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 25 May 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 25 May 2019
Health
Mumps and measles cases in England prompt vaccine call
By James Gallagher Health and science correspondent, BBC News
24 May 2019

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 25 May 2019
Never too old –
Measles is often spread by adults
Vaccinating children only is no longer enough
May 25th 2019

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 25 May 2019
U.S.
Maine to End Non-Medical Exemptions for Vaccinations
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed into law a bill that eliminates religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccinations in Maine.
May 24

Health
To Calm Nervous Families, Pakistan Changes Polio Vaccination Tactics
Paralysis cases spiked after a vaccination drive was derailed by false rumors that dozens of children had collapsed and died.
May 24

U.S.
Flu Outbreak Sickens Over 30 Migrants at Border Center
More than 30 migrants have tested positive for influenza at a major processing center where a flu-stricken teenage boy died, the latest evidence of growing public health threats posed by inadequate facilities to deal with a surge of families and children reaching the U.S. border.
May 22

Opinion
Infecting People Isn’t a Religious Right
The measles outbreak makes it vital for New York lawmakers to end religious exemptions for vaccinations.
By The Editorial Board
May 21

Health
Measles Outbreak Now at 880 Cases, With Fastest Growth Still in New York
Warming weather usually slows transmission of the virus, but it is not clear that this outbreak is fading, experts said.
May 20

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
May 23, 2019
Indianapolis 500 officials to offer measles vaccine at race

With more than 1,100 dead, Congo’s Ebola outbreak is only getting worse. Now doctors are forced to go undercover. 

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new relevant content]

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

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 25 May 2019
Commentary
Polio Eradication Needs Gavi Collaboration
May 22, 2019 | By Nellie Bristol

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new relevant content]

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 25 May 2019
[No new relevant content]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

72nd session of the World Health Assembly
20-28 May 2019, Geneva
Main documents [selected]
A72/1 – Provisional agenda

A72/5 – Proposed programme budget 2020–2021
Thirteenth General Programme of Work, 2019-2023
WHO Impact Framework

A72/6 – Public health emergencies: preparedness and response
Report of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health
Emergencies Programme

A72/7 – Public health emergencies: preparedness and response
WHO’s work in health emergencies

A72/8 – Public health emergencies: preparedness and response
International Health Regulations (2005)
Annual report on the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005)

A72/9 – Polio Eradication

A72/10 – Polio Transition

A72/11 – Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

A72/12 – Universal health coverage
Primary health care towards universal health coverage

A72/17 – Access to medicines and vaccines

A72/18 – Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on
health-related issues
Antimicrobial resistance

A72/19 – Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on
health-related issues
Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases

A72/20 – Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on
health-related issues
Ending tuberculosis

A72/21 – Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework for the sharing of influenza viruses and
access to vaccines and other benefits
Implementation of decision WHA71(11) (2018)

A72/22 – Member State mechanism on substandard and falsified medical products

A72/25 – Promoting the health of refugees and migrants Draft global action plan, 2019–2023

A72/28 – Smallpox eradication: destruction of variola virus stocks

[Full Main Documents inventory at title link above]

Featured Journal Content

Nature
Volume 569 Issue 7756, 16 May 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html
World View | 14 May 2019
Vaccination lags behind in middle-income countries
Poor children in relatively rich nations are being let down by immunization programmes
Seth Berkley, Gavi
Indonesia, Iraq and South Africa now rank among the ten countries with the highest number of under-immunized children worldwide, even though these countries are richer than many of their neighbours. What is going on?

Not so long ago, improving the health of the world’s poorest people meant focusing on the world’s poorest countries. That’s changing. Soon, the majority of the most vulnerable populations will be in middle-income countries (MICs), where gross national income per capita is between US$995 and $12,055 per year. Increasing migration, urbanization, conflict and climate change are causing inequities to yawn ever wider, despite United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind.

As the World Health Assembly meets in Geneva, Switzerland, next week, the development community must tackle an emerging conundrum: how do we increase access to vaccines, primary health care and other essential health interventions in countries that can — at least according to their gross national incomes — afford them?

My organization, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, was founded in 2000 to boost immunization in the poorest countries. It is credited with helping to vaccinate more than 700 million children against a range of diseases, from measles and diphtheria to pneumonia and cervical cancer. Despite success in the poorest countries, an analysis we carried out this year found that, since 2010, routine immunization levels have either stagnated or dropped in 54 of 85 MICs too prosperous to qualify for Gavi support.

We project that by 2030, almost 70% of the world’s under-immunized children will be living in countries ineligible for Gavi’s vaccination programmes, such as Nigeria, India and the Philippines.

