Nature Medicine
Volume 25 Issue 10, October 2019
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/25/issues/10

Comment | 24 September 2019
Reporting guidelines for clinical trials evaluating artificial intelligence interventions are needed
As artificial intelligence moves into the realm of clinical trials, consideration is needed on whether the current CONSORT and SPIRIT reporting statements are sufficient to ensure transparency.
Xiaoxuan Liu, Samantha Cruz Rivera[…] & Alastair K. Denniston

New England Journal of Medicine
October 10, 2019 Vol. 381 No. 15
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Review Article
Zika Virus Infection — After the Pandemic
Didier Musso, M.D., Albert I. Ko, M.D., and David Baud, M.D., Ph.D.
Zika virus (ZIKV) was discovered in Africa in 1947 and was first detected in Asia in 1966, yet its potential effect on public health was not recognized until the virus caused outbreaks in the Pacific from 2007 to 2015 and began spreading throughout the Americas in 2015.1,2 The ability of ZIKV to cause congenital defects in fetuses and infants, as exemplified by the microcephaly epidemic in Brazil, is an unprecedented feature in a mosquito-borne viral infection.2-4 Although transmission of ZIKV has declined in the Americas, outbreaks and infection clusters continue to occur in some regions, such as India and Southeast Asia, where there are large populations of women of childbearing age who are susceptible to the virus.⁵ We review the body of information that was acquired during the pandemic and discuss the epidemiologic trends, current knowledge about the transmission and natural history of ZIKV infection and its sequelae, and the principles of diagnosis and clinical management.

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 12 Oct 2019]

Research Article
Conducting human challenge studies in LMICs: A survey of researchers and ethics committee members in Thailand
Jaranit Kaewkungwal, Pornpimon Adams, Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Reidar K. Lie, David Wendler
Research Article | published 10 Oct 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223619

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 12 Oct 2019]

An observational study comparing HPV prevalence and type distribution between HPV-vaccinated and -unvaccinated girls after introduction of school-based HPV vaccination in Norway
Espen Enerly, Ragnhild Flingtorp, Irene Kraus Christiansen, Suzanne Campbell, Mona Hansen, Tor Åge Myklebust, Elisabete Weiderpass, Mari Nygård
Research Article | published 10 Oct 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223612

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 12 Oct 2019]

The cost-effectiveness of controlling cervical cancer using a new 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine among school-aged girls in Australia
Rashidul Alam Mahumud, Khorshed Alam, Jeff Dunn, Jeff Gow
Research Article | published 09 Oct 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223658

PLoS Pathogens
http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/
[Accessed 12 Oct 2019]

Opinion
Parasite microbiome project: Grand challenges
Nolwenn M. Dheilly, Joaquín Martínez Martínez, Karyna Rosario, Paul J. Brindley, Raina N. Fichorova, Jonathan Z. Kaye, Kevin D. Kohl, Laura J. Knoll, Julius Lukeš, Susan L. Perkins, Robert Poulin, Lynn Schriml, Luke R. Thompson
| published 10 Oct 2019 PLOS Pathogens
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008028
The first Parasite Microbiome Project (PMP) Workshop (January 9–14, 2019, Clearwater, Florida, United States) hosted researchers from across continents and disciplines to lay the foundation of the PMP consortium. The PMP vision is to catalyze scientific discourse and explorations through a systems approach, toward an integrated understanding of the microbiota of parasites and their impact on health and disease. The participants identified knowledge gaps and grand challenges in the field of host–parasite–microbe interactions summarized here. The PMP will provide an interactive centralized platform and resource for transdisciplinary collaboration to propel the field of parasitology forward by disentangling complex interactions between parasites and hosts, their respective microbiota, and microbial communities in the parasite’s direct environment.

Social Science & Medicine
Volume 238 October 2019
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/238/suppl/C

Research article Abstract only
Parent psychology and the decision to delay childhood vaccination
Timothy Callaghan, Matthew Motta, Steven Sylvester, Kristin Lunz Trujillo, Christine Crudo Blackburn
The study of vaccine hesitancy identifies parental decisions to delay childhood vaccinations as an important public health issue, with consequences for immunization rates, the pursuit of nonmedical exemptions in states, and disease outbreaks. While prior work has explored the demographic and social underpinnings of parental decisions to delay childhood vaccinations, little is known about how the psychological dispositions of parents are associated with this choice. We analyze public opinion data to assess the role of psychological factors in reported parental decisions to delay childhood vaccination.

Social Science & Medicine
Volume 238 October 2019
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/238/suppl/C

Research article Abstract only
Collective self-experimentation in patient-led research: How online health communities foster innovation
Joanna Kempner, John Bailey
Article 112366

Tropical Medicine & International Health
Volume 24, Issue 10 Pages: i-iv, 1139-1262 October 2019
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13653156/current

Original Research Papers
Importance of authorship and inappropriate authorship assignment in paediatric research in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Chris A. Rees et al
Pages: 1229-1242
First Published: 02 August 2019

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Commentary
Discussion Abstract only
The life-course approach to vaccination: Harnessing the benefits of vaccination throughout life
Jody Tate, Teresa Aguado, Jan De Belie, Daphne Holt, … Suzanne Wait
Pages 6581-6583
Abstract
Vaccination beyond childhood brings significant benefits at the individual, community and socio-economic levels. Despite this, immunisation programmes often fail to deliver the vaccines which could protect those at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. In this commentary, we argue that the benefits of vaccination beyond childhood must be more widely understood and furthermore, that action must be taken by policymakers, healthcare professionals and patient and civil society organisations to ensure that the benefits of vaccination are fully realised. We outline five areas where change is needed to ensure vaccination across the life-course becomes truly embedded in national immunisation programmes. This includes investing in robust data collection and analysis; ensuring coordinated, multidisciplinary leadership from the top; engaging healthcare professionals; changing public perceptions of vaccination; and integrating vaccination into schools and workplaces.

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Short communication Abstract only
The Caribbean Immunization Technical Advisory Group (CITAG); A unique NITAG
Tracy Evans-Gilbert, Karen N. Lewis-Bell, J. Peter Figueroa
Pages 6584-6587

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Review article Abstract only
A scoping review examining the availability of dialogue-based resources to support healthcare providers engagement with vaccine hesitant individuals
Joshua Karras, Eve Dubé, Margie Danchin, Jessica Kaufman, Holly Seale
Pages 6594-6600

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Research article Abstract only
Decomposing socioeconomic inequality in child vaccination in the Gambia, the Kyrgyz Republic and Namibia
Mohammad Hajizadeh
Pages 6609-6616

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Research article Abstract only
Relationship of pneumococcal and influenza vaccination frequency with health literacy in the rural population in Turkey
Ozge Aydin Guclu, Hakan Demirci, Gokhan Ocakoglu, Yasin Guclu, … Mehmet Karadag
Pages 6617-6623

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Research article Abstract only
Barriers and motivations for participation in preventive vaccine clinical trials: Experience of 5 clinical research sites
M. Detoc, O. Launay, C. Dualé, C. Mutter, … E. Botelho-Nevers
Pages 6633-6639

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Research article Abstract only
Factors influencing intention to obtain the HPV vaccine and acceptability of 2-, 4- and 9-valent HPV vaccines: A study of undergraduate female health sciences students in Fujian, China
Yulan Lin, Zheng Lin, Fei He, Zhijian Hu, … Li Ping Wong
Pages 6714-6723

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Research article Abstract only
Barriers and facilitators of immunisation in refugees and migrants in Australia: an east-African case study
Ikram Abdi, Robert Menzies, Holly Seale
Pages 6724-6729

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 44 Pages 6581-6782 (16 October 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/44

Research article Abstract only
Exploring the effect of risk and benefit information provision on vaccination decision-making
Mehrnaz Mostafapour, Samantha B Meyer, Abigail Scholer
Pages 6750-6759
Abstract
In the era in which people are bombarded with misinformation about vaccination, research regarding the degree to which various types of risk or benefit information affect perceptions of vaccines and intentions to vaccinate is critical. The present research utilizes a robust methodology to quantify the extent to which risk and benefit information affects vaccination intentions. Our work demonstrates an inverse relationship between the perceived risks and benefits of a vaccine. By providing information about either risks or benefits of a vaccine, our findings suggest that we can change one’s perception of both the risks and benefits of the vaccine. Considering that the main cognitive barriers to vaccination are related to concerns about efficacy and safety, our results suggest that vaccine messages can be framed to address the audience’s main concerns, whether it be about the low efficacy of the vaccine or its safety, knowing that both frames would carry similar outcomes.

