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 18 Jan 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

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

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
Editors’ Pick Jan 12, 2020
Fighting Polio: What Happened In 2019 And What Is Next
Bruce Y. Lee Senior Contributor

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
China Deserves Some Credit for Its Handling of the Wuhan Pneumonia
The country’s response to this outbreak has been far better than to SARS, although even more information-sharing is important.
Argument |
Daniel Lucey, Annie Sparrow

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
New York
How Anti-Vaccine Activists Doomed a Bill in New Jersey
Angry parents, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group and anti-vaccine celebrities rallied to outmatch one of the state’s most powerful elected leaders.
By Tracey Tully, Sharon Otterman and Jan Hoffman
Jan. 16

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
Vaccine foes raise more money than supporters ahead of vote
Jan 16, 2020
AUGUSTA, Maine — A group that wants to overturn Maine’s law eliminating religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccinations raised more than three times more money than supporters of the law, according to campaign finance reports.
Mainers for Health and Parental Rights reported $203,988 in contributions and loans to press for rejection of the law in a statewide referendum on the March 3 ballot. Top donors included a University of Maine professor who gave $13,500, according to the Maine Ethics Commission Campaign Finance website.
A group that wants to keep the law, Maine Families for Vaccines PAC, reported raising $58,098. The top donors were the Maine Hospital Association, which gave $25,000, and the Maine Academy of Family Physicians, which gave nearly $5,000…

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new relevant content]

Center for Global Development
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new relevant content]

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new relevant content]

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
January 15, 2020
Health
Why Experts Are Worried About a New Virus in China
The virus appears to be less dangerous than SARS, but there are still concerns of a wider outbreak in Asia.
In Brief by Yanzhong Huang

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 18 Jan 2020
[No new relevant content]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Deaths from Democratic Republic of the Congo measles outbreak top 6000
Kinshasa, 7 January 2020 – With the death toll from the world’s worst measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) surpassing 6000, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for more funding to stop the outbreak.

Under the leadership of the DRC Ministry of Health, WHO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and other partner aid agencies vaccinated more than 18 million children under five across the country in 2019. However, in some areas, routine vaccination coverage remains low and 25% of the reported measles cases are in children over the age of five.

“We are doing our utmost to bring this epidemic under control. Yet to be truly successful we must ensure that no child faces the unnecessary risk of death from a disease that is easily preventable by a vaccine. We urge our donor partners to urgently step up their assistance,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

Since the start of 2019, around 310,000 suspected measles cases have been reported. The epidemic has been aggravated by low vaccination coverage among vulnerable communities, malnutrition, weak public health systems, outbreaks of other epidemic-prone diseases, difficult access by vulnerable populations to health care and insecurity that has hampered response in some areas.

Lack of funding remains a huge impediment to successfully curbing the outbreak. So far, US$ 27.6 million have been mobilized. However, a further US$ 40 million are required for a six-month plan to extend the vaccination to children between six and 14 years and to reinforce elements of the outbreak response beyond vaccination, including improving treatment, health education, community engagement, health system strengthening, epidemiological surveillance and response coordination…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

WHO Statement Regarding Cluster of Pneumonia Cases in Wuhan, China
9 January 2020
Statement, China
Chinese authorities have made a preliminary determination of a novel (or new) coronavirus, identified in a hospitalized person with pneumonia in Wuhan. Chinese investigators conducted gene sequencing of the virus, using an isolate from one positive patient sample. Preliminary identification of a novel virus in a short period of time is a notable achievement and demonstrates China’s increased capacity to manage new outbreaks.

Initial information about the cases of pneumonia in Wuhan provided by Chinese authorities last week – including the occupation, location and symptom profile of the people affected – pointed to a coronavirus (CoV) as a possible pathogen causing this cluster. Chinese authorities subsequently reported that laboratory tests ruled out SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus and other common respiratory pathogens.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses with some causing less-severe disease, such as the common cold, and others more severe disease such as MERS and SARS. Some transmit easily from person to person, while others do not. According to Chinese authorities, the virus in question can cause severe illness in some patients and does not transmit readily between people.

Globally, novel coronaviruses emerge periodically in different areas, including SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. As surveillance improves more coronaviruses are likely to be identified.

China has strong public health capacities and resources to respond and manage respiratory disease outbreaks. In addition to treating the patients in care and isolating new cases as they may be identified, public health officials remain focused on continued contact tracing, conducting environmental assessments at the seafood market, and investigations to identify the pathogen causing the outbreak.

In the coming weeks, more comprehensive information is required to understand the current status and epidemiology of the outbreak, and the clinical picture. Further investigations are also required to determine the source, modes of transmission, extent of infection and countermeasures implemented. WHO continues to monitor the situation closely and, together with its partners, is ready to provide technical support to China to investigate and respond to this outbreak.

The preliminary determination of a novel virus will assist authorities in other countries to conduct disease detection and response. Over the past week, people with symptoms of pneumonia and reported travel history to Wuhan have been identified at international airports.
WHO does not recommend any specific measures for travellers. WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the information currently available.

Featured Journal Content

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 411-708 (16 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/2
Research article Open access
Effect of donor funding for immunization from Gavi and other development assistance channels on vaccine coverage: Evidence from 120 low and middle income recipient countries
Gloria Ikilezi, Orvalho J. Augusto, Joseph L. Dieleman, Kenneth Sherr, Stephen S. Lim
Pages 588-596
Abstract
Donor assistance for immunization has remained resilient with increased resource mobilization efforts in recent years to achieve current global coverage targets. As a result, more countries continue to introduce new vaccines while optimizing coverage for traditional vaccines. Gavi the Vaccine Alliance has been at the forefront of immunization support specifically among low and middle income countries, alongside other channels of development assistance which continue to play a vital role in immunization.