Gavi’s programmes subsidize new and expensive childhood vaccinations. Governments take on more of the cost as countries’ economies grow. This means that children in some of the countries with the weakest economies are actually better protected against infectious disease than are those in some wealthier countries. South Africa, for example, has a gross national income per capita of around seven times that of Rwanda. Yet only 66% of its children receive the routine three doses of the DTP3 vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis — compared with 98% in Rwanda.

Unsupported MICs are also neglecting important new vaccines that have huge impacts on death and disease rates. For example, 52% are yet to introduce the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and in 61%, plans to introduce rotavirus vaccine are still pending . Together, these vaccines can help to protect against two of the biggest killers of under-fives: pneumonia and diarrhoea.

That does not mean that MICs are investing less in health care. Those that have never received Gavi support currently spend an average of $90 per live birth on routine immunization, versus $25 in Gavi-supported low-income countries. Yet immunization programmes in these MICs struggle to reach vulnerable populations. That’s often for a combination of reasons: domestic resources are allocated inefficiently; efforts to reach marginalized communities are not a political priority; and health systems are unable to cope with additional stressors.

Those interacting factors help to explain why the main burden of unimmunized people is shifting from mostly low-income countries to MICs. By 2025, nearly 80% of people in the lowest income brackets — those living on less than $8 a day — will be in MICs. This is almost double the proportion in 2000. As the economies of very populous low-income countries grow, many, including India (with 1.3 billion people) and Vietnam (with 96 million people), are being re-classified to middle-income status. As a result, a greater portion of the world’s population lives in MICs. However, because economic growth is not distributed equitably, many people in these countries remain poor.

Another factor is fragility. The past ten years have seen conflicts more than double. This has contributed to unprecedented global migration. Of the 68.5 million people currently displaced from their homes and less likely to receive vaccinations, more than half are in MICs. At the same time, urbanization is increasing fastest in these countries. More than one-third of urban populations in MICs live in slums, where infections can spread quickly.

All this demands a rethink of global health policy. MICs need support to strengthen their health systems and to improve how they procure vaccines and regulate them. They need access to information technologies to monitor who is getting vaccines, to target at-risk communities and to evaluate strategies. And mechanisms are needed that set prices according to what countries can reasonably pay. Prosperous countries should pay more for vaccines. But according to World Health Organization data, the pneumococcal vaccine, for example, costs, on average, eight times more in never-supported MICs than in countries receiving Gavi support, even though the MICs’ gross national incomes and ability to pay might not be commensurately larger.

Since 1990, childhood mortality has more than halved worldwide — mainly because fewer under-fives now die from infectious disease. Polio is on the brink of eradication, with just 33 cases last year. It is time for the global health community to adapt: we must not leave behind vulnerable populations in middle-income countries.

Featured Journal Content

Global Fund Board Steps Up the Fight Against AIDS, TB and Malaria
16 May 2019
GENEVA – The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved an allocation approach to maximize the impact of investments to end the epidemics and to build resilient and sustainable systems for health, stepping up efforts for the next three-year funding period.

At the Board’s 41st meeting, members approved a methodology for allocation and for catalytic investments in the 2020-2022 period, to focus funding on countries with the highest disease burden and lowest economic capacity, and accounting for key and vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by HIV, TB and malaria.

The Board expressed a consensus that the Global Fund’s allocation model is maturing well. The Board’s decision incorporates lessons from implementation and includes refinements based on recommendations by its Strategy Committee and technical partners including WHO, UNAIDS, the Stop TB Partnership, and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria.

As a partnership organization, the Global Fund brings together governments, civil society, technical partners, the private sector and people affected by HIV, TB and malaria, and maximizes impact through increased funding and greater effectiveness of available resources.
On several topics at the Board meeting, members stressed the strong advantages of leveraging partnerships in an evolving landscape on global health. The Global Fund is working closely together with multiple organizations on the SDG 3 Global Action Plan.

The Global Fund expressed determination to raise at least US$14 billion in its Sixth Replenishment, to be hosted by France in October 2019.

“We need more innovation, better collaboration, better execution, and we also need more money,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “The next six months are an absolutely critical period in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria. We need a successful Replenishment. We need to step up the fight.”…

Featured Journal Content

DRC – Ebola

Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
16 May 2019
Although the security situation has subsided mildly into an unpredictable calm, the transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD) continues to intensify in North Kivu and Ituri provinces with more than 100 confirmed cases reported this week.
The main drivers behind the continued rise in cases stems from insecurity hampering access to critical hotspot areas, persistent pockets of poor community acceptance and hesitation to participate in response activities, and delayed detection and late presentation of EVD cases to Ebola Treatment Centres (ETCs)/Transit Centres (TCs)…

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 15 May 2019
:: On 9 May 2019, the World Health Organization received notification of the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) from an environmental sample, collected on 20 April, in Seestan and Balochistan province, Iran. The virus collected is an environmental sample only, and no associated cases of paralysis have been detected.  Genetic sequencing confirmed it is linked to WPV1 circulating in Karachi, Pakistan.
:: On 21 May 2019, taking advantage of the presence of major Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) stakeholders attending the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, the GPEI is hosting an informal reception marking the launch of its new Polio Endgame Strategy 2019-2023: To Succeed by 2023 – Reaching Every Last Child for a Polio-Free World. Delegates who will be in Geneva are invited. Please RSVP here.

Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Pakistan — four wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases and four WPV1-positive environmental samples;
: Iran—one WPV1-positive environmental sample three wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases and five WPV1-positive environmental samples

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

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 18 May 2019]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 41: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu 14 May 2019
:: Disease Outbreak News (DONs) Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
16 May 2019
[See Ebola DRC above for detail]

Bangladesh – Rohingya crisis
:: Bi-weekly Situation Report #09 Date of issue: 09 May 2019
HIGHLIGHTS
:: The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) team conducted an mhGAP training for health workers from Sadar Hospital, Ukhiya, Ramu and Moheskhali Upazila health complexes.
:: Refurbishment work for Microbiology Room of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research(IEDCR) Field Lab in Cox’s Bazaar Medical College has been completed.
:: Acute respiratory infection (ARI), acute watery diarrhea (AWD) and unexplained fever were the conditions with highest proportional morbidity this week.
:: World Immunization Week was observed in Rohingya camps from 24-30 April 2019 with the theme of ‘Protected Together – Vaccine works’. The week has featured, among others, an advocacy meeting with relevant stakeholders, awareness meetings with community influencers, dropout listing and vaccination by vaccinators, distribution of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials to service providers and others.
:: The health sector held bilateral meetings with a UN agency to plan on establishing first line support and referral services on gender-based violence (GBV) for ten of its supported health posts where GBV services are currently not available to meet minimum essential service package.
:: The Health Sector coordinated preparation for potential damage from heavy rains and winds, associated with cyclone Fani.

Mozambique floods
:: More than 500 000 doses of cholera vaccine available for Cabo Delgado 18 May 2019

Myanmar – 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 18 May 2019]

Iraq
:: WHO mobile medical clinics reach displaced persons in Kalar district, Sulaymaniyah governorate, Iraq 16 May 2019

Zimbabwe
:: The rush to deliver cholera vaccines to remote communities in Zimbabwe 10 May 2019

Cyclone Idai – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Brazil (in Portugese) – 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
MERS-CoV – 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

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 18 May 2019]
Peru
:: Países avanzan hacia la eliminación de la transmisión de la madre al hijo del VIH, la sífilis, la hepatitis B y la enfermedad de Chagas

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018 – No new digest announcements identified
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified
Lao People’s Democratic Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Philippines – Tyhpoon Mangkhut – 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
:: Syria: Situation Report 2: Recent Developments in Northwestern Syria (as of 17 May 2019)
Northweste ..

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.
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth
:: Mozambique: Brave mothers in the midst of hardship 11 May 2019

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

WHO & Regional Offices [to 18 May 2019]
16 May 2019 News release
Too many babies are born too small

15 May 2019 News release
Smarter research & development to tackle global health priorities
Today, WHO’s new Science Division launched an online resource to guide the development of new health products for which there are limited markets or incentives for research and development. An essential tool for realizing universal health coverage, the Health Product Profile Directory aims to promote  research and development for products to combat neglected diseases and threats to global health, including antimicrobial resistance and diseases with pandemic potential.
The Health Product Profile Directory is a free-to-use online resource created and developed by TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, on behalf of WHO as a global public good. It provides a searchable database of profiles for health products needed to tackle pressing health issues in global health including those prioritized by WHO. The summary of the published profiles outlines 8-10 key characteristics (such as target population, measures of efficacy and dosage) for the development of health products, including medicines, vaccines and diagnostics. Building in these characteristics at an early stage of the development process is essential to ensure that the final products will be accessible to the populations that need them…

14 May 2019 News release
Adopting a healthy lifestyle helps reduce the risk of dementia

::::::

Weekly Epidemiological Record, 17 May 2019, vol. 94, 20 (pp. 233–252)
:: Dracunculiasis eradication: global surveillance summary, 2018
:: Monthly report on dracunculiasis cases, January- March 2019

::::::

Calls for consultants / proposals
Proposal for the development of a guidance on strategic multi-year planning for national immunization programme pdf, 160kb 13 May 2019
Deadline for applications: 7 June 2019