Viruses
Volume 11, Issue 9 (September 2019)
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/11/9

Open Access Review
Twenty Years of Progress Toward West Nile Virus Vaccine Development
by Jaclyn A. Kaiser and Alan D.T. Barrett
Viruses 2019, 11(9), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/v11090823 – 05 Sep 2019
Abstract
Although West Nile virus (WNV) has been a prominent mosquito-transmitted infection in North America for twenty years, no human vaccine has been licensed. With a cumulative number of 24,714 neurological disease cases and 2314 deaths in the U.S. since 1999, plus a large outbreak in Europe in 2018 involving over 2000 human cases in 15 countries, a vaccine is essential to prevent continued morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Currently, four veterinary vaccines are licensed, and six vaccines have progressed into clinical trials in humans. All four veterinary vaccines require multiple primary doses and annual boosters, but for a human vaccine to be protective and cost effective in the most vulnerable older age population, it is ideal that the vaccine be strongly immunogenic with only a single dose and without subsequent annual boosters. Of six human vaccine candidates, the two live, attenuated vaccines were the only ones that elicited strong immunity after a single dose. As none of these candidates have yet progressed beyond phase II clinical trials, development of new candidate vaccines and improvement of vaccination strategies remains an important area of research.

From Google Scholar & other sources: Selected Journal Articles, Newsletters, Dissertations, Theses, Commentary

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 45, 23 October 2019, Pages 6787-6792
Review
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine use during humanitarian crises
Kevin van Zandvoort, Francesco Checchi, Emma Diggle, Rosalind M. Eggo, … Stefan Flasche
Pages 6787-6792
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common human commensal that causes a sizeable part of the overall childhood mortality in low income settings. Populations affected by humanitarian crises are at especially high risk, because a multitude of risk factors that are enhanced during crises increase pneumococcal transmission and disease severity. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) provide effective protection and have been introduced into the majority of routine childhood immunisation programmes globally, though several barriers have hitherto limited their uptake during humanitarian crises. When PCV coverage cannot be sustained during crises or when PCV has not been part of routine programmes, mass vaccination campaigns offer a quick acting and programmatically feasible bridging solution until services can be restored. However, we currently face a paucity of evidence on which to base the structure of such campaigns. We believe that, now that PCV can be procured at a substantially reduced price through the Humanitarian Mechanism, this lack of information is a remaining hurdle to PCV use in humanitarian crises. Considering the difficulties in conducting research in crises, we propose an evidence generation pathway consisting of primary data collection in combination with mathematical modelling followed by quasi-experimental evaluation of a PCV intervention, which can inform on optimal vaccination strategies that consider age targeting, dosing regimens and impact duration.

Journal of Modelling in Management
Publication date: 11 October 2019
The design of the vaccine supply network under uncertain condition
SJ Sadjadi, Z Ziaei, MS Pishvaee – 2019
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to design a proper supply chain network for the vaccine industry in Iran, which considers several features such as uncertainties in demands and cost, perishability of vaccines, wastages in storage, limited capacity and different priorities for demands.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model and using a robust counterpart approach for coping with uncertainties of model.
Findings
The presented robust model in comparison with the deterministic model has a better performance and is more reliable for network design of vaccine supply chain.
Originality/value
This study considers uncertainty in the network design of vaccine supply chain for the first time in the vaccine context It presents an MILP model where strategic decisions for each echelon and tactical decisions among different echelons of supply chain are determined. Further, it models the difference between high- and low-priority demands for vaccine.

Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2019.278
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 October 2019
First View
Measles outbreak from Hong Kong International Airport to the hospital due to secondary vaccine failure in healthcare workers
VCC Cheng, SC Wong, SCY Wong, S Sridhar…
Abstract
Objective:
To report an outbreak of measles with epidemiological link between Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and a hospital.
Methods:
Epidemiological investigations, patients’ measles serology, and phylogenetic analysis of the hemagglutinin (H) and nucleoprotein (N) genes of measles virus isolates were conducted.
Results:
In total, 29 HKIA staff of diverse ranks and working locations were infected with measles within 1 month. Significantly fewer affected staff had history of travel than non–HKIA-related measles patients [10 of 29 (34.5%) vs 28 of 35 (80%); P < .01]. Of 9 airport staff who could recall detailed exposure history, 6 (66.7%) had visited self-service food premises at HKIA during the incubation period, where food trays, as observed during the epidemiological field investigation, were not washed after use. Furthermore, 1 airport baggage handler who was admitted to hospital A before rash onset infected 2 healthcare workers (HCWs) known to have 2 doses of MMR vaccination with positive measles IgG and lower viral loads in respiratory specimens. Infections in these 2 HCWs warranted contact tracing of another 168 persons (97 patients and 71 HCWs). Phylogenetic comparison of H and N gene sequences confirmed the clonality of outbreak strains. Conclusion: Despite good herd immunity with overall seroprevalence of >95% against measles, major outbreaks of measles occurred among HKIA staff having daily contact with many international pssengers. Lessons from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and measles outbreaks suggested that an airport can be a strategic epidemic center. Pre-exanthem transmission of measles from airport staff to HCWs with secondary vaccine failure poses a grave challenge to hospital infection control.

Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings
First Online: 05 October 2019
Factors Associated with Intention of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Initiation Among Females With and Without a History of Childhood Cancer
RN Hardin, KM Russell, JS Flynn, HL Gammel… –
Abstract
Vaccination is available to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) types that cause cervical and other cancers. This study aimed to describe and compare vaccine intention among young females with and without a cancer history, in addition to identifying factors associated with a HPV vaccination intention. Vaccine-naïve females (aged 18–26 years, n = 120) and maternal caregivers with vaccine-naïve daughters (aged 9–17 years, n = 197) completed surveys querying HPV vaccination intention, HPV knowledge, and communication, along with sociodemographic, medical, and health belief factors. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals for HPV vaccination intention. No differences in vaccine intention were identified across cancer and comparison groups. Vaccine intention and predictors of intention among vaccine-naïve females differ by age, and there is variation in the factors which influence vaccine intention by age group. These results suggest interventions should be tailored based on developmental level.

Pediatrics
October 2019
Article
Previsit Screening for Parental Vaccine Hesitancy: A Cluster Randomized Trial
DJ Opel, N Henrikson, K Lepere, R Hawkes, C Zhou…
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of vaccine hesitancy screening on childhood vaccine uptake.
METHODS: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in pediatric primary care clinics in Washington state. Vaccine-hesitant parents (VHPs) with a healthy newborn receiving health supervision at participating clinics were eligible. VHPs were identified by using a 4-item version of the validated Parent Attitudes About Childhood Vaccines Survey (PACV). Before their child’s 2- and 6-month health supervision visits, VHPs at intervention clinics completed the 15-item PACV embedded in a survey containing placebo items. Intervention providers received a summary of parents’ 15-item PACV responses and interpretation of their PACV score; discretion was given to providers regarding how they acted on this information. VHPs at control clinics completed only the placebo survey items, and their child’s provider received a summary of their responses; control providers remained blinded to parent VHP status. Our outcome was child immunization status at 8 months of age expressed as percent of days underimmunized. We compared outcomes in control and intervention participants using t test and linear mixed-effects regression.
RESULTS: We enrolled 24 clinics (12 in each arm) and 156 parents (65 in the intervention arm). Parent characteristics were similar across arms except more intervention (versus control) parents had a first-born child (60.9% vs 44%; P = .04). No significant difference in outcome was detected between arms (25.2% [95% confidence interval: 16.0% to 34.5%] vs 19.1% [95% confidence interval: 12.0% to 26.3%] mean days underimmunized in the intervention and control arms, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Vaccine hesitancy screening was not significantly associated with days underimmunized.

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.

