,000, which decreased to 3.9 in 2018. PCV10 vaccine serotypes were the most prevalent in IPD cases, while non-vaccine serotypes showed an increasing trend. The overall case fatality rate was 19%, with Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 3 associated with fatal IPD outcome. Further studies on S. pneumoniae carriage are needed to understand serotype circulation.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Julia G. Harris, Luke A. Harris, Liset Olarte, E. Claire Elson, Rachel Moran, Douglas L. Blowey, Rana E. El Feghaly
Summary: This project aimed to improve PPSV23 vaccination rates for pediatric patients at high risk for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) through several initiatives and practices. The results showed an increase in vaccination rate from approximately 20% to approximately 60%. This suggests that using quality improvement methodology can enhance vaccination rates and achieve sustained and comprehensive improvements across different divisions.
Article
Immunology
Michael Asger Andersen, Carsten Utoft Niemann, Klaus Rostgaard, Tine Dalby, Rasmus Sorrig, Daniel M. Weinberger, Henrik Hjalgrim, Zitta Barrella Harboe
Summary: The study found that patients with hematological malignancies have a higher risk of IPD, with the highest incidence rates in multiple myeloma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Unlike other types of cancer, the risk of IPD in HM patients does not decrease over time. Vaccination uptake in this population is very low, highlighting the need for efforts to prevent IPD in these at-risk individuals.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Paul S. Schulz, Sarah E. Moore, Daniel Smith, Jessica Javed, Ashley M. Wilde
Summary: The study identified numerous missed opportunities for adult vaccination programs, with only 14% of patients with invasive pneumococcal disease being vaccinated. The observed mortality rate was 20.1%.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Medical Informatics
Joshua Bradley, Erik B. Schelbert, Laura J. Bonnett, Gavin A. Lewis, Jakub Lagan, Christopher Orsborne, Pamela F. Brown, Josephine H. Naish, Simon G. Williams, Theresa McDonagh, Matthias Schmitt, Christopher A. Miller
Summary: This study aimed to develop and validate a prognostic model for predicting the risk of hospitalisation and death in patients with heart failure, particularly those who have not previously been hospitalised. The model was developed using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and clinical variables, and validated in separate cohorts. The final model showed good performance and can be used to guide personalised treatment and follow-up for heart failure patients.
LANCET DIGITAL HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Perviz Asaria, James E. Bennett, Paul Elliott, Theo Rashid, Hima Iyathooray Daby, Margaret Douglass, Darrel P. Francis, Daniela Fecht, Majid Ezzati
Summary: The variation in myocardial infarction mortality in England is primarily attributed to differences in the incidence rate, with a smaller contribution from case fatality. Efforts to reduce regional disparities in myocardial infarction mortality should focus on interventions that decrease the incidence rate and pre-hospital deaths.
LANCET PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
J. Pekka Nuorti, Hanna Rinta-Kokko, Maija Toropainen, Lotta Siira, Hanna Nohynek, Arto A. Palmu
Summary: The study showed significant indirect effects of PCV10 on vaccine-serotype IPD and overall IPD in adults. Non-vaccine IPD incidence stabilized after 5 years of infant PCV10 introduction, with non-vaccine IPD accounting for nearly 90% of overall IPD. Older adults still face a substantial burden of pneumococcal disease.
Review
Immunology
Gregory Tyrrell, Cerina Lee, Dean Eurich
Summary: Homeless populations are at increased risk for invasive pneumococcal disease compared to the general population, due to clinical conditions and specific pneumococcal serotypes. Pneumococcal vaccine programs for the homeless could help decrease the incidence of IPD and improve overall health.
EXPERT REVIEW OF VACCINES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Elise Tessier, Helen Campbell, Sonia Ribeiro, Norman K. Fry, Colin Brown, Julia Stowe, Nick Andrews, Mary Ramsay, Gayatri Amirthalingam
Summary: This study assessed the impact of offering maternal pertussis vaccine earlier in pregnancy on hospitalized infant pertussis cases. The results showed a significant decline in the number of preterm infants hospitalized with pertussis in England after the policy change, with preterm infants no longer being overrepresented among hospitalized cases.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Julia Stowe, Helen Smith, Kate Thurland, Mary E. Ramsay, Nick Andrews, Shamez N. Ladhani
Summary: This study compares the stillbirth rate during the initial April-June 2020 coronavirus lockdown with the same period in 2019 using National Health Service data, examining both overall and regional differences.
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Julia Stowe, Elise Tessier, H. Zhao, Rebecca Guy, Berit Muller-Pebody, Maria Zambon, Nick Andrews, Mary Ramsay, Jamie Lopez Bernal
Summary: The study found that influenza patients had a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but those with coinfections had a higher risk of death, especially in terms of ventilator use and intensive care unit admission.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Victoria Jane Hall, Sarah Foulkes, Ayoub Saei, Nick Andrews, Blanche Oguti, Andre Charlett, Edgar Wellington, Julia Stowe, Natalie Gillson, Ana Atti, Jasmin Islam, Ioannis Karagiannis, Katie Munro, Jameel Khawam, Meera A. Chand, Colin S. Brown, Mary Ramsay, Jamie Lopez-Bernal, Susan Hopkins
Summary: The study aimed to determine the factors associated with vaccine coverage for two COVID-19 vaccines in the UK and to document the vaccine effectiveness of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine among healthcare workers. Results showed that the vaccine can prevent both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections in working-age adults, with a vaccine effectiveness of 70% after the first dose and 85% after the second dose.
