Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 96, Number 5, May 2018, 297-368
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/96/5/en/

Research
Evaluation of the EpiCore outbreak verification system
Taryn Silver Lorthe, Marjorie P Pollack, Britta Lassmann, John S Brownstein, Emily Cohn, Nomita Divi, Dionisio Jose Herrera-Guibert, Jennifer Olsen, Mark S Smolinski & Lawrence C Madoff
Abstract
Objective
To describe a crowdsourced disease surveillance project (EpiCore) and evaluate its usefulness in obtaining information regarding potential disease outbreaks.
Methods
Volunteer human, animal and environmental health professionals from around the world were recruited to EpiCore and trained to provide early verification of health threat alerts in their geographical region via a secure, easy-to-use, online platform. Experts in the area of emerging infectious diseases sent requests for information on unverified health threats to these volunteers, who used local knowledge and expertise to respond to requests. Experts reviewed and summarized the responses and rapidly disseminated important information to the global health community through the existing event-based disease surveillance network, ProMED.
Findings
From March 2016 to September 2017, 2068 EpiCore volunteers from 142 countries were trained in methods of informal disease surveillance and use of the EpiCore online platform. These volunteers provided 790 individual responses to 759 requests for information addressing unverified health threats in 112 countries; 361 (45%) responses were considered to be useful. Most responses were received within hours of the requests. The responses led to 194 ProMED posts, of which 99 (51%) supported verification of an outbreak, were published on ProMED and sent to over 87 000 subscribers.
Conclusion
There is widespread willingness among health professionals around the world to voluntarily assist efforts to verify and provide supporting information on unconfirmed health threats in their region. By linking this member network of health experts through a secure online reporting platform, EpiCore enables faster global outbreak detection and reporting.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 96, Number 5, May 2018, 297-368
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/96/5/en/

International travel between global urban centres vulnerable to yellow fever transmission
Shannon E Brent, Alexander Watts, Martin Cetron, Matthew German, Moritz UG Kraemer, Isaac I Bogoch, Oliver J Brady, Simon I Hay, Maria I Creatore & Kamran Khan
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.17.205658

Emerging Infectious Diseases
Volume 24, Number 5—May 2018
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/

Perspective
History of Mosquitoborne Diseases in the United States and Implications for New Pathogens PDF Version [PDF – 1.32 MB – 6 pages]
J. Moreno-Madriñán and M. Turell
Abstract
The introduction and spread of West Nile virus and the recent introduction of chikungunya and Zika viruses into the Americas have raised concern about the potential for various tropical pathogens to become established in North America. A historical analysis of yellow fever and malaria incidences in the United States suggests that it is not merely a temperate climate that keeps these pathogens from becoming established. Instead, socioeconomic changes are the most likely explanation for why these pathogens essentially disappeared from the United States yet remain a problem in tropical areas. In contrast to these anthroponotic pathogens that require humans in their transmission cycle, zoonotic pathogens are only slightly affected by socioeconomic factors, which is why West Nile virus became established in North America. In light of increasing globalization, we need to be concerned about the introduction of pathogens such as Rift Valley fever, Japanese encephalitis, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses.

Health Research Policy and Systems
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content
[Accessed 5 May 2018]

Study Protocol
3 May 2018
How can the use of data within the immunisation programme be increased in order to improve data quality and ensure greater accountability in the health system? A protocol for implementation science study
Authors: Binyam Tilahun, Alemayehu Teklu, Arielle Mancuso, Zeleke Abebaw, Kassahun Dessie and Desalegn Zegey

Humanitarian Exchange Magazine
Number 71  March 2018
https://odihpn.org/magazine/humanitarian-response-urban-areas/

Humanitarian response in urban areas
Humanitarian crises are increasingly affecting urban areas either directly, through civil conflict, hazards such as flooding or earthquakes, urban violence or outbreaks of disease, or indirectly, through hosting people fleeing these threats. The humanitarian sector has been slow to understand how the challenges and opportunities of working in urban spaces necessitate changes in how they operate. For agencies used to working in rural contexts, the dynamism of the city, with its reliance on markets, complex systems and intricate logistics, can be a daunting challenge. Huge, diverse and mobile populations complicate needs assessments, and close coordination with other, often unfamiliar, actors is necessary.