The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
Vaccines and immunisation
School gates ‘breeding ground’ for vaccine myths, says NHS chief …
Head of health service in England calls for crackdown on misinformation about jabs
Last modified on Sat 12 Oct 2019 12.51 EDT

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
Africa
‘Alarming Upsurge’ in Measles Has Devastating Impact, WHO Warns
Measles is staging a devastating comeback in epidemics across the world as the virus exploits dangerous gaps in vaccination coverage, World Health Organization (WHO) experts said on Friday.
Oct. 11 By Reuters

Africa
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Slows but Still Entrenched in Insecure Areas-WHO
The Ebola epidemic in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been confined to a rural area rife with militias and people on the move, making it harder to stamp out altogether, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
Oct. 10 By Reuters

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new relevant content]

Center for Global Development
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new relevant content]

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new relevant content]

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new relevant content]

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 12 Oct 2019
[No new relevant content]

Featured Journal Content

JAMA
October 1, 2019, Vol 322, No. 13, Pages 1225-1322
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx
Viewpoint
The Power of Vaccines and How Gavi Has Helped Make the World Healthier – 2019 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award
Seth Berkley, MD
free access
JAMA. 2019;322(13):1251-1252. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.13190
The 2019 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award has been presented to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for providing sustained access to childhood vaccines around the globe, saving millions of lives, and highlighting the power of immunization to prevent disease.

Vaccines are one of the most successful developments in modern medicine, averting up to an estimated 3 million deaths every year. Vaccination has made possible the eradication of smallpox, and it is close to doing the same for polio. Annual measles deaths have been reduced from 2.6 million in the 1980s to an estimated 110 000 in 2017.¹ Child mortality has declined by more than 50% since 1990, largely related to the reduction in disability and death from vaccine-preventable diseases.²

Yet at the beginning of the 21st century, further progress was a challenge. New vaccines developed against diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and meningitis, which were responsible for the deaths of millions of children, were not reaching the poorest and most vulnerable children. Coverage of existing vaccines in poor countries was plateauing. Nearly 30 million children in low-income countries were not fully immunized because most vaccines were not available at a price that countries could afford.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2000, a radical new approach was offered. The idea was to bring together key constituencies in global immunization efforts—UN agencies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, country governments, donors, research organizations, other foundations, and the private sector—to increase access to new and underused vaccines. By leveraging financial resources and expertise across these different partners, vaccines could become more affordable and more accessible to those who needed them the most. The result was the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation, today called Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Core Alliance partners are WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation working with others.

Nearly 2 decades later, the Alliance has helped vaccinate more than 760 million children in the world’s poorest countries and prevent an estimated 13 million deaths. Gavi has expanded from providing vaccines against 6 diseases to 18 diseases. Basic vaccine coverage in Gavi-supported countries (as measured by a third dose of a diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus–containing vaccine) has increased from 59% to 81%.³ While only 3% of low-income countries had introduced a vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae type b in 2000, all low-income countries have now introduced the pentavalent vaccine, which protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b as well as 4 other infections: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and hepatitis B.

Gavi’s work has also contributed to the social and economic well-being of communities. For every US $1 invested in vaccines in Gavi-supported countries, an estimated US $21 is saved considering the cost of illness averted, which includes lost productivity due to disability and death, medical care, caregiver time, and transportation costs. This return on investment increases to an estimated US $54 when accounting for the broader societal benefits of living longer, healthier lives.⁴

Gavi has been able to achieve these benefits through an innovative business model, in which all countries supported by Gavi must contribute a proportion of the costs of the vaccines they introduce. This proportion gradually increases as their gross national income increases, until the countries are fully funding their own vaccine programs. The ultimate goal (and part of what makes the Gavi model groundbreaking) is to help countries build sustainable immunization systems that governments can eventually maintain and build on themselves.

To date, 15 countries have successfully transitioned out of Gavi support. One of the earliest countries to do so, Sri Lanka, has maintained basic vaccine coverage of 99%³ and is now expanding its vaccination schedule. Other countries that have also transitioned from Gavi support include Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cuba, Timor-Leste, Georgia, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kiribati, Moldova, and Mongolia.

Gavi works by leveraging economies of scale; by purchasing vaccines for countries with 60% of the children born worldwide every year, it is able to secure lower vaccine prices for the world’s poorest countries. It has helped build healthier vaccine markets to the benefit of countries where uncertain funding and demand for vaccines had previously provided little incentive for manufacturers to make novel vaccines available at prices that were affordable. Pooling demand and securing long-term funding from donors helps provide visibility of demand and reduce risk, encouraging manufacturers to invest in making vaccines available at prices that are affordable for Gavi-eligible countries.

The approach works: the costs of vaccines to immunize a child with a full course of WHO-recommended vaccines has been reduced to just US $27 in Gavi-supported countries.

Not only has this helped make underused vaccines more accessible, but also accelerated the uptake of novel vaccines. Traditionally, it has taken between 10 and 15 years after a new vaccine is introduced in high-income countries before it reaches the poorest countries. One of the ways in which Gavi helped change this is with its Advance Market Commitment, a pioneering funding model launched in 2007 to increase access to new vaccines against pneumococcal pneumonia. Donors committed early funds to guarantee the price of vaccines once developed, and in exchange, manufacturers signed a legally binding commitment to provide the vaccine at a price affordable for low-income countries. The effect was almost immediate. Low-income countries were able to introduce new formulations of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine within a year of them becoming available. The vaccine has now been introduced in 57 countries and coverage with the vaccine is now at 48%³ in Gavi-supported countries, exceeding the global average.

More recently, Gavi has used this market influence to accelerate development of a new and much-needed vaccine to prevent epidemics of Ebola virus. In response to the Ebola epidemic that claimed more than 11 000 lives⁵ across West Africa, Gavi committed to procure doses of an Ebola vaccine as soon as one was licensed and prequalified by the World Health Organization. The idea was to incentivize pharmaceutical companies to invest in the rapid development of this vaccine, despite the unpredictability of demand and the low purchasing power of the countries likely to be affected. The resulting Advance Purchase Commitment, signed by Gavi and Merck in 2016, was the first of its kind. Gavi signaled its long-term support by providing Merck a prepayment of US $5 million to buy doses of the Ebola vaccine as soon as it completes the licensing process, while Merck agreed to make an emergency stockpile of 300,000 investigational doses available in the meantime, in case of another outbreak. It is these doses that have been used to vaccinate the more than 204 000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo throughout the 2018-2019 outbreak.⁶ Without this vaccine, the current outbreak would likely have been orders of magnitude larger.

Gavi also makes vaccines more accessible by investing in health systems used to deliver them. Of the 19.4 million children who are still not receiving basic vaccines, many are living in urban slums, remote rural areas, or conflict and fragile settings. Reaching these children with vaccines presents unique logistical challenges, such as identifying those who have not been immunized, keeping the vaccines at the right temperature during transportation, and ensuring there are trained health care workers to administer them. Gavi works with civil society and the private sector to address these bottlenecks, often harnessing innovative and new technology.

Every year, Gavi seeks out innovative technological solutions to address specific challenges through its Innovation for Uptake, Scale, and Equity in Immunisation, or INFUSE, platform. For example, this year’s focus was innovations to facilitate the delivery of vaccines to children in urban areas. Gavi helps scale up these new technologies by making connections between entrepreneurs and low-income countries as well as assisting with capital and expertise.

Earlier this year, Gavi partnered with Ghana’s Ministry of Health, Zipline, and the UPS Foundation (the community investment arm of the United Parcel Service) to launch the world’s largest autonomous drone delivery network. Once complete, the service will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to deliver vaccines and other high-priority health products to more than 2000 health facilities across the country, potentially reaching 12 million people.

By improving the systems and institutions necessary to ensure vaccines reach children wherever they may live, Gavi is also helping to move the world closer to universal health coverage, the commitment made by UN member states to ensure everyone has access to essential health services by 2030. Vaccines reach more households worldwide than any other health intervention and provide a contact point between families and primary health services at least 5 times during the first year of a child’s life. This creates a platform that could be used to deliver other essential health services, from malaria prevention and nutritional supplements to maternal and neonatal health care. From novel ways to incentivize investment in vaccines to using drones to strengthen immunization systems, Gavi is constantly innovating. This ability to adapt has been fundamental to the organization’s success so far and will continue to be in the future as it works against a constantly shifting global health landscape. Cities are expanding rapidly, with the global urban population expected to increase by 2.5 billion by 2050⁷; there are more people displaced worldwide than ever before; and climate change and globalization are increasing the risk of major disease outbreaks.