Using available recipient country level data from 1996 to 2016, we estimate the impact of Gavi support for vaccines and health systems strengthening on vaccine coverage for 3 dose DPT, 3 dose pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, 3 dose pentavalent, 2 dose measles and 2 dose rotavirus vaccines. We investigate the same effects of total aid for immunization from other channels of development assistance. Standard time series cross sectional analysis methods are applied to investigate the effects of vaccine support controlling for country income, governance and population, with robustness tests implemented using different model specifications. Double counting was eliminated and results are presented in real 2017 US dollars.

We found significant positive effects of aid particularly among the newer vaccines. Using 2016 country specific disbursements and coverage levels as baseline, we estimated that among recipient countries below the universal target, additional DAH per capita required to reach 90%, ranged from 0.01USD to 4.33USD for PCV, 0.03USD to 9.06USD for pentavalent vaccine and 0.01USD to 2.57USD for rotavirus vaccine. The estimated number of children vaccinated through 2016, attributable to Gavi support totaled 46.6million, 75.2million and 12.3million for PCV, pentavalent and rotavirus vaccines respectively.

Our analysis suggests substantial success both from a historical and prospective perspective in the implementation of global immunization initiatives thus far. As more vaccines are rolled out and countries transition from donor aid, strategies for fiscal sustainability and efficiency need to be strengthened in order to achieve universal immunization coverage

Featured Journal Content

Strengthening national laboratories’ oversight capacity to support measles and rubella elimination
08-01-2020
WHO
Detection and control of communicable diseases would not be possible without accurate laboratory data on when and where a particular disease is circulating. WHO/Europe therefore works with all Member States to steadily improve the quality and reliability of the laboratory data used to determine the Region’s progress towards measles and rubella elimination. The latest step in this process is to support accredited laboratories at national level in developing country-specific oversight mechanisms to ensure quality data is received from all levels of their countries’ disease surveillance systems.

No disease elimination verification without quality data
Measles and rubella are targeted for elimination in the European Region. Each year the independent European Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination (RVC) meets to review country reports and verify whether each country remains endemic for these diseases or has successfully prevented the viruses or stopped them from spreading within their borders. To make these assessments, the RVC requires reliable evidence, including the volume and outcome of laboratory testing of suspected cases, in addition to the number and proportion of children vaccinated each year. As a country progresses toward measles and/or rubella elimination, increasingly complex laboratory evidence is required to verify the country’s status.

Critical steps towards in-country oversight
WHO/Europe coordinates the European Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network (MR LabNet). Each of the national laboratories in this network undergoes regular external quality assessment through an annual accreditation programme. They all also benefit from periodic regional meetings, technical updates and training.

In many Member States, however, measles and rubella testing is often performed in non-WHO-accredited laboratories and several Member States still fail to provide information about the proficiency of these laboratories. Strengthening the role of national laboratories in overseeing the performance of subnational laboratories in these countries has become a critical need in monitoring the Region’s measles and rubella elimination efforts.

Supported by their health authorities, some WHO-accredited national laboratories have undertaken different approaches to ensure quality, ranging from limited periodic quality control to establishing and coordinating national laboratory networks with a comprehensive accreditation system aligned with that of WHO.

To support Member States that have not yet initiated an oversight mechanism in line with WHO recommendations, WHO/Europe organized a technical consultation for the MR LabNet on 14–15 November 2019. The meeting brought together delegations from 8 countries; senior laboratory experts from the regional reference laboratory in Berlin, Germany, and the global specialized laboratory in London, United Kingdom; a representative of the Regional Verification Commission; and an observer from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Together they reviewed their national contexts and developed country-specific work plans for establishing national networks and/or oversight mechanisms, including preliminary monitoring and evaluation indicators. WHO/Europe will compile country best practices and lessons learned and share them in a publication to provide inspiration and guidance to other countries that have not yet established oversight mechanisms.

Establishing oversight mechanisms and/or national measles and rubella laboratory networks compliant with MR LabNet standards will not only optimize the participation of these networks in national and regional processes to verify disease elimination, but also contribute to strengthening the quality of vaccine-preventable disease surveillance…

Emergencies

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

Ebola Outbreak in DRC 74: 07 January 2020
Situation Update
Since the last Situation Report 73 issued on 24 December 2019, 28 new confirmed Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases were reported from five health zones in two affected provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 23 December 2019 to 5 January 2020. The new confirmed cases in the past 14 days are from Butembo, Katwa, Kalunguta, Mabalako and Mambasa. The source of exposure for the four new cases reported from Mambasa Health Zone, Ituri Province is currently under investigation. Mambasa Health Zone had previously not had a confirmed case for 66 days. Similarly, the source of exposure of the initial case reported in Kalunguta at the end of December is still under investigation…

…As of 5 January 2020, a total of 3390 EVD cases, including 3272 confirmed and 118 probable cases have been reported, of which 2233 cases died (overall case fatality ratio 66%). Of the total confirmed and probable cases, 56% (1903) were female, 28% (956) were children aged less than 18 years, and 5% (168) were healthcare workers.

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

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
http://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-now/this-week/

Summary of new viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
:: Afghanistan — two WPV1 cases and two WPV1 positive environmental samples;
:: Pakistan — 11 WPV1 cases, 13 WPV1 positive environmental samples and two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples;
:: Malaysia — one cVDPV2 and one positive environmental samples;
:: Zambia — one cVDPV2 case.

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

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 11 Jan 2020]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Ebola Outbreak in DRC 74: 07 January 2020
[See Ebola above for detail]

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

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 11 Jan 2020]
Measles in Europe
:: Strengthening national laboratories’ oversight capacity to support measles and rubella elimination 08-01-2020
[See Milestones above for detail]

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
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 11 Jan 2020]

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. 
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Syrian Arab Republic: Recent Developments in Northwestern Syria Situation Report No. 5 – As of 8 January 2020

Yemen – 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 – No new digest announcements identified
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified

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

WHO & Regional Offices [to 11 Jan 2020]
6 January 2020 News release
Ministry of Health Lauds Partners for Support during Ebola Preparedness Response in Uganda

::::::

Weekly Epidemiological Record, 10 January 2020, vol. 95, 01/02 (pp. 1–12)
Review of the 2019 influenza season in the southern hemisphere

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
No new digest content identified.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified.