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 14, Issue 4 2018
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Delayed measles vaccination of toddlers in Canada: Associated socio-demographic factors and parental knowledge, attitudes and beliefs
Simone Périnet, Marilou Kiely, Gaston De Serres & Nicolas L. Gilbert
Pages: 868-874
Published online: 16 Jan 2018

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 14, Issue 4 2018
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Evaluation of potentially achievable vaccination coverage of the second dose of measles containing vaccine with simultaneous administration and risk factors for missed opportunities among children in Zhejiang province, east China
Yu Hu, Yaping Chen, Ying Wang & Hui Liang
Pages: 875-880
Published online: 23 Jan 2018

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 14, Issue 4 2018
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Revisiting knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among female university students in Hong Kong
Jonathan Tin Chi Leung & Chi-kin Law
Pages: 924-930
Published online: 18 Jan 2018

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 14, Issue 4 2018
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Parents’ attitude, awareness and behaviour towards influenza vaccination in Pakistan
Allah Bukhsh, Habib Rehman, Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi, Humera Ata, Inayat Ur Rehman, Learn-Han Lee, Bey-Hing Goh & Tahir Mehmood Khan
Pages: 952-957
Published online: 25 Jan 2018

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 14, Issue 4 2018
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Impact of a website based educational program for increasing vaccination coverage among adolescents
Susanna Esposito, Sonia Bianchini, Claudia Tagliabue, Giulia Umbrello, Barbara Madini, Giada Di Pietro & Nicola Principi
Pages: 961-968
Published online: 22 Feb 2018

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 14, Issue 4 2018
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Timeliness of vaccination in infants followed by primary-care pediatricians in France
Anne-Charlotte Bailly, Pauline Gras, Jean-François Lienhardt, Jean-Christophe Requillart, François Vié-le-Sage, Alain Martinot & François Dubos
Pages: 1018-1023
Published online: 21 Dec 2017

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 14, Issue 4 2018
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Meeting report
Report of the 5th European expert meeting on rotavirus vaccination (EEROVAC)
Marieke L. A. de Hoog, Timo Vesikari, Carlo Giaquinto, Hans-Iko Huppertz, Federico Martinon-Torres & Patricia Bruijning-Verhagen
Pages: 1027-1034
Published online: 18 Jan 2018

Infectious Agents and Cancer
http://www.infectagentscancer.com/content
[Accessed 5 May 2018]

Research Article
|   2 May 2018
Epidemiologic and economic burden of HPV diseases in Spain: implication of additional 5 types from the 9-valent vaccine
Authors: Noelia López, Aureli Torné, Agustín Franco, María San-Martin, Elisabet Viayna, Carmen Barrull and Nuria Perulero

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 20, Issue 3, June 2018
https://link.springer.com/journal/10903/20/3/page/1

Original Paper
Medical Care, Screening and Regularization of Sub-Saharan Irregular Migrants Affected by Hepatitis B in France and Italy
Cecilia Santilli

Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume 217, Issue 11, 5 May 2018
https://academic.oup.com/jid/issue/217/1

Editor’s Choice
Relative Vaccine Effectiveness of High-Dose Versus Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccines Among Veterans Health Administration Patients
Yinong Young-Xu; Robertus Van Aalst; Salaheddin M Mahmud; Kenneth J Rothman; Julia Thornton Snider …
Using the prior event rate ratio approach, which controls for confounding from unmeasured variables, we found that, in protecting senior Veterans Health Administration patients against influenza- or pneumonia-associated hospitalization, a high-dose influenza vaccine was more effective than a standard-dose vaccine.

Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 25, Issue suppl_1, 1 May 2018
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue/25/suppl_1

Asian travel: from the rare to the difficult
Reviews
Cholera: under diagnosis and differentiation from other diarrhoeal diseases
Tristan P Learoyd, PhD; Rupert M Gaut, MSc
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 25, Issue suppl_1, 1 May 2018, Pages S46–S51, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/tay017
Abstract
Background
Globally 1.4 billion people are at risk from cholera in countries where the disease is endemic, with an estimated 2.8 million cases annually. The disease is significantly under reported due to economic, social and political disincentives as well as poor laboratory resources and epidemiological surveillance in those regions. In addition, identification of cholera from other diarrhoeal causes is often difficult due to shared pathology and symptoms with few reported cases in travellers from Northern Europe.
Methods
A search of PubMed and Ovid Medline for publications on cholera diagnosis from 2010 through 2017 was conducted. Search terms included were cholera, Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT), multiplex PCR and diagnosis of diarrhoea. Studies were included if they are published in English, French or Spanish.
Results
An increase of RDT study publications for diarrhoeal disease and attempted test validations were seen over the publication period. RDTs were noted as having varied selectivity and specificity, as well as associated costs and local resource requirements that can prohibit their use.
Conclusions
Despite opportunities to employ RDTs with high selectivity and specificity in epidemic areas, or in remote locations without access to health services, such tests are limited to surveillance use. This may represent a missed opportunity to discover the true global presence of Vibrio cholerae and its role in all cause diarrhoeal disease in underdeveloped countries and in travellers to those areas. The wider applicability of RDTs may also represent an opportunity in the wider management of traveller’s diarrhoea.

