Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Expanded Program (expanded + program)
Selected AbstractsThe development of the RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate: challenges and lessonsPARASITE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 9 2009W. R. BALLOU Summary RTS,S is the world's most advanced malaria vaccine candidate and is intended to protect infants and young children living in malaria endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa against clinical disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Recently, a pivotal Phase III efficacy trial of RTS,S began in Africa. The goal of the programme has been to develop a vaccine that will be safe and effective when administered via the Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) and significantly reduce the risk of clinically important malaria disease during the first years of life. If a similar reduction in the risk of severe malaria and other important co-morbidities associated with malaria infection can be achieved, then the vaccine could become a major new tool for reducing the burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Encouraging data from the ongoing phase II programme suggest that these goals may indeed be achievable. This review discusses some of the unique challenges that were faced during the development of this vaccine, highlights the complexity of developing new vaccine technologies and illustrates the power of partnerships in the ongoing fight against this killer disease. [source] Decreasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma among children following universal hepatitis B immunizationLIVER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 5 2003Mei-Hwei Chang Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the 10 most common malignant tumors worldwide. Chronic infection with hepatitis B or C virus is closely related to hepatocarcinogenesis. The outcome of current therapies for HCC is not satisfactory. Prevention is the best way to control HCC. Among the various strategies of HCC prevention, immunization against hepatitis B virus infection is the most effective. Universal hepatitis B immunization has proved to be effective in reducing the incidence of HCC to 1/4,1/3 of that in children born before the hepatitis B vaccination era in Taiwan. The problems we face in achieving global control of hepatitis-related HCC include: (1) no effective vaccine for the prevention of hepatitis C and its related HCC; (2) no immunization program for hepatitis B in areas with inadequate resources; (3) poor compliance to the immunization program as a result of ignorance, anxiety, or poverty; and (4) vaccine failure. Integration of the hepatitis B vaccination program into the expanded program of immunization for all infants throughout the world will be most urgent and important for HCC control. The reduction of the incidence of HCC will be seen in adults 30,40 years of age after the launch of the universal hepatitis B vaccination program. This concept of cancer vaccine can be applied to other infectious agents and their related cancers. [source] Molecular epidemiology of rubella virus in Asia: Utility for reduction in the burden of diseases due to congenital rubella syndromePEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2004Shigetaka Katow AbstractBackground:,Rubella is a mild disease mainly of infants, involving a rash and a fever. However, when women who have no immunity to rubella are infected during the early stage of pregnancy, their babies are often born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which is characterized by a few disorders including deafness, cataracts and heart malformations. To prevent CRS, several strains of live attenuated rubella vaccine have been developed and introduced into immunization programs in many countries. In most Asian countries except Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, rubella remains uncontrolled, and the burden of diseases from CRS is high. In order to develop a control program to reduce the number of CRS cases in Asian countries, it is necessary to conduct a survey of rubella and CRS cases, and to then determine the genotype of the circulating rubella virus in each country. Methods:,Cases of rubella and CRS, based on national reporting systems or active surveillance in the Asian countries, are summarized. Sequences of the E1 gene of the virus isolates from the Asian countries were compared by phylogenic analysis. Results:,Recent studies of the molecular epidemiology of rubella virus worldwide revealed that there are two genotypes, and that genotype I is circulating almost worldwide, while genotype II is an Asian prototype restricted to the Asian continent. Genotype I viruses fall into a number of groups, some of which are geographically localized. Antigenically these two genotypes are cross-reactive and immunization with either virus results in immunity to all rubella viruses. Discussion:,The hypotheses that rubella virus has evolved on the Asian continent is proposed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized that a rubella immunization program can be combined with the measles immuization program. Inclusion of rubella in the expanded program of immunization (EPI) of measles would be ideal in Asian countries, as it would be efficient and cost effective to administer one injection containing a three-combined vaccine (MMR). It would also be desirable given that WHO require laboratory tests to confirm the presence of measles or rubella as part of it's measles control project, because rubella is often misdiagnosed as measles. [source] Effect of aluminum adjuvants on safety and immunogenicity of Haemophilus influenzae type b-CRM197 conjugate vaccinePEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2003Güler Kanra AbstractObjective:,The present study was carried out to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the Haemophilus influenzae type b-CRM197 (Hib-CRM197) conjugate vaccine in relation to the change of adjuvant from aluminum hydroxide to aluminum phosphate (AlPO4). Methods:,The present study was a clinical phase II, observer-blind, randomized, multicenter, controlled study. Subjects were healthy infants aged 6,12 weeks, eligible for expanded program of immunization (EPI) routine vaccination and admitted to Hacettepe University Department of Social Pediatrics and Gülveren Health Center, Ankara. A total of 520 healthy infants were randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio to receive at either Chiron Hib/AlPO4 vaccine or VaxemHib (aluminum hydroxide adjuvant) vaccine or HibTiter (no adjuvant). Vaccines were administered simultaneously with routine diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP) and oral polio vaccine (OPV) vaccines at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Blood samples for anti-plain polysaccharide (PRP) antibody measurement were collected before the first vaccination and 1 month after the last vaccination. After each vaccination parents filled out a diary for 7 days. Results:,Out of 520 subjects enrolled, 514 received three doses and were included for safety analysis. Local and systemic reactions occurred with low and similar frequencies in all groups. Only erythema was more common in Chiron Hib/AlPO4 vaccine (19, 10, 11% in Chiron Hib/AlPO4, VaxemHib and HibTiter, respectively, P < 0.05). Nine serious adverse events were reported in seven cases of which none were related to vaccines. A total of 504 subjects were included in the immunogenicity analysis. The three vaccines were highly immunogenic and equivalent in terms of percentage of acquisition of long-term protective levels. The anti-PRP geometric mean titers were 9.9, 8.3 and 5.14 µg/mL, respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusions:,The use of aluminum compounds adjuvants in Hib-CRM197 conjugate vaccines does not impact the safety profile, while it does increase the magnitude of anti-PRP antibody titers. [source] | ||||||||||