Consultant: Survey data analysispdf, 284kb 10 May 2019

Deadline for applications: 10 June 2019

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: More than 500 000 doses of cholera vaccine available for Cabo Delgado 18 May 2019
Pemba, Mozambique.
:: Africa advances on goal of cervical cancer elimination across the continent 15 May 2019
The US Ambassador to South Sudan and Hon Minister of Health visit Ebola Vaccination site in Juba 12 May 2019

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: Ministers of Health of the Americas to participate in the 72nd World Health Assembly (05/17/2019)
:: PAHO receives award from the World Hypertension League for its efforts to address hypertension in the Americas (05/17/2019)
:: Countries move towards the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and Chagas disease (05/16/2019)
:: Myths and Truths about Seasonal Influenza and the Flu Vaccine (05/14/2019)

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: Moving one step closer to better health and rights for transgender people 17-05-2019
:: New WHO guidelines promote healthy lifestyle to reduce risk of dementia 14-05-2019
:: Fast-track to strong primary health care 14-05-2019

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Mobile medical clinics reach displaced people in Iraq 16 May 2019
: Increasing access to health care for returnees in Ninewa, Iraq 12 May 2019

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified.

CDC/ACIP [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html

MMWR News Synopsis for Friday, May 17, 2019
Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of U.S. Health Care Personnel: Recommendations from the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC, 2019
CDC and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA) have updated the recommendations for TB screening and testing for U.S. health care personnel. The changes in recommendations reflect the overall decrease of TB cases and the low incidence of TB among health care personnel due to occupational exposure. Historically, U.S. health care personnel were at increased risk for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and TB disease from occupational exposures, but recent data suggest that this is no longer the case. CDC and the NTCA have updated the 2005 CDC recommendations for testing health care personnel. The update includes: 1) TB risk assessment, symptom screening, and TB testing upon hire with a TB blood test (e.g., interferon-gamma release assay) or tuberculin skin test for those without documented prior TB or LTBI; 2) no annual TB testing for most health care personnel without a known exposure or ongoing transmission; 3) treatment is strongly encouraged for health care personnel with LTBI; 4) annual symptom screening for health care personnel with untreated LTBI; and 5) annual TB education for all health care personnel. These recommendations apply to health care personnel and volunteers in all health care settings. However, state and local TB screening and testing regulations may have different requirements.

Notes from the Field: Measles Outbreaks from Imported Cases in Orthodox Jewish Communities — New York and New Jersey, 2018–2019

Notes from the Field: Community Outbreak of Measles — Clark County, Washington, 2018–2019

Africa CDC [to 18 May 2019]
https://au.int/en/africacdc
No new digest content identified.

China CDC
http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/
New website launched…no “news” or “announcements” page identified. Link to National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China not responding at inquiry [18 May 2019]

Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 18 May 2019]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
No new digest content identified.

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 18 May 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 18 May 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.
05.14.2019
CARB-X funds Debiopharm to develop a new class of antibiotics to treat hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant superbug Acinetobacter baumannii
CARB-X is awarding Debiopharm International SA of Lausanne, Switzerland, up to $2.1 million in non-dilutive funding with the possibility of $1.6 million more if certain project milestones are met, to advance the development of a new class of antibiotics that inhibit bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis, an essential pathway in many drug-resistant bacterial species. This new class of antibiotics is in development for the treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by the multidrug-resistant superbug Acinetobacter baumannii.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 18 May 2019]
http://cepi.net/
13 May 2019
ProMED Disease Outbreak Update
Update on Ebola outbreak in DRC, Rift Valley fever in Mayotte, and MERS outbreak in Saudi Arabia.

Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) [to 18 May 2019]
https://clintonhealthaccess.org/about/
No new digest content identified.

EDCTP [to 18 May 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
No new digest content identified.

Emory Vaccine Center [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News and press releases
No new digest content identified.

European Vaccine Initiative [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/news-events
No new digest content identified.

FDA [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
No new digest content identified.

Fondation Merieux [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.gavi.org/
17 May 2019
Gavi welcomes G7 initiative on primary health care
G7 health ministers adopt new primary health care initiative and call for strengthened health care at every stage of life

GHIT Fund [to 18 May 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 devastate the world’s poorest people. Other funders include six Japanese pharmaceutical
No new digest content identified.