The Lancet
May 05, 2018 Volume 391 Number 10132 p1749-1864
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Comment
Who is responsible for the vaccination of migrants in Europe?
Sally Hargreaves, Laura B Nellums, Mary Ramsay, Vanessa Saliba, Azeem Majeed, Sandra Mounier-Jack, Jon S Friedland
[See Research/Reports above for more detail]

The Lancet
May 05, 2018 Volume 391 Number 10132 p1749-1864
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Articles
Trends in future health financing and coverage: future health spending and universal health coverage in 188 countries, 2016–40
Global Burden of Disease Health Financing Collaborator Network
Open Access
Background
Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) requires health financing systems that provide prepaid pooled resources for key health services without placing undue financial stress on households. Understanding current and future trajectories of health financing is vital for progress towards UHC. We used historical health financing data for 188 countries from 1995 to 2015 to estimate future scenarios of health spending and pooled health spending through to 2040.

The Lancet
May 05, 2018 Volume 391 Number 10132 p1749-1864
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Spending on health and HIV/AIDS: domestic health spending and development assistance in 188 countries, 1995–2015
Global Burden of Disease Health Financing Collaborator Network
Open Access
Background
Comparable estimates of health spending are crucial for the assessment of health systems and to optimally deploy health resources. The methods used to track health spending continue to evolve, but little is known about the distribution of spending across diseases. We developed improved estimates of health spending by source, including development assistance for health, and, for the first time, estimated HIV/AIDS spending on prevention and treatment and by source of funding, for 188 countries.

Pediatrics
May 2018, VOLUME 141 / ISSUE 5
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/141/5?current-issue=y

Articles
Safety and Immunogenicity of a Recombinant Influenza Vaccine: A Randomized Trial
Lisa M. Dunkle, Ruvim Izikson, Peter A. Patriarca, Karen L. Goldenthal, Manon Cox, John J. Treanor
Pediatrics May 2018, 141 (5) e20173021; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-3021
Recombinant HA provided better protection than the inactivated influenza vaccine in adults ≥50 years old but lower immunogenicity in children <5 years old. In subjects 6 to 17 years old, immunogenicity was comparable.

PharmacoEconomics
Volume 36, Issue 5, May 2018
https://link.springer.com/journal/40273/36/5/page/1

Leading Article
Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds: the Past, the Present and the Future
Praveen Thokala, Jessica Ochalek, Ashley A. Leech, Thaison Tong
Abstract
Cost-effectiveness (CE) thresholds are being discussed more frequently and there have been many new developments in this area; however, there is a lack of understanding about what thresholds mean and their implications. This paper provides an overview of the CE threshold literature. First, the meaning of a CE threshold and the key assumptions involved (perfect divisibility, marginal increments in budget, etc.) are highlighted using a hypothetical example, and the use of historic/heuristic estimates of the threshold is noted along with their limitations. Recent endeavours to estimate the empirical value of the thresholds, both from the supply side and the demand side, are then presented. The impact on CE thresholds of future directions for the field, such as thresholds across sectors and the incorporation of multiple criteria beyond quality-adjusted life-years as a measure of ‘value’, are highlighted. Finally, a number of common issues and misconceptions associated with CE thresholds are addressed.