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: Time for integrated and people-centred services for HIV, TB and viral hepatitis 10-01-2020
;; Cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China 10-01-2020

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
No new digest content identified.

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified.

CDC/ACIP [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html

MMWR News Synopsis January 10, 2020
Population Movement Patterns Among the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda During an Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease: Results from Community Engagement in Two Districts — Uganda, March 2019
Trade and business, need for health care, visits to family, refugee support, and insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) drive population movement patterns between Rwanda, Uganda, and the provinces in eastern DRC that are experiencing an Ebola outbreak. One of the ground crossing closures in Rwanda initiated in February 2019 caused significant shifts in some cross-border movement patterns leading to travel between Goma and Uganda that avoided Rwanda and passed through more insecure areas of DRC. The 10th Ebola virus disease (EVD) DRC was declared in an area with a high volume of cross-border movement. Officials in southwest Uganda identified 31 locations in their communities where people from eastern DRC visit and traced cross-border movement pathways to the EVD outbreak areas.

Case Definitions Used During the First 6 Months of the 10th Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — Four Neighboring Countries, August 2018–February 2019
If a disease outbreak is occurring near international borders, harmonizing case definitions between neighboring countries can be vital to effective cross-border communication and collaboration. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is experiencing its 10th Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in an area with a high volume of cross-border population movement. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda priority countries for Ebola preparedness because of the high risk of cross-border spread. The CDC worked with ministries of health in DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda to collect each ministry-of-health-approved EVD case definition during the first six months of the outbreak to evaluate the similarities and differences across countries. Case definitions are used to identify people who might have a particular disease based on signs and symptoms of illness, exposure history, and laboratory test results. Harmonizing case definitions across neighboring countries can improve collaboration and help reduce the risk of cross-border disease spread.

Africa CDC [to 11 Jan 2020]
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/
No new digest content identified.

Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
No new digest content identified.

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 11 Jan 2020]
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 11 Jan 2020]
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.
01.08.2020  |
CARB-X funds TAXIS Pharmaceuticals to accelerate development of innovative efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs), a new drug class that would impair bacteria’s ability to fight antibiotics
CARB-X is awarding TAXIS Pharmaceuticals of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, USA, up to US$3.2 million in non-dilutive funding to develop efflux pump inhibitors (EPI), a new drug class designed to destroy a major mechanism of multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. TAXIS is eligible for additional funding of up to $11.4 million if the project achieves certain milestones. TAXIS’ EPIs are designed to disable the bacteria’s efflux pumps, which act like bilge pumps to flush out antibiotics from the bacterial cell in order to safeguard the superbug from the effects of antibiotics.

01.07.2020  |
CARB-X backs Centauri to advance a new platform that combines antibiotic power with the ability to boost the immune system to fight infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria
CARB-X is awarding Centauri Therapeutics of Sandwich, UK, up to $1.4 million in non-dilutive funding to develop a novel dual-acting immunotherapy to treat serious infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens, including drug-resistant strains of Enterobacteriaceae, P. aeruginosa, and A.baumannii.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://cepi.net/
Latest news
No new digest content identified.

Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://clintonhealthaccess.org/
News & Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

EDCTP [to 11 Jan 2020]
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
No new digest content identified.

Emory Vaccine Center [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

European Vaccine Initiative [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/news-events
No new digest content identified.

FDA [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Fondation Merieux [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
20 – 22 Jan 2020
Mérieux Foundation co-organized event
Dengue pre-vaccination screening strategies workshop
Les Pensières Center for Global Health, Veyrier-du-Lac (France)

Gavi [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.gavi.org/
No new digest content identified.
GHIT Fund [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 2012 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that No new digest content identified.

Global Fund [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
No new digest content identified.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 11 Jan 2020]
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
No new digest content identified.

International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
Geneva, 7 January 2020
Hanan Sboul takes over the position of IGBA Chair
IGBA, the International Generic and Biosimilar medicines Association (IGBA), representing global manufacturers of generic and biosimilar medicines, announced today that Hanan Sboul, Secretary General of the Jordanian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, is taking over the position of IGBA Chair for 2020 from Jim Keon, President of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association and Biosimilars Canada.
Key milestones were achieved for the IGBA during 2019, namely the signature of a memorandum of understanding with the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote accessi and the adoption by the International Council for Harmonization (ICH) of a new topic proposal on bioequivalenceii…

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

IFRC [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Asia Pacific
Red Cross releases funds in anticipation of extreme winter in Mongolia
Forecasts of an extreme winter in Mongolia have triggered the release of funding to reduce its impact on vulnerable herders. This is the first time this early action funding mechanism developed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has been used anywhere.
9 January 2020

IVAC [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
IVI to lead critical standard reagents availability for oral cholera vaccine manufacturing to ensure their uniform efficacy and help meet global demand
January 9, 2020 – SEOUL, South Korea – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) received a $1.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to ensure critical standards and reagents are available to low-cost oral cholera vaccine (OCV) manufacturers in the global health market. International standardization in the manufacturing and release of OCV will ultimately ensure sufficient supply of low-cost prequalified vaccines in the 39 Gavi countries, where demand currently exceeds the supply.

There are currently no International Standards or reference reagents available to vaccine manufacturers to test the cholera vaccine antigens containing bulk drug substances or products. This lack of standardization led IVI to organize a meeting in May 2018 on “International Standards for Oral Whole Cell Killed Cholera Vaccines,” funded by the Gates Foundation. Representatives from leading research institutions and national regulatory agencies attended the meeting, as well as field experts in inactivated killed OCV from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), to outline consensus on the specification of reagents for LPS inhibition ELISA to be established as WHO International Standards.