Global Fund [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News
Global Fund Board Steps Up the Fight Against AIDS, TB and Malaria
16 May 2019
[See Milestones above for detail]

Hilleman Laboratories [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
May 16, 2019
IAVI and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to Partner in Snakebite Consortium
NEW YORK — May 16, 2019 — The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) today announced a new global research consortium, the Scientific Research Partnership for Neglected Tropical Snakebite (SRPNTS). Funded with £9 million of UK aid from the UK government through the Department for International Development (DFID), this consortium will discover and develop novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies to significantly improve the efficacy, safety, and affordability of snakebite treatment in India and Africa.
Joining IAVI and LSTM in the consortium are the Nigeria Snakebite Research & Intervention Centre (Bayero University, Kano), the Kenya Snakebite Research & Intervention Centre (Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi), the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore), and Scripps Research (La Jolla). IAVI will coordinate the snakebite research partnership with funding provided by DFID over three years. The consortium will employ IAVI technologies and capabilities used originally for discovering HIV-specific broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) to develop new antivenom therapies.
“IAVI and its partners have over a decade of experience in researching broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV to inform development of biomedical tools for HIV prevention, and we are committed to applying this expertise to help advance treatment and prevention for other diseases,” said IAVI President and CEO Mark Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D. “This partnership enabled by DFID allows us to work with LSTM and other experts to apply our antibody expertise to advance next-generation snakebite therapies for the world’s most vulnerable people.”…

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

IFRC [to 18 May 2019]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Americas, Argentina
Major humanitarian conference to explore regional crises, migration
Buenos Aires/Panama/Geneva, 17 May 2018 – Red Cross leaders from across the Americas and around the world are gathering in Buenos Aires from 21-23 May for the 21st Inter-American Conference of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent …
17 May 2019

Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
DR Congo: We cannot scale down while Ebola escalates, says IFRC
Geneva, 16 May 2019 – The international community must urgently increase its investment in Ebola response efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before the outbreak escalates further, warns the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cre …
16 May 2019

Asia Pacific, DPRK
DPR Korea: Hunger warning after early drought
Early seasonal drought in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) could exacerbate hunger, malnutrition and health problems for thousands of children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, older people and the chronically ill.

IVAC [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.ivi.int/
IVI News & Announcements
Former KSC Vice President Ms. Joanne Lee donates 50 million KRW to IVI
Undated
Ms. Joanne Lee, former Vice President of the Korea Support Committee for IVI and former Chairperson of the IVI Fundraising Campaign Committee (2005-2006), donated 50 million KRW (US$42,000) via KSC to support IVI’s vaccine research and development…

JEE Alliance [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.msf.org/
Selected News; Project Updates, Reports [as presented on website]
Tuberculosis
Breaking the cycle: Paediatric DR-TB detection, care and treat…
Report 17 May 2019

Nigeria
“I have not seen such high numbers of measles cases”
Project Update 17 May 2019

Syria
Women and children continue to suffer in northeast Syria’s Al Hol …
Press Release 16 May 2019

Palestine
Gaza, one year after the protests’ bloodiest day
Project Update 14 May 2019

Rohingya refugee crisis
Crisis Update 14 May 2019

Rohingya refugee crisis
Saving lives that have just begun in Cox’s Bazar
Project Update 13 May 2019

Mozambique
Update on MSF emergency response to Cyclones Idai and Kenneth
Crisis Update 13 May 2019

NIH [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
May 17, 2019
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2019 — May 18, 2019
— Statement by Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Maureen M. Goodenow, Ph.D., NIH Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director, Office of AIDS Research
…We have the tools at hand that could — if fully implemented — end the HIV pandemic. Large clinical studies have proven that individuals with HIV who use antiretroviral therapy to achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load do not sexually transmit HIV to others—a concept known as undetectable = untransmittable (U=U). People who are at high risk for HIV can take a single daily pill known as PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, that is highly effective at protecting them from the virus. In addition, post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, provides a highly effective emergency means of preventing HIV transmission from a recent high-risk exposure and can serve as a bridge to PrEP….

Human antibody reveals hidden vulnerability in influenza virus
May 16, 2019 — Discovery by NIAID-funded researchers could aid quest for universal flu vaccine.

PATH [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
17 May 2019
UNAIDS partners with Pride House Tokyo ahead of 2020 Olympic Games

16 May 2019
Declaration of the Rights of People Affected by Tuberculosis launched
Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s number one cause of death from an infectious disease and remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, despite being preventable and curable. Reacting to the unacceptable burden of disease and death caused by TB, a new network of TB survivors and affected communities, called TB People, compiled the Declaration of the Rights of People Affected by Tuberculosis, with the support of leading human rights lawyers and the Stop TB Partnership.
The declaration, launched on 14 May at the Global Health Campus in Geneva, Switzerland, will guide countries to implement the commitments made at the 2018 United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis and will inform the last board meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) before its replenishment meeting in Lyon, France, in October…

13 May 2019
HIV infections among children falling
The continuing fall in the number of children becoming infected with HIV is a major public health triumph. Globally, 1.6 million new child infections were averted between 2008 and 2017, an achievement that stems from a steep increase in the percentage of pregnant women living with HIV who receive antiretroviral medicines to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV or as lifelong therapy, from 25% in 2008 to 80% in 2017.
However, much remains to be done. Efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission have been slowed by inconsistent treatment adherence among expectant and breastfeeding mothers living with HIV and by the significant numbers of pregnant and breastfeeding women with undiagnosed HIV. A high risk of HIV acquisition faced by women in Africa during pregnancy and breastfeeding has also been underappreciated.