Article
Immunology
Charlotte M. Gower, Julia Stowe, Nick J. Andrews, Jake Dunning, Mary E. Ramsay, Shames N. Ladhani
Summary: There were significant reductions in laboratory-confirmed rotavirus infections and all-cause acute gastroenteritis hospitalizations across all age groups in the UK five years after the introduction of rotavirus vaccination, with reductions of 69-83% and 12-35%, respectively. An estimated 24,474 to 49,278 hospitalizations were averted annually.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Anna A. Mensah, Joanne Lacy, Julia Stowe, Giulia Seghezzo, Ruchira Sachdeva, Ruth Simmons, Antoaneta Bukasa, Shennae O'Boyle, Nick Andrews, Mary Ramsay, Helen Campbell, Kevin Brown
Summary: The study found that reinfection with SARS-COV-2 was associated with lower mortality and hospitalization rates in unvaccinated individuals, while age, sex, and underlying comorbidities were identified as principal risk factors for illness severity at reinfection.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nick Andrews, Julia Stowe, Freja Kirsebom, Samuel Toffa, Ruchira Sachdeva, Charlotte Gower, Mary Ramsay, Jamie Lopez Bernal
Summary: This study examined the relative and absolute effectiveness of mRNA booster vaccination against COVID-19. The results showed that the booster dose of BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 had a relative effectiveness ranging from 85% to 95% against symptomatic disease, and an absolute effectiveness ranging from 94% to 97%. For hospitalization or death, the absolute effectiveness of the BNT162b2 booster ranged from 97% to 99% in all age groups. The study provides real-world evidence of significantly increased protection from the booster vaccine dose against mild and severe disease.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nick Andrews, Elise Tessier, Julia Stowe, Charlotte Gower, Freja Kirsebom, Ruth Simmons, Eileen Gallagher, Simon Thelwall, Natalie Groves, Gavin Dabrera, Richard Myers, Colin N. J. Campbell, Gayatri Amirthalingam, Matt Edmunds, Maria Zambon, Kevin Brown, Susan Hopkins, Meera Chand, Shamez N. Ladhani, Mary Ramsay, Jamie Lopez Bernal
Summary: A study conducted in England showed that vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 provide high protection against hospitalization and death from Covid-19 at 20 weeks or more after vaccination. However, the effectiveness of the vaccines decreases over time, especially in individuals aged 65 and older and those with underlying risk factors.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Bersabeh Sile, Kevin E. Brown, Charlotte Gower, Johanna Bosowski, Amanda Dennis, Michelle Falconer, Julia Stowe, Nick Andrews, Gayatri Amirthalingam
Summary: This study compared the effectiveness of oral aciclovir to varicella immunoglobulin (VZIG) in preventing maternal and neonatal chickenpox. The results showed no statistical difference between oral aciclovir and VZIG in preventing maternal chickenpox, supporting the use of oral aciclovir as the first-line prophylaxis.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION
(2022)
Editorial Material
Infectious Diseases
Annabel A. Powell, Freja Kirsebom, Julia Stowe, Kelsey McOwat, Vanessa Saliba, Mary E. Ramsay, Jamie Lopez-Bernal, Nick Andrews, Shamez N. Ladhani
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Anna A. Mensah, Helen Campbell, Julia Stowe, Giulia Seghezzo, Ruth Simmons, Joanne Lacy, Antoaneta Bukasa, Shennae O'Boyle, Mary E. Ramsay, Kevin Brown, Shamez N. Ladhani
Summary: The risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in children is lower than in adults, and reinfections are not associated with more severe disease or fatal outcomes.
LANCET CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Jemma L. Walker, Anna Schultze, John Tazare, Arina Tamborska, Bhagteshwar Singh, Katherine Donegan, Julia Stowe, Caroline E. Morton, William J. Hulme, Helen J. Curtis, Elizabeth J. Williamson, Amir Mehrkar, Rosalind M. Eggo, Christopher T. Rentsch, Rohini Mathur, Sebastian Bacon, Alex J. Walker, Simon Davy, David Evans, Peter Inglesby, George Hickman, Brian MacKenna, Laurie Tomlinson, Amelia C. A. Green, Louis Fisher, Jonathan Cockburn, John Parry, Frank Hester, Sam Harper, Christopher Bates, Stephen J. W. Evans, Tom Solomon, Nick J. Andrews, Ian J. Douglas, Ben Goldacre, Liam Smeeth, Helen McDonald
Summary: This study investigated the potential association between COVID-19 vaccination and three acute neurological events. The results showed an increased incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome and Bell's palsy following ChAdOx1 vaccine, but the absolute risk was low. No association was found with other vaccine brands and these diseases.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julia Stowe, Nick Andrews, Freja Kirsebom, Mary Ramsay, Jamie Lopez Bernal
Summary: This study estimated the vaccine effectiveness (VE) against hospitalization with the Omicron and Delta variants using PCR testing linked to hospital records, and showed that VE estimates increase with the use of specific hospitalization definitions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Julia Stowe, Elizabeth Miller, Nick Andrews, Heather Whitaker
Summary: This study analyzed the risk of acute myocarditis or pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination in England, as well as the impact of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection on this risk. The results showed a significant increase in the risk of myocarditis after mRNA vaccine administration, particularly after the second dose. The risk of myocarditis was lower in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study provides important information for policymakers and vaccine recipients.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Nick J. Andrews, Julia Stowe, Mary Eb Ramsay, Elizabeth Miller
Summary: This study shows an increased risk of thrombotic episodes and thrombocytopenia in adults under 65 years of age within a month of a first dose of ChAdOx1 vaccine but not after the BNT162b2 vaccine.
LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-EUROPE
(2022)