The Alliance has consistently demonstrated the central role vaccination has to play in addressing such threats to global health security and others such as antimicrobial resistance, as well as in helping the global health community to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Now, as Gavi approaches its next strategic period, it will enhance its focus on equity and attempt to help countries focus on the last mile first—looking for children who have not received any vaccines and bringing them into the primary health care system through immunization. It is Gavi’s ability to adapt to new challenges that will enable it to reach the growing number of people worldwide who are increasingly vulnerable to the threat of infectious disease and to help protect and empower the next generation.

Featured Journal Content

Vast progress in reducing rubella, but 3 in 10 children still unprotected against the disease
WHO :: 4 October 2019
For the first time, more than half of all the world’s infants are protected against the debilitating rubella virus, according to a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Worldwide, more than 80 countries have eliminated the disease.

This progress has been achieved through broadening access to the safe and highly effective rubella vaccine – especially across lower-income countries. This vaccine has been shown to prevent more than 95% of rubella infections…

“There is no room for complacency. Even in countries that have eliminated the disease, the job is not yet done. The only way to ensure protection against rubella is to make sure that all children are vaccinated against it, alongside surveillance systems that are strong enough to quickly detect cases and respond rapidly to stop the spread – especially to pregnant women.” says Dr Shalini Desai, an expert in rubella at WHO and author of the report.

Globally, it is estimated that around 100,000 children are born with CRS every year…

Featured Journal Content

Johnson & Johnson Commits $500 Million Investment Over Four Years to Help End the Epidemics of HIV and Tuberculosis
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Oct. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Johnson & Johnson today announced it has committed to ensuring more than $500 million is dedicated to world class research & development and delivery programs over the next four years to accelerate global efforts to eliminate HIV and tuberculosis (TB) by 2030…
 
“No single institution can tackle the historic challenge of eliminating an infectious disease,” said Paul Stoffels, MD, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson.  “By advancing our technologies, uniting our best scientists and leveraging decades of experience in HIV and TB, we’re optimistic that we can make a significant contribution to the global effort.”…

HIV
The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) have been committed to the fight against HIV for more than 25 years. Over this time, the Company has introduced eight transformational HIV medicines – including three antiviral agents and five combination products developed in partnership – which have helped to transform HIV/AIDS from a death sentence  into a chronic, manageable disease, allowing millions of people living with HIV to lead near normal lives.

“Although HIV is now considered a chronic and manageable condition, people living with HIV still face a lifetime of taking daily pills.  We therefore must continue to advance important innovations to help them,” said Johan Van Hoof, MD, Global Therapeutic Area Head, Vaccines, and Managing Director, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Pharmaceutica NV. “The global challenge remains immense. With 37 million people around the world living with HIV – and nearly two million people newly-infected each year – we cannot treat ourselves out of the HIV epidemic. Our ultimate goal must be to find a preventive vaccine for HIV.”

As part of the $500 million investment, Janssen will continue to advance an investigational mosaic-based vaccine regimen to prevent HIV together with a consortium of partners.  An ongoing efficacy trial (Imbokodo) in 2,600 women in Southern Africa is fully enrolled. A second efficacy trial (Mosaico) is about to commence in North America, South America and Europe with 3,800 men who have sex with men and transgender individuals.
In partnership with ViiV Healthcare, Janssen is also investigating a long-acting injectable HIV treatment regimen that could be administered to patients once every two months.  This regimen, if approved, could potentially reduce HIV treatment for some patients to just twelve or even six injection visits per year to keep the virus under control, instead of a daily oral treatment taken 365 times per year.

Tuberculosis
In 2012, Janssen introduced bedaquiline, which was the first TB medicine with a novel mechanism of action in nearly half a century. Since then, the Company has provided more than 145,000 courses of treatment for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients in 131 countries, including through a four-year donation program that operated in the 2015-2019 period in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development and JSC Pharmstandard.

At the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis in September 2018, Johnson & Johnson announced a comprehensive 10-year initiative to support ending the TB epidemic by 2030, which builds on our current Health for Humanity 2020 TB Goal.  With the goal of saving an estimated 1.8 million lives and preventing 12 million new TB infections in the next decade, Johnson & Johnson is working with partners to improve detection of undiagnosed cases of TB, broaden access to bedaquiline, and accelerate research & development (R&D) to discover next-generation TB treatments.

“TB is the world’s number one infectious killer, and TB and MDR-TB cause major devastation for people, communities and entire countries around the world,” says Jaak Peeters, Global Head, Global Public Health, Johnson & Johnson.  “The good news is TB is both preventable and treatable, and Johnson & Johnson is committed to doing everything we can to make TB history.  With our 10-year initiative we want to unleash the power of science and technology to forever change the trajectory of this terrible disease.”…

Featured Journal Content

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
Published: 30 September 2019
Accepted manuscript
Projection of costs of polio eradication compared to permanent control
Marita Zimmermann, MPH, PhD, Brittany Hagedorn, MBA, Hil Lyons, MS, PhD
Abstract
Despite increased efforts and spending toward polio eradication, it has yet to be eliminated worldwide. We aimed to project economic costs of polio eradication compared to permanent control. We used historical Financial Resource Requirements from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, as well as vaccination and population data from publicly available sources to project costs for routine immunization, immunization campaigns, surveillance and lab, technical assistance, social mobilization, treatment, and overhead. We found that cumulative spending for a control strategy would exceed that for an eradication strategy in 2032 (range 2027-2051). Eradication of polio would likely be cost-saving compared to permanent control.

Emergencies

Ebola – DRC+
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Ebola Outbreak in DRC 61: 01 October 2019
Situation Update
In the past week, from 23 to 29 September, 20 new confirmed Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases, with an additional 12 deaths and an additional three probable cases validated from late August/early September, have been reported from seven health zones in two affected provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This perceived decrease in the number of cases should be interpreted with caution, as operational and security challenges in certain health zones make it difficult to undertake case detection and response functions. An increase in the number of reported cases is expected in the coming weeks once response activities resume in full.

The security situation In the overall operational areas of the EVD response is reported calm with no major security incidents affecting operations between the period between 26 to 29 September 2019…

Case management
…The The Pamoja Tulinde Maisha (PALM [together save lives]) randomized, controlled trial and Monitored Emergency Use of Unregistered and Investigational Interventions framework continue to enroll EVD confirmed patients, total patients thus far are 857 and 761, respectively as of 24 September 2019…

Implementation of ring vaccination protocol
As of 28 September 2019, 230,055 people at risk have consented to and received the rVSV-ZEBOV-GP Ebola vaccine. Of those, 55,801 are contacts and 154,689 contacts-of-contacts. The total number of vaccines includes 47,533 HCWs/FLWs.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo health authorities have endorsed the use of a second investigational Ebola vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. This vaccine, which is administered as a two-dose course, 56 days apart, will be circulated in at-risk populations in areas that do not have active EVD transmission. Regular vaccination activities in EVD-affected areas will continue. The Merck/MSD vaccine will continue to be provided to all people at high risk of Ebola infection including those who have been in contact with a person confirmed to have Ebola, all contacts of contacts, and others determined to be at high risk of contracting Ebola…

::::::

1,000 Ebola survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Joint Press Release by the UN Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator, World Health Organization, World Food Programme, UNICEF and Save the Children

GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4 October 2019 – As the 1000th Ebola survivor returns home, United Nations agencies working to stop the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today commended the strong leadership of the DRC health authorities and the tireless efforts of thousands of local health workers and partners that have led to 1000 people surviving the disease.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres handed Kavira her Ebola survivor certificate in early September. “I never thought I would make it at first but now that I am cured, I want to go back to my community and tell them to seek treatment early if they are affected because you can actually survive,” said Kavira.