UNICEF [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Reports
Press release
UNICEF and partners vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children affected by Cyclone Idai; stepping up life-saving cholera prevention work in northern areas affected by Cyclone Kenneth
APUTO, 16 May 2019 –  Hundreds of thousands of children affected by deadly Cyclone Idai in Mozambique have been vaccinated and received vitamin A supplements in the past week, with UNICEF and partners including the World Health Organisation (WHO) supporting the Government-led Health Week in the 21 most affected districts of Sofala, Manica, Inhambane, and Zambézia provinces.

To date more than 700,000 children have been vaccinated against Polio and more than 650,000 children against Measles and Rubella. Teams also reached nearly 700,000 children with vitamin A supplements; dewormed more than 550,000 children; more than 650,000 adolescent girls received Iron and folic acid supplements; and nearly 700,000 children were screened for malnutrition and acute case referred for life-saving treatment.  UNICEF appreciates the remarkable effort of health teams to overcome all barriers to reach every community with a broad, integrated package of services to promote the health and nutrition of children and pregnant women…

…To prevent the spread of cholera, UNICEF with partners in the Government-led Cholera Taskforce is operating Rapid Response teams which immediately deploy to households with reported cases, disinfecting houses and intensifying water treatment in neighboring homes.
In Pemba today, the Government-led Cholera Taskforce launched the cholera vaccination campaign, with support from UNICEF and partners. On 12 May, UNICEF flew in in Oral Cholera Vaccines to reach more than 250,000 people in Cyclone Kenneth-affected areas, purchased with the financial support of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). UNICEF-supported teams are conducting community awareness and outreach programmes, including working closely with religious and community leaders. Given the Ramadan period, additional measures are being put in place to be able to administer the Oral Cholera Vaccine respecting community needs.

“Cholera and other infectious diseases continue to be a major threat to children and families in these early days after Cyclone Kenneth,” said Mr Le Pechoux. “The two-round Oral Cholera Vaccine campaign is another key step in stopping the spread of cholera, at the same time as we keep our focus on safe water, sanitation and hygiene,” he said. “We are still in the critical days of emergency response to reach every family affected by Cyclone Kenneth, and we have a long way to go to ensure that every child is safe and healthy.”

Press release
1 in 7 babies worldwide born with a low birthweight – The Lancet Global Health, UNICEF, WHO
Progress is also slow in high-income countries including the UK, Finland, France, Germany, USA, Australia, and New Zealand.
15/05/2019

Press release
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore addresses the UN Security Council on Yemen in New York, 15 May 2019
15/05/2019
[Excerpt]
… Every 10 minutes, another child will die from a preventable cause.
Like a lack of food, with 360,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. In fact, half the children under five years old in Yemen — 2.5 million — are stunted. And stunting is irreversible.
Like a lack of a simple vaccination — with 151 children dying of diphtheria since last August. Or like cholera and severe acute watery diarrhea. Despite the best efforts of the humanitarian community — including over two million doses of oral cholera vaccines delivered over the last year — there are over 135,000 suspected cases reported so far this year among children. Over 3,300 people have died of cholera since 2017 — including 153 children since January alone. A number that will increase as we head into the rainy season. And as always, the children die first…

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 18 May 2019]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
No new digest content identified.

The Wistar Institute [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Release
May. 15, 2019
Enhanced Anticancer Compound May Allow for Precise Activation and Tracking of Treatment
The compound requires activation with precise stimuli that would also cause emission of fluorescence for spatiotemporal control of activity.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2019/
No new digest content identified.

::::::

BIO [to 18 May 2019]
https://www.bio.org/insights/press-release
May 17 2019
BIO Applauds Senate Passage of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act
Washington, DC – The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) today applauds the Senate passage of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act (S. 1379). The legislation would re-authorize critical federal biodefense programs and agencies, including the BioShield Special Reserve Fund (SRF), the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The legislation also authorizes funding for pandemic influenza product development and procurement for the first time…

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
27 May 2019 to 30 May 2019
Advanced workshop: Vaccine Safety Monitoring and Pharmacovigilance
Sao Paulo – Brasil

IFPMA [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 18 May 2019]
http://www.phrma.org/press-room
No new digest content identified.