“Making available reference reagents will ensure uniform efficacy and allow multiple manufacturers to scale up production of low-cost cholera vaccine, which currently can’t fulfill global demand,” says Dr. Ravi Ganapathy, Head of Vaccine Process Development at IVI…

JEE Alliance [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
No new digest content identified.

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
NVAC 2020 Meetings
February 13-14, 2020 NVAC Meeting
June 9-10, 2020 NVAC Meeting
September 23-24, 2020 Meeting (Virtual)

NIH [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
No new digest content identified.

PATH [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Selected Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
9 January 2020
UNAIDS Executive Director urges Uganda to do more domestically

UNICEF [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Reports
Statement
UNICEF calls on all stakeholders to put children first and ensure their safeguarding in these times of crisis in Lebanon
Statement by Yukie Mokuo, UNICEF Representative in Lebanon
10/01/2020

Press release
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Liam Neeson joins the call to ramp up support to Venezuelan migrant children during visit to Brazil-Venezuela border
10/01/2020

Press release
Fighting in and around Tripoli shuts 210 schools, depriving over 115,000 children of their education
06/01/2020

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News | 9 January 2020
Katie Anastasi-Frankovics is Wellcome’s new Director of Innovations
We are making two new appointments to Wellcome’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) – Katie Anastasi-Frankovics is becoming Director of Innovations and Karen Chadwick is now Finance Director.

The Wistar Institute [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2019/
No new digest content identified.

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ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
January 10, 2020
New Report Demonstrates Potential for Cell and Gene Therapies to Provide Cost Savings
WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 10, 2020 – The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the leading international advocacy organization representing the cell and gene therapy and broader regenerative medicine sector, today announced the release of a report, “A Transformative Therapy Value Model for Rare Blood Diseases.” The report uses a refined value model to assess the impact of durable and potentially curative cell and gene therapies on health system costs.

Produced by the Marwood Group with support from ARM, the report calculates the potential cost savings that a durable cell or gene therapy could provide when treating patients with multiple myeloma, hemophilia A, or sickle cell disease. Under the current standard of care, these three disease states are projected to cost the United States healthcare system $163B per year by 2029.

Key findings from the report include:
:: The total potential savings of cell and gene therapies range from 18% to 30% in annual total disease costs and productivity. This represents an aggregate cost savings of more than $33B over ten years.
:: The modeled cost savings were highest in multiple myeloma patients ($27B in cumulative savings per year by 2029) due to the high cost of the current standard of care and to greater productivity losses experienced by the adult children caregivers of older patients.
:: Innovative financing models, such as subscription models, payment-over-time, and value-based payments, are needed to help payers offset the potentially high upfront costs of these therapies and realize longer term cost-savings…

BIO [to 11 Jan 2020]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News
DCVMN International welcomes newly formed Executive Committee 2020-23
Geneva, 02 January 2020 – At its 20th Annual General Meeting held in Rio, on October 22nd 2019, the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network international members elected, among its nominated membership, the new Executive Committee members, who volunteer their time and expertise to ensure the success of the Network.
We are pleased to announce the new Executive Committee, composed of seven voting members including Sai Prasad, from Bharat Biotech, India; Patrick Tippoo, from Biovac, South Africa; Tiago Rocca, from Butantan, Brazil; Lingjiang Yang, from CNBG, China; Fernando Lobos, from Sinergium, Argentina; Weidan (Wendy) Huang, from Innovax, China and Adriansjah Azhari, from Biofarma, Indonesia…

IFPMA [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 11 Jan 2020]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
Press Release
New Analysis Finds Nearly 50% of Brand Medicine Spending Goes to the Supply Chain and Others
The Share of Total Spending for Brand Medicines Retained by the Supply Chain and Others Increased from 33% in 2013 to 46% in 2018
January 9, 2020
Washington, D.C. (January 9, 2020) — Nearly half of total spending on brand medicines – the sum of all payments made at the pharmacy or paid on a claim to a health care provider – went to the supply chain and other entities in 2018, according to a new analysis from the Berkeley Research Group (BRG). Innovative biopharmaceutical companies that research, develop and manufacture medicines retained just 54% of total point-of-sale spending on brand medicines. The share of spending received by other stakeholders increased from 33% in 2013 to 46% in 2018.
“This data reaffirms that we need to look at the entire supply chain in order to solve patient affordability challenges,” said Stephen J. Ubl, president and chief executive officer of PhRMA. “We need to fix the misaligned incentives in the supply chain, including the broken rebate system, to ensure patients benefit at the pharmacy counter from the significant discounts and rebates.”…

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

Annals of Internal Medicine
7 January 2020 Vol: 172, Issue 1
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Editorials
Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Through Age 45 Years in the United States
Jean-François Laprise, PhD; Harrell W. Chesson, PhD; Lauri E. Markowitz, MD; Mélanie Drolet, PhD; Dave Martin, PhD; Élodie Bénard, MSc; Marc Brisson, PhD
Results of Base-Case Analysis:
The model predicts that the current U.S. HPV vaccination program will reduce the number of diagnoses of anogenital warts and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 2 or 3 and cases of cervical cancer and noncervical HPV-associated cancer by 82%, 80%, 59%, and 39%, respectively, over 100 years and is cost saving (vs. no vaccination). In contrast, extending vaccination to women and men aged 45 years is predicted to reduce these outcomes by an additional 0.4, 0.4, 0.2, and 0.2 percentage points, respectively. Vaccinating women and men up to age 30, 40, and 45 years is predicted to cost $830,000, $1,843,000, and $1,471,000, respectively, per quality-adjusted life-year gained (vs. current vaccination).