The outbreak, declared on 1 August 2018, started in North Kivu and has since spread to parts of Ituri and South Kivu provinces. Currently, active transmission is confined to Ituri, in several hotspots – Mambasa and Mandima – but the epidemic is evolving in an extremely complex environment, marked by poor health infrastructure, political instability, insecurity, community mistrust and resistance, and ongoing conflict involving scores of armed groups.

Through an integrated UN system-wide approach, the United Nations scaled-up its efforts in May in support of the DRC government-led response in the areas of public health, assistance to Ebola-affected communities, political engagement, security and strengthened financial management…

Although this is the largest and longest-running Ebola outbreak the DRC has experienced, new tools are now available to help stop the virus and save lives. A highly effective vaccine (shown to have 97.5% efficacy) has protected over 226,000 people. New treatments, that recent study results show can save over 90 per cent of people who come early during their illness, improve survival rates of people infected with Ebola.

“We have the tools, vaccines and treatments, but we still need to find and support every person who has been in contact with someone infected with Ebola,” Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, World Health Organization Assistant Director-General for Emergency Response, said. WHO is the UN Agency leading the public health response. “Surviving this disease is all about trusting the responders – contact tracers, decontamination teams, burial teams, vaccinators, Ebola Treatment Centre staff – who are working tirelessly to protect people from this virus”…

Led by UNICEF with the support of international partners, thousands of Congolese responders and associations from the affected communities are engaging with community and religious leaders, mass media, and Ebola survivors to bring crucial knowledge of symptoms, prevention and treatment to the households and communities most at risk. Children are among the most vulnerable in the communities, as they are not only at risk of contracting the virus but are also affected if they lose their parents or schools are closed. Save the Children and other organizations are reaching out to children on how to prevent contracting Ebola, through child-friendly awareness campaigns in schools and youth groups. An important part of this work is listening and responding to their pressing concerns, particularly in the areas where Ebola is often not perceived as a priority.

“When survivors tell communities the reason they are alive is because they sought treatment early, people believe them and are getting the help they need sooner. Survivors have become a crucial element in gaining the community trust and acceptance required to defeat this epidemic”, Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in the DRC, said. “At the same time, having experienced the disease, they are able to offer a level of support and compassion to patients and their family members that is especially meaningful.”…

::::::

:: 430 days and 1000 victories in the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 04 October 2019 Statement from Dr Matshidiso Moeti

:: Surviving Ebola and passing final school exams while in treatment isolation: Now bring on the future 02 October 2019

:: Dear parents and neighbours – A young mother tells her story of Ebola denial and then gratitude for treatment 01 October 2019

:: Ebola, cholera and measles: Triple threats to the poorest communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1 October 2019

:: A doctor takes you to the tough and joy-filled days in the Ebola battle in Goma 30 September 2019

::::::
::::::

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 25 September 2019
:: September’s Polio News is now available with the latest polio numbers and news updates.
:: Read through the August 2019 Technical Advisory Group (TAG) reports on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Pakistan — three WPV1 cases and 13 WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo — one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case;
:: Ghana — one cVDPV2 case and five positive environmental samples;
:: Philippines — one cVDPV2 case, one cVDPV2 and 5 cVDPV1 positive environmental samples.

::::::

Philippines
Philippines: Red Cross scales up as polio threatens 11 million children
Manila/Kuala Lumpur/Geneva 2 October 2019 –  Polio has made an alarming come-back after officially being eradicated 19 years ago in the Philippines. The Philippine Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are scaling up to help contain the highly infectious virus.

On 19 September, a three-year-old girl was diagnosed with polio, the Philippines’ first confirmed case since 2000. A five-year-old boy has since tested positive. The polio virus was also detected in Manila’s sewage and the waterways of Davao in Mindanao. Low immunization rates have contributed to the outbreak. Polio is mainly transmitted by food, water or hands contaminated with human faeces containing the virus, so good hygiene is vital.

Philippine Red Cross Chairman, Richard Gordon said:
“We have mobilized all our chapters to coordinate with the health department and local officials and to provide the full support of volunteers for mass immunization and updating the list of all zero to five-year-old children and get their vaccination status. This will help us identify the areas with the highest risk of polio based on low vaccination coverage as well as the lack of toilets and limited running water.”

The IFRC has released 336,302 Swiss francs (336,700 US dollars) from its disaster relief emergency fund to support the Philippine Red Cross in Mindanao and Metro Manila to go house-to-house to vaccinate in high-risk areas including in informal settlements and hard-to-reach areas, and children who have missed out on vaccinations. Social mobilization teams and an information campaign will target 1.2 million people with messages on the importance of vaccination.

Head of the IFRC Philippines Country Office, Chris Staines said:
“We are very concerned that the resurgence of polio in the Philippines puts 11 million Filipino children under five at high risk of disability and even death. We appeal to all parents to protect their children against the virus during this massive, synchronized nationwide campaign. The Philippines has eradicated polio before, and together we can do it again.”

This is the third health emergency this year that the Philippine Red Cross has responded to, with babies and young children disproportionately affected. During a measles outbreak in February, the Red Cross cared for 3,400 patients by setting up seven measles care units in tents outside six hospitals, vaccinated nearly 17,000 children between six months and five years of age, and reached more than 1.9 million people with life-saving information. In response to a dengue outbreak, the Red Cross cared for 5,000 patients in nine emergency medical units set up at eight hospitals, and reached 120,000 people with messages on dengue prevention and management. Philippines Red Cross volunteers continue to respond to both of these ongoing health emergencies, even as they scale up to face the urgent risks of polio.

::::::
Editor’s Note:
WHO has posted a refreshed emergencies page which presents an updated listing of Grade 3,2,1 emergencies as below.

WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 5 Oct 2019]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Ebola Outbreak in DRC 61: 01 October 2019
:: 1000 Ebola survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 04 October 2019
:: 430 days and 1000 victories in the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 04 October 2019 Statement from Dr Matshidiso Moeti
:: Surviving Ebola and passing final school exams while in treatment isolation: Now bring on the future 02 October 2019
:: Dear parents and neighbours – A young mother tells her story of Ebola denial and then gratitude for treatment 01 October 2019
:: Ebola, cholera and measles: Triple threats to the poorest communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1 October 2019
:: A doctor takes you to the tough and joy-filled days in the Ebola battle in Goma 30 September 2019

Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 5 Oct 2019]

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso [in French] – No new digest announcements identified
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi floods – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 5 Oct 2019]

Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified

UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Yemen
:: 03 October 2019 Yemen: Flash Floods Flash Update No. 1 (As of 3 October 2019)

Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Editor’s Note:
Ebola in the DRC has bene added as a OCHA “Corporate Emergency” this week:
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth
:: 02 Oct 2019 Southern Africa: Climate crisis leaves 9.2 million people severely food insecure
:: 30 September 2019 Southern Africa: Humanitarian Key Messages, September 2019

EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified

WHO & Regional Offices [to 5 Oct 2019]
4 October 2019
News release
WHO and FIFA team up for health

1 October 2019
Statement
WHO Director-General visits devastated sites in the Bahamas to assess health impacts of Hurricane Dorian

30 September 2019
News release
WHO launches digital app to improve care for older people

::::::

Weekly Epidemiological Record, 4 October 2019, vol. 94, 40 (pp. 449–456)
Contents
449 Progress towards control and elimination of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome – worldwide, 2000–2018

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: 1000 Ebola survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 04 October 2019
:: 430 days and 1000 victories in the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 04 October 2019 Statement from Dr Matshidiso Moeti
:: Surviving Ebola and passing final school exams while in treatment isolation: Now bring on the future 02 October 2019
:: Dear parents and neighbours – A young mother tells her story of Ebola denial and then gratitude for treatment 01 October 2019
:: Ebola, cholera and measles: Triple threats to the poorest communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1 October 2019
:: A doctor takes you to the tough and joy-filled days in the Ebola battle in Goma 30 September 2019

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: PAHO Directing Council ends with regional agreements to eliminate diseases and improve the quality of health care for all people (10/04/2019)
:: Quality of care and health of ethnic groups in the Americas are the focus of two new PAHO action plans (10/03/2019)
:: Young people in the Americas continue to miss out on vital health interventions (10/03/2019)
:: Indigenous, Afro-descendent and Roma populations at the center of new PAHO health plan (10/03/2019)
:: Countries of the Americas commit to a collective approach to eliminating more than 30 diseases (10/01/2019)
:: PAHO outlines six-year strategy to confront health challenges, advance health equity in the Americas (10/01/2019)
:: Number of older adults with long-term care needs will triple by 2050, PAHO warns (10/01/2019)
:: Meeting of Health Ministers at PAHO opens with call for accelerated action on urgent priorities in the Americas (09/30/2019)
:: PAHO Director urges faster progress toward universal health in the Americas (09/30/2019)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
No new digest content identified.