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 focus 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

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 18 May 2019)

Research article
Safety of a bivalent, killed, whole-cell oral cholera vaccine in pregnant women in Bangladesh: evidence from a randomized placebo-controlled trial
Cholera increases the risk of harmful effects on foetuses. We prospectively followed pregnant women unaware of their pregnancy status who received a study agent in a clinical trial evaluating the association b…
Authors: Ashraful Islam Khan, Mohammad Ali, Julia Lynch, Alamgir Kabir, Jean-Louis Excler, Md. Arifuzzaman Khan, Md. Taufiqul Islam, Afroza Akter, Fahima Chowdhury, Amit Saha, Iqbal Ansary Khan, Sachin N. Desai, Deok Ryun Kim, Nirod Chandra Saha, Ajit P. Singh, John D. Clemens…
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2019 19:422
Published on: 15 May 2019

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 18 May 2019)

Research article
“It depends how one understands it:” a qualitative study on differential uptake of oral cholera vaccine in three compounds in Lusaka, Zambia
The Zambian Ministry of Health implemented a reactive one-dose Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) campaign in April 2016 in three Lusaka compounds, followed by a pre-emptive second-round in December. Understanding upt…
Authors: Leonard W. Heyerdahl, Miguel Pugliese-Garcia, Sharon Nkwemu, Taniya Tembo, Chanda Mwamba, Rachel Demolis, Roma Chilengi, Bradford D. Gessner, Elise Guillermet and Anjali Sharma
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2019 19:421
Published on: 14 May 2019

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 18 May 2019)

Research article
Influenza epidemiology and influenza vaccine effectiveness during the 2015–2016 season: results from the Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network
The Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network is an international platform whose primary objective is to study severe cases of influenza requiring hospitalization.
Authors: Joan Puig-Barberà, Ainara Mira-Iglesias, Elena Burtseva, Benjamin J. Cowling, Unal Serhat, Guillermo Miguel Ruiz-Palacios, Odile Launay, Jan Kyncl, Parvaiz Koul, Marilda M. Siqueira and Anna Sominina
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2019 19:415
Published on: 14 May 2019

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 18 May 2019)

Research article
How should assent to research be sought in low income settings? Perspectives from parents and children in Southern Malawi
Authors: Helen Mangochi, Kate Gooding, Aisleen Bennett, Michael Parker, Nicola Desmond and Susan Bull
Citation: BMC Medical Ethics 2019 20:32
Published on: 14 May 2019
Abstract
Background
Paediatric research in low-income countries is essential to tackle high childhood mortality. As with all research, consent is an essential part of ethical practice for paediatric studies. Ethics guidelines recommend that parents or another proxy provide legal consent for children to participate, but that children should be involved in the decision through providing assent. However, there remain uncertainties about how to judge when children are ready to give assent and about appropriate assent processes. Malawi does not yet have detailed guidelines on assent. Understanding perspectives among children and their parents can assist in developing contextually-appropriate assent guidance.
Methods
Qualitative research was conducted with children and parents in three settings in Southern Malawi (low- and high-income urban and rural), to take account of any variations between socioeconomic and cultural contexts. In each setting, interviews were conducted with parents and their children who had participated in paediatric research to understand their experiences of assent and views on appropriate assent practice. Focus groups were also conducted with children and parents, to understand broader social perspectives.
Results
We found widespread support for involving children in decisions on research participation. Participants identified a range of factors that affect children’s capacity to give assent, including intellectual capacity, emotional development, life experience and cultural norms. Age was often mentioned as a consideration, but deemed an unreliable sole indicator of capacity to assent. In relation to appropriate assent processes, participants emphasised considerations such as supporting effective understanding and minimizing harms. Views on how to achieve these aims varied; for example, there were different ideas about the appropriate order in which to approach children and parents, and about whose decision to respect in the event of disagreement.
Conclusions
Parents and children agreed about the value of involving children in decisions on research, and about the need to promote children’s decision-making capacity while respecting parents’ interests in children’s welfare. Developing practical guidance that meets these principles is challenging, particularly given the need for flexible approaches that suit different study types, children’s capacities and family environments. Further discussion within the Malawi research and ethics community will help develop contextually-appropriate guidelines.

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 18 May 2019)

Research article
The introduction of ‘No jab, No school’ policy and the refinement of measles immunisation strategies in high-income countries
In recent years, we witnessed a resurgence of measles even in countries where, according to WHO guidelines, elimination should have already been achieved. In high-income countries, the raise of anti-vaccinatio…
Authors: Filippo Trentini, Piero Poletti, Alessia Melegaro and Stefano Merler
Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:86
Published on: 17 May 2019

Emerging Infectious Diseases
Volume 25, Number 5—May 2019
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/

Research
Recurrent Cholera Outbreaks, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2008–2017 [PDF – 8.14 MB – 9 pages]
B. Ingelbeen et al.