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 5 May 2018)

Editorial
All science should inform policy and regulation
John P. A. Ioannidis
| published 03 May 2018 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002576

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 5 May 2018]

Optimizing the impact of low-efficacy influenza vaccines
Pratha Sah, Jan Medlock, Meagan C. Fitzpatrick, Burton H. Singer, and Alison P. Galvani
PNAS April 30, 2018. 201802479; published ahead of print April 30, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1802479115
Significance
The efficacy of the influenza vaccine against the predominant influenza strain appears to be relatively low during this 2017–2018 season. Our analyses demonstrate the substantial effect of even low-efficacy vaccines in averting infections, hospitalizations, and particularly deaths. Our results also demonstrate that the health burden resulting from influenza is more sensitive to changes to vaccination coverage than to changes to vaccine efficacy. We further determined the uptake distribution of the 140 million doses available that would maximize the effectiveness of vaccination. Our results inform current public health policies and underscore the importance of influenza vaccination.
Abstract
The efficacy of influenza vaccines varies from one year to the next, with efficacy during the 2017–2018 season anticipated to be lower than usual. However, the impact of low-efficacy vaccines at the population level and their optimal age-specific distribution have yet to be ascertained. Applying an optimization algorithm to a mathematical model of influenza transmission and vaccination in the United States, we determined the optimal age-specific uptake of low-efficacy vaccine that would minimize incidence, hospitalization, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), respectively. We found that even relatively low-efficacy influenza vaccines can be highly impactful, particularly when vaccine uptake is optimally distributed across age groups. As vaccine efficacy declines, the optimal distribution of vaccine uptake shifts toward the elderly to minimize mortality and DALYs. Health practitioner encouragement and concerted recruitment efforts are required to achieve optimal coverage among target age groups, thereby minimizing influenza morbidity and mortality for the population overall.

Risk Analysis          
Volume 38, Issue 5  Pages: 869-1103  May 2018
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15396924/current

Original Research Articles
Open Access
An Emerging New Risk Analysis Science: Foundations and Implications
Terje Aven
Pages: 876-888
First Published: 07 September 2017
Abstract
To solve real‐life problems—such as those related to technology, health, security, or climate change—and make suitable decisions, risk is nearly always a main issue. Different types of sciences are often supporting the work, for example, statistics, natural sciences, and social sciences. Risk analysis approaches and methods are also commonly used, but risk analysis is not broadly accepted as a science in itself. A key problem is the lack of explanatory power and large uncertainties when assessing risk. This article presents an emerging new risk analysis science based on novel ideas and theories on risk analysis developed in recent years by the risk analysis community. It builds on a fundamental change in thinking, from the search for accurate predictions and risk estimates, to knowledge generation related to concepts, theories, frameworks, approaches, principles, methods, and models to understand, assess, characterize, communicate, and (in a broad sense) manage risk. Examples are used to illustrate the importance of this distinct/separate risk analysis science for solving risk problems, supporting science in general and other disciplines in particular.

Science         
04 May 2018  Vol 360, Issue 6388
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Editorial
Global data meet EU rules
By Kostas Glinos
Science04 May 2018 : 467 Full Access
Summary
We are at the beginning of the “fourth industrial revolution,” with unprecedented capabilities to acquire, process, and communicate data. As with all revolutions, it holds great promise as well as dangers. Outrage at large-scale privacy breaches demonstrates the perils of taking protection of personal data lightly and reminds us that technological progress challenges policies, values, and approaches to ethics. The European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that takes effect on 25 May offers never-before-seen protections and control by individuals of their personal data, including many provisions for research. Although this should increase public trust and therefore propensity to share data, many implementation details and safeguards have yet to be established. It is clear, however, that interoperability of policies will be essential to promote data sharing across research communities within the EU and globally.

Risk Analysis          
Volume 38, Issue 5  Pages: 869-1103  May 2018
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15396924/current

Policy Forum
Scrutinizing the EU General Data Protection Regulation
By Luca Marelli, Giuseppe Testa
Science04 May 2018 : 496-498 Full Access
How will new decentralized governance impact research?
Summary
On 25 May 2018, the European Union (EU) regulation 2016/679 on data protection, also known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will take effect. The GDPR, which repeals previous European legislation on data protection (Directive 95/46/EC) (1), is bound to have major effects on biomedical research and digital health technologies, in Europe and beyond, given the global reach of EU-based research and the prominence of international research networks requiring interoperability of standards. Here we describe ways in which the GDPR will become a critical tool to structure flexible governance for data protection. As a timely forecast for its potential impact, we analyze the implications of the GDPR in an ongoing paradigmatic legal controversy involving the database originally assembled by one of the world’s first genomic biobanks, Shardna.