WHO European Region EURO
:: Alcohol-related deaths drop in Russian Federation due to strict alcohol control measures, new report says 01-10-2019

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: National polio immunization days campaign in Iraq 30 September 2019

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified.

CDC/ACIP [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News
WHO announces 1,000 Ebola survivors
Friday, October 4, 2019

HHS Awards $13.5 Million to Accelerate State and Local Planning Efforts for Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America
Thursday, October 3, 2019

MMWR News Synopsis for October 4, 2019
National Trends in Hepatitis C Infection by Opioid Use Disorder Status Among Pregnant Women at Delivery Hospitalization — United States, 2000–2015
The rate of hepatitis C infection among women at delivery – both with and without opioid use disorder – increased significantly between 2000 and 2015. CDC examined the relationship between the opioid crisis and national trends in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among women during hospital deliveries. Overall, the U.S. rate of HCV infection at delivery increased from 0.8 infections per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 4.1 in 2015. During this time period, among those women with opioid use disorder, the rates of HCV infection increased from 87 to 217 per 1,000 deliveries. Among those without opioid use disorder, the rate of HCV infection increased from 0.7 to 2.6 per 1,000 deliveries. Treatment of opioid use disorder should include screening and referral for related conditions such as HCV infection.

Evaluation of Infection Prevention and Control Readiness at Frontline Health Care Facilities in High-Risk Districts Bordering Ebola Virus Disease–Affected Areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — Uganda, 2018
During an Ebola outbreak, frontline healthcare facilities must have the capacity to rapidly identify suspected Ebola cases and refer suspected Ebola cases for treatment in order to protect patients, staff, and visitors. The 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak demonstrated the importance of strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC) capacity at frontline healthcare facilities to prevent healthcare–associated transmission. Shortly after the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was declared, Uganda initiated Ebola preparedness activities in districts bordering DRC. IPC assessments revealed gaps in screening, isolation, and notification practices at four frontline healthcare facilities. Rapid scale-up of IPC preparedness activities at facilities where the risk of encountering patients with Ebola is high must be undertaken to ensure that these facilities have the capacity to rapidly identify suspected Ebola cases and refer patients for treatment to protect patients, staff, and visitors.

Progress Toward Rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome Control and Elimination — Worldwide, 2000–2018
Rubella is being eliminated country by country. For the first time, more than half of the world’s infants are protected against rubella. Since 2011, there has been an acceleration in the efforts to introduce rubella-containing vaccine using a strategy that can result in elimination. In 2018, more than half (69%) of the world’s infants were vaccinated for rubella. This is the highest-ever infant vaccination rate for rubella. Because of vaccination activities, 81 (43%) countries have stopped endemic rubella transmission, ending birth defects due to congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in those countries. CRS is a condition that occurs after a mother is infected with rubella during pregnancy and can cause birth defects. Rubella and CRS are preventable through vaccination.

Africa CDC [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

China CDC
http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/
No new digest content identified.

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
Selected Updates and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
A computational challenge to help developmental biology
October 1, 2019
Q&A with the scientists and organizers behind a new competition to use machine learning to reconstruct an entire animal’s developmental lineage

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.gatesmri.org/
The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute is a non-profit biotech organization. Our mission is to develop products to fight malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases—three major causes of mortality, poverty, and inequality in developing countries. The world has unprecedented scientific tools at its disposal; now is the time to use them to save the lives of the world’s poorest people
No new digest content identified.

CARB-X [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://carb-x.org/
CARB-X is a non-profit public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
No new digest content identified.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://cepi.net/
News
No new digest content identified.

Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://clintonhealthaccess.org/about/
News & Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

EDCTP [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.edctp.org/
The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as well as other poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on phase II and III clinical trials
Latest news
4 October 2019
EDCTP invests €18 million in evaluation of candidate malaria vaccine portfolio
EDCTP awarded a grant of EUR 18 million to an international consortium to evaluate a portfolio of three innovative candidate malaria vaccines that aim to block transmission of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. The PfTBV consortium is coordinated by Dr Issaka Sagara from the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies in Bamako, Mali, with research sites in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia and Mali. Two vaccines were developed by the Statens Serum Institute (SSI, Denmark), the third has been developed and will be produced through the National Institutes of Health in the US which also contributes a large financial investment. Additional co-funding is received from PATH in the US…

Emory Vaccine Center [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Website not responding at inquiry

European Medicines Agency [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
04/10/2019
News: EMA Management Board: highlights of October 2019 meeting

European Vaccine Initiative [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/news-events
02 October 2019
Initiation of Phase 1 Zika vaccine clinical trial
The ZIKAVAX consortium announced today the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of a second-generation Zika vaccine. The vaccine candidate is based on one of the project partners -Themis- proprietary measles vector platform.

FDA [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
October 3, 2019 – FDA approves second drug to prevent HIV infection as part of ongoing efforts to end the HIV epidemic
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Descovy (emtricitabine 200 mg and tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg) in at-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35kg for HIV-1 pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV-1 infection from sex, excluding those who have receptive vaginal sex. Descovy is not indicated in individuals at risk of HIV-1 infection from receptive vaginal sex because the effectiveness in this population has not been evaluated…

Fondation Merieux [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.gavi.org/
Latest news
No new digest content identified.

GHIT Fund [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 2012 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that September 30, 2019
GHIT Fund Announces New Investments: A Total of 630 Million Yen in Drug for Malaria, Tuberculosis, Chagas disease, and Leishmaniasis, Vaccines for Malaria and Chagas disease, and Diagnostics for Malaria

Global Fund [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
News
Sweden Steps Up Fight Against Epidemics with Strong Pledge to Global Fund
03 October 2019

Funding Model
Further Resources and Materials Now Available for 2020-2022 Funding Cycle
03 October 2019

News
Norway Makes Strong Pledge to Global Fund
29 September 2019

Hilleman Laboratories [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
No new digest content identified.

International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA)
http://www.icmra.info/drupal/en/news
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Research
Strategic Priority on Innovation – ICMRA Innovation Project 3D Bio-Printing Case Study: Summary of Discussions and Considerations for the New Informal Innovation Network
October 1, 2019 :: 3D Bio-Printing Case Study Report

IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/library/news/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.

IFRC [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Philippines
Philippines: Red Cross scales up as polio threatens 11 million children
Manila/Kuala Lumpur/Geneva 2 October 2019 –  Polio has made an alarming come-back after officially being eradicated 19 years ago in the Philippines. The Philippine Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC …
2 October 2019
[See Polio above for detail]

IVAC [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
No new digest content identified.

JEE Alliance [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
DRC Ebola outbreaks
Vaccinating against Ebola in a challenging context
Project Update 3 Oct 2019

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
RFI
Request for Information (RFI) From Non-Federal Stakeholders: Developing the 2020 National Vaccine Plan
For nearly a decade the 2010 National Vaccine Plan (NVP) has served as the nation’s leading roadmap for enhancing all aspects of the U.S. vaccine and immunization system. To ensure the NVP remains nimble to the evolving vaccine and immunization landscape, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is leading the development of the 2020 National Vaccine Plan. The updated plan will reflect immunization across the lifespan and guide priority actions for the period 2020-2025.
As part of that process, the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) has issued a Request for Information to solicit input from subject matter experts and non-federal stakeholders on potential priorities, goals, and objectives for the plan.
We invite you to share your feedback on the Request for Information. Comments are due no later than 5:00 p.m., ET on October 24, 2019.
View the Request for Information and provide your feedback

NIH [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
NIH funding bolsters rare diseases research collaborations
October 3, 2019 — New grants aimed at better understanding diseases, moving potential treatments closer to the clinic.