Genome Medicine
https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 11 Jan 2020]

Strains used in whole organism Plasmodium falciparum vaccine trials differ in genome structure, sequence, and immunogenic potential
Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) whole-organism sporozoite vaccines have been shown to provide significant protection against controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) in clinical trials. Initial CHMI studies showed si…

Authors: Kara A. Moser, Elliott F. Drábek, Ankit Dwivedi, Emily M. Stucke, Jonathan Crabtree, Antoine Dara, Zalak Shah, Matthew Adams, Tao Li, Priscila T. Rodrigues, Sergey Koren, Adam M. Phillippy, James B. Munro, Amed Ouattara, Benjamin C. Sparklin, Julie C. Dunning Hotopp…
Citation: Genome Medicine 2020 12:6
Content type: Research
Published on: 8 January 2020

Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 11 Jan 2020]

Understanding the implications of the Sustainable Development Goals for health policy and systems research: results of a research priority setting exercise
Given the paradigmatic shift represented by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as compared to the Millennium Development Goals – in particular their broad and interconnected nature – a new set of health …

Authors: Sara Bennett, Nasreen Jessani, Douglas Glandon, Mary Qiu, Kerry Scott, Ankita Meghani, Fadi El-Jardali, Daniel Maceira, Dena Javadi and Abdul Ghaffar
Citation: Globalization and Health 2020 16:5
Content type: Research
Published on: 9 January 2020

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
January 2020 Volume 90, p1-242
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(19)X0019-3

Reviews
The challenges of tuberculosis control in protracted conflict: The case of Syria
Aula Abbara, Mohamed Almalla, Ibrahim AlMasri, Hussam AlKabbani, Nabil Karah, Wael El-Amin, Latha Rajan, Ibrahim Rahhal, Mohammad Alabbas, Zaher Sahloul, Ahmad Tarakji, Annie Sparrow
p53–59
Published online: October 19, 2019
Abstract
Objectives
Syria’s protracted conflict has resulted in ideal conditions for the transmission of tuberculosis (TB) and the cultivation of drug-resistant strains. This paper compares TB control in Syria before and after the conflict using available data, examines the barriers posed by protracted conflict and those specific to Syria, and discusses what measures can be taken to address the control of TB in Syria.
Results
Forced mass displacement and systematic violations of humanitarian law have resulted in overcrowding and the destruction of key infrastructure, leading to an increased risk of both drug-sensitive and resistant TB, while restricting the ability to diagnose, trace contacts, treat, and follow-up. Pre-conflict, TB in Syria was officially reported at 22 per 100 000 population; the official figure for 2017 of 19 per 100 000 is likely a vast underestimate given the challenges and barriers to case detection. Limited diagnostics also affect the diagnosis of multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB, reported as comprising 8.8% of new diagnoses in 2017.
Conclusions
The control of TB in Syria requires a multipronged, tailored, and pragmatic approach to improve timely diagnosis, increase detection, stop transmission, and mitigate the risk of drug resistance. Solutions must also consider vulnerable populations such as imprisoned and besieged communities where the risk of drug resistance is particularly high, and must recognize the limitations of national programming. Strengthening capacity to control TB in Syria with particular attention to these factors will positively impact other parallel conditions; this is key as attention turns to post-conflict reconstruction.

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
January 2020 Volume 90, p1-242
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(19)X0019-3

Reviews
The challenges of tuberculosis control in protracted conflict: The case of Syria
Aula Abbara, Mohamed Almalla, Ibrahim AlMasri, Hussam AlKabbani, Nabil Karah, Wael El-Amin, Latha Rajan, Ibrahim Rahhal, Mohammad Alabbas, Zaher Sahloul, Ahmad Tarakji, Annie Sparrow
p53–59
Published online: October 19, 2019
Abstract
Objectives
Syria’s protracted conflict has resulted in ideal conditions for the transmission of tuberculosis (TB) and the cultivation of drug-resistant strains. This paper compares TB control in Syria before and after the conflict using available data, examines the barriers posed by protracted conflict and those specific to Syria, and discusses what measures can be taken to address the control of TB in Syria.
Results
Forced mass displacement and systematic violations of humanitarian law have resulted in overcrowding and the destruction of key infrastructure, leading to an increased risk of both drug-sensitive and resistant TB, while restricting the ability to diagnose, trace contacts, treat, and follow-up. Pre-conflict, TB in Syria was officially reported at 22 per 100 000 population; the official figure for 2017 of 19 per 100 000 is likely a vast underestimate given the challenges and barriers to case detection. Limited diagnostics also affect the diagnosis of multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB, reported as comprising 8.8% of new diagnoses in 2017.
Conclusions
The control of TB in Syria requires a multipronged, tailored, and pragmatic approach to improve timely diagnosis, increase detection, stop transmission, and mitigate the risk of drug resistance. Solutions must also consider vulnerable populations such as imprisoned and besieged communities where the risk of drug resistance is particularly high, and must recognize the limitations of national programming. Strengthening capacity to control TB in Syria with particular attention to these factors will positively impact other parallel conditions; this is key as attention turns to post-conflict reconstruction.

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
January 2020 Volume 90, p1-242
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(19)X0019-3

Impact of vaccines on antimicrobial resistance
Philippe Buchy, Sibel Ascioglu, Yves Buisson, Sanjoy Datta, Michael Nissen, Paul Anantharajah Tambyah, Sirenda Vong
p188–196
Published online: October 14, 2019

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
January 2020 Volume 90, p1-242
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(19)X0019-3

Original Reports
Were infections in migrants associated with the resurgence of measles epidemic during 2013–2014 in southern China? A retrospective data analysis
Ka Chun Chong, Pei Hu, See Yeung Chan, Wenjia Liang, Kirran N. Mohammad, Riyang Sun, Maggie Haitian Wang, Benny Chung Ying Zee, Duorui Shi, Huizhen Zheng
p77–83
Published online: October 18, 2019

JAMA
January 7, 2020, Vol 323, No. 1, Pages 11-100
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx

Viewpoint
Moving Toward Evidence-Based PolicyThe Value of Randomization for Program and Policy Implementation
Atheendar S. Venkataramani, MD, PhD; Kristen Underhill, JD, DPhil; Kevin G. Volpp, MD, PhD
JAMA. 2020;323(1):21-22. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.18061
This Viewpoint emphasizes the value of randomized evaluation of policies and programs designed to improve health behaviors, health outcomes, and health care delivery, and articulates preconditions that appear to be essential for the practice to become more of a standard in policy implementation.