Risk Analysis          
Volume 38, Issue 5  Pages: 869-1103  May 2018
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15396924/current

Letters
Joint statement on EPA proposed rule and public availability of data
By Jeremy Berg, Philip Campbell, Veronique Kiermer, Natasha Raikhel, Deborah Sweet
Science 04 May 2018

Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases
March-April, 2018   Volume 22
http://www.travelmedicinejournal.com/

Editorial
Influenza risk at Muslim pilgrimages in Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Philippe Gautret
Vol. 21, p1–2
Published online: October 26, 2017

Tropical Medicine & International Health
Volume 23, Issue 5  Pages: i-iv, 447-579  May 2018
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13653156/current

Reviews
Free Access
Systematic review of strategies to increase access to health services among children over five in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Tess Bright, Lambert Felix, Hannah Kuper, Sarah Polack
Pages: 476-507
First Published: 23 February 2018

Tropical Medicine & International Health
Volume 23, Issue 5  Pages: i-iv, 447-579  May 2018
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13653156/current

Open Access
Impact of drinking water, sanitation and handwashing with soap on childhood diarrhoeal disease: updated meta‐analysis and meta‐regression
Jennyfer Wolf, Paul R. Hunter, Matthew C. Freeman, Oliver Cumming, Thomas Clasen, Jamie Bartram, Julian P. T. Higgins, Richard Johnston, Kate Medlicott, Sophie Boisson, Annette Prüss‐Ustün
Pages: 508-525
First Published: 14 March 2018

Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 21  Pages 2917-3060 (17 May 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/21

Reviews
A systematic review of strategies for reducing missed opportunities for vaccination
Open access – Review article
Pages 2921-2927
Anelisa Jaca, Lindi Mathebula, Arthur Iweze, Elizabeth Pienaar, Charles S. Wiysonge
Abstract
Background
Missed opportunities for vaccination (MOVs) occur when persons eligible for vaccination visit a health facility and do not get the vaccines they need. We conducted a systematic review to assess effects of interventions for reducing MOVs.
Methods
We searched PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in April 2017. Three authors independently screened search outputs, reviewed potentially eligible papers, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data; resolving disagreements by consensus. We expressed study results as risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and assessed the certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) tool.
Results
Six studies (five trials and one cohort study) met our inclusion criteria, all conducted in the United States of America. All six studies had various limitations and were classified as having a high risk of bias. We found moderate certainty evidence that the following interventions probably improve vaccination coverage: patient education (RR 1.92, 95% CI 1.38–2.68), patient tracking using community health workers (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11–1.25), and patient tracking and provider prompts (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.18–1.31). In addition, we found low certainty evidence that concurrent interventions targeting health-facility (education, prompts, and audit and feedback) and family settings (phone calls) may increase vaccination coverage (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.08–1.46).
Conclusions
The currently available evidence suggests that patient education, patient tracking, outreach sessions, and provider prompts reduce missed opportunities for vaccination and improve vaccination coverage. Rigorous studies are required to confirm these findings and increase the certainty of the current evidence base. WHO is currently coordinating efforts to generate such evidence, especially from low-income and middle-income countries, and it is likely that the data will be available in the next few years.

Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 21  Pages 2917-3060 (17 May 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/21

Influenza vaccination in the elderly: Is a trial on mortality ethically acceptable?
Original research article
Pages 2991-2997
Ruud Andreas Fritz Verhees, Wybo Dondorp, Carel Thijs, Geert Jan Dinant, Johannes Andreas Knottnerus
Abstract
The effectiveness of influenza vaccination in the elderly has long been a topic of debate, fueled by the absence of direct evidence from randomized trials on its effect on mortality and the methodological limitations of observational studies pointing this direction. It is argued that new placebo-controlled trials should be undertaken to resolve this uncertainty. However, such trials may be ethically questionable. To bring this discussion forward, we provide a comprehensive overview of the ethical challenges of an influenza vaccine efficacy trial designed to evaluate mortality in the elderly. An important condition in the justification of a trial is the existence of genuine uncertainty in regard to the answer to a research question. Therefore an extensive analysis of the existing levels of knowledge is needed to support the conclusion that an effect of vaccination on mortality is uncertain. Even if a so called “clinical equipoise” status applies, denying a control group vaccination would be problematic because vaccination is considered “competent care” and withholding vaccination could substantially increase patients’ risk for influenza and its complications. Given the high burden of disease and already proven benefits of vaccination, such a trial is unlikely to meet the Declaration of Helsinki stating that the importance of a trial must outweigh the risk patients are exposed to. While a placebo-controlled trial in vaccine refusers may be considered, such a trial is unlikely to meet substantial methodological barriers regarding trial size and generalizability. We conclude that a new trial is unlikely to provide for a direct answer, let alone change current policy. At the same time, given the lack of consensus on the ethical acceptability of a placebo-controlled trial on the effect of influenza vaccination on mortality in the elderly, we invite researchers considering such trials to address the ethical challenges discussed in this manuscript.

Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 21  Pages 2917-3060 (17 May 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/21

How baby’s first shot determines the development of maternal attitudes towards vaccination
Original research article
Pages 3018-3026
Cornelia Betsch, Birte Bödeker, Philipp Schmid, Ole Wichmann

Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 5 May 2018)

Open Access  Comment
Should UK Pneumococcal Vaccine Eligibility Criteria Include Alcohol Dependency in Areas with High Alcohol-Related Mortality?
by John D. Mooney, Michael Imarhiagbe and Jonathan Ling
Vaccines 2018, 6(2), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines6020025 – 2 May 2018
Abstract
A recently reported steep increase in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in adults in the North East of England was primarily associated with pneumococcal sero-types found in the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23). This region also has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related premature mortality and morbidity in the UK. Given that alcohol dependence is long acknowledged as one of the strongest risk factors for IPD mortality, we feel there is an increasingly compelling case to look again at the divergence of UK vaccine guidance from that of the World Health Organisation and the Centre for Disease Control in the USA, in the non-inclusion of alcoholism as an indicator condition that would potentially benefit from receiving PPSV23 vaccine. Such a re-think would represent a responsible evaluation of vaccination guidance in the face of newly emerging epidemiological findings and would have the potential to save lives in a very marginalised and vulnerable section of the population. We propose therefore that alcohol dependency (now referred to as alcohol use disorder), should be re-considered an indicator condition for receiving pneumococcal vaccine in North East England, where mortality from pneumococcal disease has been rising and which already has an excessive burden of alcohol-related mortality

Media/Policy Watch

This watch section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media and selected think tanks and similar organizations on vaccines, immunization, global public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.

We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.
 
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 5 May 2018
Merck Teams With Moderna To Take On One Of The Toughest Targets In Cancer
Matthew Herper, Forbes Staff
3 May 2018
Merck is making a $125 million investment in Moderna as part of a new funding round. “We’re encouraged by the potential for RNA-based vaccines,” says Eric Rubin, a Merck vice president.

Medicine As Currency For Peace: How Global Health Funding Could Change The World
3 May 2018
By Bill Frist

Think Tanks et al
 

Center for Global Development  
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 5 May 2018
Getting on the Road to Health for All: A Conversation About the 71st World Health Assembly
Event
5/15/18
Each year, delegations representing all World Health Organization (WHO) Member States attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) to determine the policies and budget of the organization. In advance of this year’s WHA, the Center for Global Development will convene a curtain-raiser event to highlight topics and controversies on the WHA agenda — from universal health coverage (UHC) and its measurement to the role WHO might play vis-à-vis global partnerships and funders and the alignment of global priorities.

The State of Global Health Commodity Procurement: Moving from Data Points to the Bigger Picture
Blog Post
5/1/18
Kalipso Chalkidou, Janeen Madan Keller and Daniel Rosen
“Better data drive better decisions” is a truism that researchers everywhere are all too familiar with. Increasing the availability, usability, and relevance of data is key to tracking performance and informing smarter, more efficient policies—but too often the data we need simply aren’t available, at least not in a useful format. Recently, we’ve been exploring the availability of data (or lack thereof) related to global health commodity markets in the context of CGD’s working group on the Future of Global Health Procurement. To ground the working group’s recommendations, we’re trying to understand the current state of health commodity procurement in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)—specifically which commodities are procured, by whom, how, and at what price.

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 5 May 2018
Podcast Episode
Pursuing a Vaccine for HIV
May 3, 2018 | By Sara M. Allinder
Despite substantial progress made in expanding access to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention options, a vaccine for HIV—even an imperfect one—is likely needed to put a durable end to the epidemic. In this episode of Take as Directed, Dr. Mark Feinberg, President and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) discusses the landscape of HIV vaccine development and why he thinks a vaccine remains a necessary pursuit. Dr. Feinberg also discusses the facilitating role that IAVI plays in the HIV vaccine development process.