In women with HIV, TB preventive therapy poses greater risk in pregnancy than postpartum
October 2, 2019 — Deferring drug until after delivery is safer, NIH-funded trial finds.

NIH researchers create new viral vector for improved gene therapy in sickle cell disease
October 2, 2019 — ‘Forward-oriented’ design might boost treatment effectiveness and broaden use.

New NIH-funded translational research centers to speed, diversify Alzheimer’s drug discovery
October 1, 2019 — Expanded open science will advance the pipeline for innovative therapeutics

NIH to fund hubs to accelerate development of biomedical health technologies
October 1, 2019 — Program links academic institutions developing best practices to translate biomedical innovations into public benefit.

NIH forms new collaborative influenza vaccine research network
September 30, 2019 — The CIVICs program is a new network of research centers that will work together to develop more durable, broadly protective and longer-lasting influenza vaccines.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has initiated the Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) program, a new network of research centers that will work together in a coordinated, multidisciplinary effort to develop more durable, broadly protective and longer-lasting influenza vaccines. NIAID will provide up to approximately $51 million in total first-year funding for the program, which is designed to support the CIVICs program centers over seven years.
“To more effectively fight influenza on a global scale, we need better influenza vaccines that are more broadly protective,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “With the CIVICs program we hope to encourage an exchange of ideas, technology and scientific results across multiple institutions to facilitate a more efficient and coordinated approach to novel influenza vaccine development.”…
The CIVICs network will develop so-called universal influenza vaccines, which could provide longer-lasting protection than current vaccines and against a wider variety of influenza viruses. The CIVICs centers will conduct multidisciplinary research that supports the development of vaccine candidates through testing in preclinical studies, clinical trials and human challenge studies. The CIVICs network also will explore approaches to improve seasonal influenza vaccines, such as by testing alternative vaccine platforms or incorporating new adjuvants (substances added to vaccines to boost immunity). These advances could substantially reduce influenza hospitalizations and deaths in the future.
The CIVICs program will include three Vaccine Centers, one Vaccine Manufacturing and Toxicology Core, two Clinical Cores, and one Statistical, Data Management, and Coordination Center (SDMCC)…

PATH [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Selected Announcements
No new digest content identified.

ProMED [Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases] [to 5 Oct 2019]
International Society for Infectious Diseases
https://www.promedmail.org/announcements/
Selected Announcements/Posts
No new digest content identified.

RoRI [Research on Research Institute] [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://researchonresearch.org/
We’re an open and independent new initiative providing data, analysis and intelligence on how to make research systems more strategic, open, diverse and inclusive.
News and Events
RoRI launches to enable more strategic, open, diverse, and inclusive research
[undated]
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) – an international consortium of research funders, academic institutions, and technologists working to champion the latest approaches to research on research.

Co-founded by the Wellcome Trust, the universities of Sheffield and Leiden, and Digital Science, the RoRI consortium will undertake transformative and translational research on research (also known as meta-research, science of science or meta-science). By analysing research systems and experimenting with decision and evaluation data, tools and frameworks, we aim to advance more strategic, open, diverse and inclusive research.

In support of its overall vision for transformative and translational research on research, RoRI has five objectives:
:: To support, expand and build capacity for interdisciplinary, mixed-methods research on research (RoR) in the UK and internationally;
:: To connect academic capabilities to the data and analytical resources of Wellcome, Digital Science and RoRI’s wider consortium of strategic partners;
:: To co-design, experiment and apply new tools, indicators, funding modes, prioritisation and evaluation frameworks;
:: To critically evaluate RoR methods and support engagement with data and evidence about research systems by decision makers and society;
:: To create an independent space for learning, networking and collaboration between researchers, policymakers, funders & technologists.

RoRI will be based for an initial two-year incubation phase at Wellcome’s offices in London. To date, eleven strategic partners have expressed their interest in becoming part of the RoRI consortium, including private foundations, academic research institutions, and public funding agencies from eight countries – Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India, Netherlands, Switzerland, and the USA – and one pan-African partner, the African Academy of Sciences.

Together, the consortium will codesign projects and share data to inform comparative analysis of research systems and cultures, and develop, test and apply novel approaches to decision-making, prioritisation, allocation and evaluation….

RoRI Working Paper No.1
Supporting priority setting in science using research funding landscapes
posted on 29.09.2019,
RoRI Institute :: Ludo Waltman Ismael Rafols Nees Jan van Eck Alfredo Yegros Yegros
In this working paper, we describe how to map research funding landscapes in order to support research funders in setting priorities. Based on data on scientific publications, a funding landscape highlights the research fields that are supported by different funders. The funding landscape described here has been created using data from the Dimensions database. It is presented using a freely available web-based tool that provides an interactive visualization of the landscape. We demonstrate the use of the tool through a case study in which we analyze funding of mental health research.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
Sabin Vaccine Institute Receives $20.5 Million from BARDA with Potential of up to $128 Million to Develop Ebola Sudan and Marburg Vaccines
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) today announced a funding award of $20.5 million with options for an additional $107.5 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Under the terms of this agreement, the full program is expected to advance development of clinical-stage monovalent vaccines against Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses through Phase 2 clinical trials…

UNAIDS [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
3 October 2019
How London’s first dedicated HIV ward changed the AIDS response

UNICEF [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Reports
Press release
1,000 Ebola survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Joint Press Release by the UN Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator, World Health Organization, World Food Programme, UNICEF and Save the Children
04/10/2019
[See Emergencies above for detail]

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News | 3 October 2019
Stephen Caddick to step down as Director of Innovations at Wellcome
Stephen has made a very significant contribution to advancing Wellcome’s mission over the past five years, including building the Innovations team and developing the Innovations strategy. Wellcome will continue with the strategy, which has approval from the Board, as originally planned.

News | 2 October 2019
Danny Truell (1963-2019): five decisions that made the modern Wellcome
Danny Truell, who died this week, served as Wellcome’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO) for more than a decade and helped make Wellcome what it is today. Nick Moakes, Wellcome’s current CIO, pays tribute to Danny’s brilliance.

Why We Vaccinate [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.whywevax.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

The Wistar Institute [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Release Oct. 3, 2019
Targeting a Novel Regulator of Mitochondrial Cell Death Delivers Anticancer Activity in Preclinical Studies
PHILADELPHIA — (Oct. 3, 2019) — A novel anticancer molecule created by researchers at The Wistar Institute showed therapeutic activity in preclinical models of various cancer types. This cell-permeable peptidomimetic was designed to disrupt a newly identified protein complex involving mitochondrial fission factor (MFF) and the voltage-dependent anion channel-1 (VDAC1), which regulates mitochondrial cell death. These results appeared online in the journal Cancer Research.

Press Release Oct. 1, 2019
NIH New Innovator Award Given to Wistar Researcher to Unravel the Metabolic Link Between Diet, Alcohol Consumption and Cancer
PHILADELPHIA — (October 1, 2019) — The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced that Zachary T Schug, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis Program at The Wistar Institute, was awarded the prestigious NIH Director’s New Innovator Award in support of his research on the link between a high sugar/fat diet, alcohol use and cancer.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2019/
No new digest content identified.