JAMA Pediatrics
January 2020, Vol 174, No. 1, Pages 1-108
http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx

Original Investigation
Factors Associated With Measles Transmission in the United States During the Postelimination Era
Paul A. Gastañaduy, MD, MPH; Sebastian Funk, PhD; Benjamin A. Lopman, PhD; et al.
open access
JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(1):56-62. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.4357
This cross-sectional study examines the factors associated with measles transmission in the United States after measles had been eliminated.

JAMA Pediatrics
January 2020, Vol 174, No. 1, Pages 1-108
http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx

Research Letter
Association of Seasonal Severity and Vaccine Effectiveness With Influenza Vaccination Rates in Children
Claire Abraham, MD; Qixuan Chen, PhD; Weijia Fan, MS; et al.
JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(1):86-88. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.4221
This study examines the associations of seasonal influenza severity as well as current and prior year’s vaccine effectiveness with yearly influenza vaccination rates stratified by age groups.

JAMA Pediatrics
January 2020, Vol 174, No. 1, Pages 1-108
http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx

Association of Vaccine-Preventable Disease Incidence With Proposed State Vaccine Exemption Legislation
Neal D. Goldstein, PhD, MBI; Jonathan Purtle, DrPH, MSc; Joanna S. Suder, JD
JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(1):88-89. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.4365
This study evaluates the association of vaccine-preventable disease incidence with trends in the introduction of state legislation that would alter vaccine exemption laws.

Journal of Adolescent Health
December 2019 Volume 65, Issue 6, Supplement, S1-S62
https://www.jahonline.org/issue/S1054-139X(19)X0005-1

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Progress in the 25 Years Since the International Conference on Population and Development and Prospects for the Next 25 years
Edited by Caroline W. Kabiru
Review Articles
The State of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
Mengjia Liang, Sandile Simelane, Guillem Fortuny Fillo, Satvika Chalasani, Katherine Weny, Pablo Salazar Canelos, Lorna Jenkins, Ann-Beth Moller, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli, Lale Say, Kristien Michielsen, Danielle Marie Claire Engel, Rachel Snow
S3–S15
Published in issue: December 2019

Journal of Adolescent Health
December 2019 Volume 65, Issue 6, Supplement, S1-S62
https://www.jahonline.org/issue/S1054-139X(19)X0005-1

The Political, Research, Programmatic, and Social Responses to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the 25 Years Since the International Conference on Population and Development
Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli, B. Jane Ferguson, Marina Plesons, Mandira Paul, Satvika Chalasani, Avni Amin, Christina Pallitto, Marni Sommers, Ruben Avila, Kalisito Va Eceéce Biaukula, Scheherazade Husain, Eglé Janušonytė, Aditi Mukherji, Ali Ihsan Nergiz, Gogontlejang Phaladi, Chelsey Porter, Josephine Sauvarin, Alma Virginia Camacho-Huber, Sunil Mehra, Sonja Caffe, Kristien Michielsen, David Anthony Ross, Ilya Zhukov, Linda Gail Bekker, Connie L. Celum, Robyn Dayton, Annabel Erulkar, Ellen Travers, Joar Svanemyr, Nankali Maksud, Lina Digolo-Nyagah, Nafissatou J. Diop, Pema Lhaki, Kamal Adhikari, Teresa Mahon, Maja Manzenski Hansen, Meghan Greeley, Joanna Herat, Danielle Marie Claire Engel
S16–S40
Published in issue: December 2019

Journal of Adolescent Health
December 2019 Volume 65, Issue 6, Supplement, S1-S62
https://www.jahonline.org/issue/S1054-139X(19)X0005-1

Forward, Together: A Collaborative Path to Comprehensive Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Our Time
Marina Plesons, Claire B. Cole, Gwyn Hainsworth, Ruben Avila, Kalisito Va Eceéce Biaukula, Scheherazade Husain, Eglė Janušonytė, Aditi Mukherji, Ali Ihsan Nergiz, Gogontlejang Phaladi, B. Jane Ferguson, Anandita Philipose, Bruce Dick, Cate Lane, Joanna Herat, Danielle Marie Claire Engel, Sally Beadle, Brendan Hayes, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli
S51–S62

Journal of Community Health
Volume 45, Issue 1, February 2020
https://link.springer.com/journal/10900/45/1

Original Paper
Perceived Barriers and Trends in HPV Vaccination via Patient Survey Responses at Kalamazoo, Michigan’s Federally-Qualified Health Center
Nathan VanderVeen, Arika Wieneke, Samantha Tran, Amie Kim… Pages 48-54

Journal of Community Health
Volume 45, Issue 1, February 2020
https://link.springer.com/journal/10900/45/1

Original Paper
Vaccine-Hesitant and Vaccine-Refusing Parents’ Reflections on the Way Parenthood Changed Their Attitudes to Vaccination
T. Rozbroj, A. Lyons, J. Lucke Pages 63-72

Journal of Community Health
Volume 45, Issue 1, February 2020
https://link.springer.com/journal/10900/45/1

Original Paper
Cost-Effectiveness of Pneumococcal Vaccination and Uptake Improvement Programs in Underserved and General Population Adults Aged < 65 Years
Angela R. Wateska, Mary Patricia Nowalk, Chyongchiou J. Lin… Pages 111-120

Journal of Community Health
Volume 45, Issue 1, February 2020
https://link.springer.com/journal/10900/45/1

Original Paper
The Impact of Michigan’s Nonmedical Vaccine Exemption Rule Change on Philosophical Exemption Rates
Duduzile P. Mashinini, Kieran J. Fogarty, Rachel C. Potter… Pages 148-153