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
October 2, 2019
The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Announces Election of 2020 ARM Officers, Executive Committee, and Board of Directors

BIO [to 5 Oct 2019]
https://www.bio.org/insights/press-release
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
Events
DCVMN 20th Annual General Meeting
21 October 2019 to 23 October 2019
Rio de Janeiro / Brazil

IFPMA [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 5 Oct 2019]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
http://www.phrma.org/

Journal Watch
Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review continues its weekly scanning of key peer-reviewed journals to identify and cite articles, commentary and editorials, books reviews and other content supporting our focu-s on vaccine ethics and policy. Journal Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues the Center is actively tracking. We selectively provide full text of some editorial and comment articles that are specifically relevant to our work. Successful access to some of the links provided may require subscription or other access arrangement unique to the publisher.
If you would like to suggest other journal titles to include in this service, please contact David Curry at: david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org

American Journal of Infection Control
October 2019 Volume 47, Issue 10, p1161-1282
http://www.ajicjournal.org/current

Major Articles
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in the last two years: Health care workers still at risk
Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq, Ziad A. Memish
p1167–1170
Published online: May 23, 2019

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
October 2019 Volume 57, Issue 4, p429-584
http://www.ajpmonline.org/current

Research Articles
Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Coverage Trends Among Adult Populations, U.S., 2010–2016
Peng-jun Lu, Mei-Chuan Hung, Alissa C. O’Halloran, Helen Ding, Anup Srivastav, Walter W. Williams, James A. Singleton
p458–469
Published online: August 29, 2019

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
October 2019 Volume 57, Issue 4, p429-584
http://www.ajpmonline.org/current

Hepatitis B Birth Dose: First Shot at Timely Early Childhood Vaccination
Natalia V. Oster, Emily C. Williams, Joseph M. Unger, Polly A. Newcomb, Elizabeth N. Jacobson, M. Patricia deHart, Janet A. Englund, Annika M. Hofstetter
e117–e124
Published in issue: October 2019

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
October 2019 Volume 57, Issue 4, p429-584
http://www.ajpmonline.org/current

Efficacy of a Web-Based Intervention to Increase Uptake of Maternal Vaccines: An RCT
Sean T. O’Leary, Komal J. Narwaney, Nicole M. Wagner, Courtney R. Kraus, Saad B. Omer, Jason M. Glanz
e125–e133
Published online: August 27, 2019

American Journal of Public Health
November 2019 109(11)
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/toc/ajph/current

HIV
Justice, Science, and HIV: Challenging HIV Criminalization
Matthew M. Kavanagh and Lawrence O. Gostin
109(11), pp. 1480–1481

BMJ Global Health
October 2019 – Volume 4 – Suppl 9
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/Suppl_9

Analysis
The state of strategic plans for the health workforce in Africa (5 October, 2019)
Doris Osei Afriyie, Jennifer Nyoni, Adam Ahmat

BMJ Global Health
October 2019 – Volume 4 – Suppl 9
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/Suppl_9

Commentary
Partnership with private for-profit sector for universal health coverage in sub-Saharan Africa: opportunities and caveats (5 October, 2019)
Juliet Nabyonga-Orem, Joy Belinda Nabukalu, Sam Agatre Okuonzi

BMJ Global Health
October 2019 – Volume 4 – Suppl 9
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/Suppl_9

Research
Poor availability of essential medicines for women and children threatens progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3 in Africa (5 October, 2019)
Benson Droti, Kathryn Patricia O’Neill, Matthews Mathai, Delanyo Yao Tsidi Dovlo, Jane Robertson
Abstract
Background
Most maternal and child deaths are preventable or treatable with proven, cost-effective interventions for infectious diseases and maternal and neonatal complications. In 2015 sub-Saharan Africa accounted for up to 66% of global maternal deaths and half of the under-five deaths. Access to essential medicines and commodities and trained healthcare workers to provide life-saving maternal, newborn and post-natal care are central to further reductions in maternal and child mortality.
Methods
Available data for 24 priority medicines for women and children were extracted from WHO service availability and readiness assessments conducted between 2012 and 2015 for eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The mean availability of medicines in facilities stating they provide services for women or children and differences by facility type, ownership and location are reported.
Results
The mean availability of 12 priority essential medicines for women ranged from 22% to 40% (median 33%; IQR 12%) and 12 priority medicines for children ranged from 28% to 57% (median 50%; IQR 14%). Few facilities (<1%) had all nominated medicines available. There was higher availability of priority medicines for women in hospitals than in primary care facilities: range 32%–80% (median 61%) versus 20%–39% (median 23%) and for children’s medicines 31%–71% (median 58%) versus 27%–57% (median 48%). Availability was higher in public than private facilities: for women’s medicines, range 21%–41% (median 34%) versus 4%–36% (median 27%) and for children’s medicines 28%–58% (median 51%) versus 5%–58% (median 46%). Patterns were mixed for rural and urban location for the priority medicines for women, but similar for children’s medicines.
Conclusions
The survey results show unacceptably low availability of priority medicines for women and children in the eight countries. Governments should ensure the availability of medicines for mothers and children if they are to achieve the health sustainable development goals.

Ethics & Human Research
Volume 41, Issue 5 September–October 2019
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/25782363/current

Engagement, Indirect Benefits, and Randomization
Articles
Participant Engagement in Translational Genomics Research: Respect for Persons—and Then Some
Janet E. Childerhose, Candice R. Finnila, Joon‐Ho Yu, Barbara A. Koenig, Jean McEwen, Stacey L. Berg, Benjamin S. Wilfond, Paul S. Appelbaum, Kyle B. Brothers
Pages: 2-15
First Published: 20 September 2019
ABSTRACT
The expansion of both formal and informal frameworks of “engaged” research in translational research settings raises emerging and substantial normative concerns. In this article, we draw on findings from a focus group study with members of a national consortium of translational genomic research sites. The goals were to catalog informal participant engagement practices, to explore the perceived roots of these practices and the motivations of research staff members for adopting them, and to reflect on their ethical implications. We learned that participant engagement is a deliberate strategy by research staff members both to achieve instrumental research goals and to “do research differently” in response to past research injustices. While many of the participant engagement practices used in translational genomic research are not new, important insights can be gained through a closer examination of the specific contours of participant engagement in this context. These practices appear to have been shaped by the professional training of genetic counselors and by the interests and needs of participants who enroll in clinical genomics studies. The contours of this contemporary application of engaged research principles have relevance not only to clinical genomics research but also to translational research broadly, particularly for how communities of clinical researchers are interpreting the principle of respect for persons. Our findings invite normative questions about the governance of these practices and sociological questions about whether and how clinical researchers in other professions are also engaging participants in translational research settings.

Ethics & Human Research
Volume 41, Issue 5 September–October 2019
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/25782363/current

Improving Translation and Cultural Appropriateness of Spanish‐Language Consent Materials for Biobanks
Kathleen M. Brelsford, Ernesto Ruiz, Catherine M. Hammack, Laura M. Beskow
Pages: 16-27
First Published: 20 September 2019

The European Journal of Public Health
Volume 29, Issue 5, October 2019
https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/issue/29/5

Editorials
Ebola: global commitment for local engagement needed
Maike Winters, Helena Nordenstedt

The European Journal of Public Health
Volume 29, Issue 5, October 2019
https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/issue/29/5

Migration
Adjuvanted influenza vaccine for the Italian elderly in the 2018/19 season: an updated health technology assessment
Chiara de Waure, Sara Boccalini, Paolo Bonanni, Daniela Amicizia, Andrea Poscia …
European Journal of Public Health, Volume 29, Issue 5, October 2019, Pages 900–905, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckz041

Human Gene Therapy
Volume 30, Issue 10 / October 2019
https://www.liebertpub.com/toc/hum/30/10

Special Issue: Genetic and Metabolic Disorders 27th Annual Congress of the ESGCT
Editorial
Breaking the Barriers of Genetic and Metabolic Disorders
Hildegard Büning, Fatima Bosch, and Federico Mingozzi
Pages:1177–1179
Published Online:24 September 2019

Infectious Diseases of Poverty
http://www.idpjournal.com/content
[Accessed 5 Oct 2019]

Scoping Review
Neglected tropical diseases in the People’s Republic of China: progress towards elimination
Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, considerable progress has been made in the control and elimination of the country’s initial set of 11 neglected tropical diseases. Indeed, eliminat…
Authors: Men-Bao Qian, Jin Chen, Robert Bergquist, Zhong-Jie Li, Shi-Zhu Li, Ning Xiao, Jürg Utzinger and Xiao-Nong Zhou
Citation: Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2019 8:86
Published on: 2 October 2019

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Vol 6, No 10 (2019) October 2019
https://www.ijcmph.com/index.php/ijcmph/issue/view/55

Original Research Articles
Vaccination coverage and its determinants in rural areas of district Doda of Jammu and Kashmir, India
Rajnesh Kumar, Kanchan Mukherjee
DOI: 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20194501

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Vol 6, No 10 (2019) October 2019
https://www.ijcmph.com/index.php/ijcmph/issue/view/55

Knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer, its screening and HPV vaccination among out patients in a tertiary care institute in India
Devi Balasubramaniam, Kavitha Yogini Duraisamy, Sangeetha Karunanithi
DOI: 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20194508