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
January 2020 – Volume 74 – 1
https://jech.bmj.com/content/74/1

Reviews
Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer in imprisoned women worldwide: a systematic review and meta-analysis
(23 October, 2019)
Nadia Escobar, Emma Plugge

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
January 2020 – Volume 74 – 1
https://jech.bmj.com/content/74/1

Other Topics
Does health plan type influence receipt of an annual influenza vaccination?
(19 October, 2019)
Ian W Watson, Sanda Cristina Oancea

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 22, Issue 1, February 2020
https://link.springer.com/journal/10903/22/1

Original Paper
Sexual Health, HIV Care and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in the African Immigrant Population: A Needs Assessment
Olihe N. Okoro, Shanasha O. Whitson

The Lancet
Jan 11, 2020 Volume 395Number 10218p89-164, e2-e5
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
Join the Lancet 2020 Campaign on child and adolescent health
The Lancet
We started science-based advocacy with our first ever global health Series on child mortality in 2003. The 2003 Series pointed out that of the 10 million annual deaths of children younger than 5 years worldwide, two-thirds were preventable. The recommendations then were to reinvigorate the child survival revolution of the 1980s by ensuring equity in access to health care and preventive interventions; creating clear leadership for child survival; strengthening health systems; and providing adequate and targeted human and financial resources for child health. However, now in 2020, we see an urgent need to make child and adolescent health and wellbeing the focus of a special campaign across our journals as progress made is stalling or reversing and new political and environmental realities are emerging.

Much positive change has happened in the past 17 years in child and adolescent health, which might be seen as a beacon in achievements in global health overall. Under-5 mortality has more than halved since 1990, to about 5·3 million deaths in 2018. Maternal health and early child development have been recognised as important foundations for lifelong health and wellbeing. The adolescent years have been discovered as a time of unique opportunity to extend the gains made in early childhood and in some cases to provide a second chance to foster and strengthen health and wellbeing, with far-reaching consequences into adulthood and the next generation. Adolescents and young people have taken the initiative, joined global health discussions, and, in the past year in particular, have been vocal advocates for actions to address climate change and environmental degradation, and to protect planetary health.

The Millennium Development Goals agenda that concluded in 2015 provided clear targets and achieved measurable—albeit uneven—progress. The then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s focus on the Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health, launched in 2015, was a welcome focus on the groups that arguably matter most for the subsequently agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But now, at the start of the fifth year into the SDGs, there is cause for concern. The UN’s leadership’s focus has moved away from health. WHO’s prioritisation of universal health coverage has weakened the attention given to maternal, child, newborn, and adolescent health.
In addition, the economic, political, commercial, and environmental determinants—so essential for child and adolescent health—have changed dramatically. A child growing up today faces an unprecedented threat to health and livelihood, let alone wellbeing, because of a climate emergency. Migration, increasing conflicts, political agendas moving away from provision of social safety nets and poverty reduction even in high-income countries, the continued commercial exploitation of children and young people leading to unhealthy diets, and exposure to alcohol and tobacco products mean that children and adolescents in 2020 need special attention if we are serious about a sustainable and healthy future for all.

With this editorial we start our Lancet 2020 Campaign on child and adolescent health. Throughout the year there will be milestone publications and events. In February, a new WHO–UNICEF Lancet Commission will put children firmly at the centre of the SDGs in the hope to kick-start a new global movement. Global Burden of Disease papers will provide new data to monitor progress. A Commission on Women, Children, and Adolescent Health in China will place a spotlight on a country where many children and adolescents live and a rapid transition of determinants of health and the health-care system is happening. A Series on physical activity will include new findings and recommendations for adolescents and further Series will aim to unify the fields of maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health around the goal of a lifelong attention to health and equity achieved through intersectoral collaboration. At the Tokyo Global Nutrition Summit, we aim to launch a Series on adolescent nutrition. Our specialty journals have plans to publish Commissions on institutionalised children, paediatric cancer care, youth mental health services, and pain control in children.

A special communications strategy will be developed to support the campaign and facilitate partnerships with as many other communities as possible. We aim to engage and galvanise political leaders, policy makers, civil society and non-governmental organisations, researchers and clinicians, funders and responsible commercial organisations, and children and young people themselves. Please join us to make a difference with our 2020 Campaign.

Nature
Volume 577 Issue 7789, 9 January 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Editorial | 07 January 2020
The trick that could inject new life into an old tuberculosis vaccine
The BCG vaccine is nearing its centenary. A new delivery method could protect more people from one of the world’s biggest killers.

Nature
Volume 577 Issue 7789, 9 January 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Review Article | 08 January 2020
A brief history of human disease genetics
This Review describes progress in the study of human genetics, in which rapid advances in technology, foundational genomic resources and analytical tools have contributed to the understanding of the mechanisms responsible for many rare and common diseases and to preventative and therapeutic strategies for many of these conditions.
Melina Claussnitzer, Judy H. Cho[…] & Mark I. McCarthy

Pediatrics
January 01, 2020; Volume 145,Issue 1
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/145/1

Quality Reports
Previsit Planning Improves Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates in Childhood-Onset SLE
Vidya Sivaraman, Kelly A. Wise, William Cotton, Fatima Barbar-Smiley, Ohoud AlAhmed, Darby MacDonald, Stephanie Lemle, Cagri Yildirim-Toruner, Stacy P. Ardoin, Monica I. Ardura
Pediatrics, Jan 2020, 145 (1) e20183141

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 11 Jan 2020)

Infectious disease pandemic planning and response: Incorporating decision analysis
Freya M. Shearer, Robert Moss, Jodie McVernon, Joshua V. Ross, James M. McCaw
Policy Forum | published 09 Jan 2020 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003018
Summary points
:: Planning is critical to mitigating the sudden and potentially catastrophic impact of an infectious disease pandemic on society. National pandemic policy documents cover a wide variety of control options, often with nonspecific recommendations for action.
:: Despite advances in analytical methods for gaining early situational awareness (i.e., of a disease’s transmissibility and severity) and for predicting the likely effectiveness of interventions, a major gap exists globally in terms of integrating these outputs with the advice contained in policy documents.
:: Decision models (and decision science as a field, more broadly) provide an approach to defining and evaluating alternative policy options under complex and changing conditions.
:: A decision model for infectious disease pandemics is an appropriate method for integrating evidence from situational and intervention analysis tools, along with the information in policy documents, to provide robust advice on possible response options (including uncertainty).
:: A decision model for pandemic response cannot capture all of the social, political, and ethical considerations that impact decision-making. Such a model should therefore be embedded in a decision support system that emphasizes this broader context.

Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH)
https://www.paho.org/journal/en

Latest articles
6 Jan 2020
Comparative analysis of policies regulating clinical trials
Original research | Portuguese |
The present article compares clinical trial regulations in Brazil, India, Canada, and the European Union with the aim of providing evidence for an evaluation of the Brazilian regulatory policy. For that, a document analysis approach was used, in four steps: preliminary exploratory analysis; descriptive study; categorization of information; contrasting contents. Noteworthy differences between the Brazilian regulatory framework as compared to the other regions studied include the existence of several laws and regulations in Brazil vs. a single rule in the other countries; the absence of requirements regarding drug traceability and collection and disposal of unused drugs if a study is interrupted or cancelled; and a higher time of 180 days for approval of clinical trials (vs. 30 days in the European Union or Canada, for example). This suggests opportunities for improvement and update of the Brazilian regulations vis-à-vis the international scenario.

Science
10 January 2020 Vol 367, Issue 6474
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Policy Forum
Waiting for data: Barriers to executing data use agreements
By Michelle M. Mello, George Triantis, Robyn Stanton, Erik Blumenkranz, David M. Studdert
Science10 Jan 2020 : 150-152 Full Access
Delays stem from institutional factors and negotiating challenges, some of which appear amenable to reform
Summary
Many academic researchers who use preexisting data to conduct research describe a common experience: waiting for university officials to finalize and sign contracts necessary to transfer the data. These data use agreements (DUAs) detail the terms under which data will be disclosed, transferred, stored, and used, specifying rights and obligations for both the data supplier and the recipient (1). Faculty members often struggle to understand why DUAs for transfers of seemingly low-risk data take so long to conclude. To understand reasons for delays and explore what might be done to streamline the process, we interviewed a sample of university officials responsible for negotiating DUAs. This first empirical investigation of the DUA process found that procedural inefficiencies, incomplete information, data suppliers’ lack of incentives and familiarity with academic practices, and faculty unresponsiveness may be more important contributors to delays than the lawyers being at loggerheads over their respective positions. Although researchers may view DUAs as another symptom that research has become “overlawyered,” our study suggests that they may underappreciate the importance of these contracts and the complexity of negotiating them.

Systematic Reviews
https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 11 Jan 2020]

Mapping the evidence on health equity considerations in economic evaluations of health interventions: a scoping review protocol
Equity in health has become an important policy agenda around the world, prompting health economists to advance methods to enable the inclusion of equity in economic evaluations. Among the methods that have been proposed to explicitly include equity are the weighting analysis, equity impact analysis, and equity trade-off analysis. This is a new development and a comprehensive overview of trends and concepts of health equity in economic evaluations is lacking. Thus, our objective is to map the current state of the literature with respect to how health equity is considered in economic evaluations of health interventions reported in the academic and gray literature.

Authors: Hafizah Besar Sa’aid, Sharon Mathew, Marina Richardson, Joanna M. Bielecki and Beate Sander
Citation: Systematic Reviews 2020 9:6
Content type: Protocol
Published on: 8 January 2020

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 411-708 (16 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/2

Review article Abstract only
Effectiveness of email-based reminders to increase vaccine uptake: a systematic review
Beatrice Frascella, Aurea Oradini-Alacreu, Federica Balzarini, Carlo Signorelli, … Anna Odone
Pages 433-443

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 411-708 (16 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/2

Review article Open access
Barriers to vaccination in Latin America: A systematic literature review
Adriana Guzman-Holst, Rodrigo DeAntonio, David Prado-Cohrs, Patricia Juliao
Pages 470-481
Highlights
:: Individual/group influence is the main vaccination barrier in Latin America.
:: Low socio-economic group, less educated and age contribute to low vaccine uptake.
:: Education and trust in healthcare professionals enhances vaccine acceptance.
:: More data is needed within target population subgroups, countries and vaccine type.

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 411-708 (16 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/2

Review article Abstract only
The emergence of vaccine hesitancy among upper-class Brazilians: Results from four birth cohorts, 1982–2015
Mariangela F. Silveira, Romina Buffarini, Andrea D. Bertoldi, Iná S. Santos, … Cesar G. Victora
Pages 482-488

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 411-708 (16 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/2

Review article Abstract only
Image of the new vaccination obligation through the media
Eva Mitilian, Fady Malli, Pierre Verger
Pages 498-511

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 411-708 (16 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/2

Research articleOpen access
Effect of donor funding for immunization from Gavi and other development assistance channels on vaccine coverage: Evidence from 120 low and middle income recipient countries
Gloria Ikilezi, Orvalho J. Augusto, Joseph L. Dieleman, Kenneth Sherr, Stephen S. Lim
Pages 588-596

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 411-708 (16 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/2

Review article Abstract only
Applying a governance barometer to vaccine delivery systems: Lessons from a rural district of Pakistan
Shehla Zaidi, Atif Riaz, Syed Shahzad Hussain, Saad B. Omer, Asad Ali
Pages 627-634

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 411-708 (16 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/2

Review article Abstract only
School-based delivery of routinely recommended vaccines and opportunities to check vaccination status at school, a global summary, 2008–2017
Leora R. Feldstein, Garrett Fox, Abigail Shefer, Laura M. Conklin, Kirsten Ward
Pages 680-689