Health Research Policy and Systems
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content
[Accessed 18 May 2019]

Research
System within systems: challenges and opportunities for the Expanded Programme on Immunisation in Pakistan
Pakistan has one of the highest infant and child mortality rates in the world, half of these occurring due to vaccine-preventable diseases. The country started its Expanded Programme on immunisation (EPI) in 1…
Authors: Zaeem Haq, Babar Tasneem Shaikh, Nhan Tran, Assad Hafeez and Abdul Ghaffar
Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2019 17:51
Published on: 17 May 2019

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 15, Issue 4, 2019
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
An intervention to improve pneumococcal vaccination uptake in high risk 50-64 year olds vs. expanded age-based recommendations: an exploratory cost-effectiveness analysis
Angela R. Wateska, Mary Patricia Nowalk, Chyongchiou J. Lin, Lee H. Harrison, William Schaffner, Richard K. Zimmerman & Kenneth J. Smith
Pages: 863-872
Published online: 20 Feb 2019

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 15, Issue 4, 2019
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards compulsory vaccination: a systematic review
MR Gualano, E Olivero, G Voglino, M Corezzi, P Rossello, C Vicentini, F Bert & R Siliquini
Pages: 918-931
Published online: 20 Feb 2019

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 15, Issue 4, 2019
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Key considerations for successful implementation of maternal immunization programs in low and middle income countries
Sushena Krishnaswamy, Philipp Lambach & Michelle L. Giles
Pages: 942-950
Published online: 30 Jan 2019

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 15, Issue 4, 2019
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Compliance with vaccination schedules
Adamos Hadjipanayis
Pages: 1003-1004
Published online: 16 Jan 2019

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 15, Issue 4, 2019
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
HPV vaccination acceptability among men who have sex with men in Urumqi, China
Tian Tian, Duolao Wang, Christiana Papamichael, Zhang Yan, Sang Guoyao, Zhang Zhanlin, Yeledan Mahan, Tuo Xiaoqing, Gong Zheng & Dai Jianghong
Pages: 1005-1012
Published online: 25 Sep 2018

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
May 2019 Volume 82, p1-146
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(19)X0007-7

Original Reports
Global infection prevention gaps, needs, and utilization of educational resources: A cross-sectional assessment by the International Society for Infectious Diseases
Angel N. Desai, John W. Ramatowski, Britta Lassmann, Alison Holmes, Shaheen Mehtar, Gonzalo Bearman
p54–60
Published online: February 19, 2019

Continue reading →

Journal of Adolescent Health
May 2019 Volume 64, Issue 5, p547-672
https://www.jahonline.org/issue/S1054-139X(19)X0002-6

Editorials
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Homeless Youth: A Rights-Based Perspective
Diane M. Straub
p549–550
Published in issue: May 2019

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 21, Issue 3, June 2019
https://link.springer.com/journal/10903/21/3

Original Paper
Guards in Prisons: A Risk Group for Latent Tuberculosis Infection
Luisa Arroyave, Yoav Keynan, Deny Sanchez… Pages 578-585

Journal of Medical Ethics
May 2019 – Volume 45 – 5
http://jme.bmj.com/content/current

Differential payment to research participants in the same study: an ethical analysis (7 March, 2019)
Govind Persad, Holly Fernandez Lynch, Emily Largent

Journal of Medical Ethics
May 2019 – Volume 45 – 5
http://jme.bmj.com/content/current

Original research
The biobank consent debate: Why ‘meta-consent’ is not the solution? (1 October, 2018)
Neil C Manson

Journal of Medical Ethics
May 2019 – Volume 45 – 5
http://jme.bmj.com/content/current

The concise argument
The concise argument: the importance of consent and choice (13 May, 2019) Free
John McMillan

Journal of Medical Ethics
May 2019 – Volume 45 – 5
http://jme.bmj.com/content/current

Response
Taxonomy of justifications for consent waivers: When and why are public views relevant? (12 March, 2019)
Angela Ballantyne, G Owen Scaefer

Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 26, Issue 3, 2019
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue/26/3

Reviews
Influenza in obese travellers: increased risk and complications, decreased vaccine effectiveness
Rebekah Honce, BS; Stacey Schultz-Cherry, PhD
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 26, Issue 3, 2019, taz020, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taz020

Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 26, Issue 3, 2019
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue/26/3

Perspectives
Rapidly waning vaccine effectiveness for influenza: How often should we revaccinate?
Barnaby Young, MB BChir; Sapna Sadarangani, MBBS
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 26, Issue 3, 2019, tay154, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/tay154
Observations that influenza vaccine effectiveness declines within a few months after vaccination have important implications for travellers. Influenza vaccination prior to travel to areas where influenza is circulating needs to be considered even when a vaccine has been administered within the past year. However, recently described short-term benefits from early revaccination need to be weighed against the potential for reduced effectiveness with frequent revaccination.

The Lancet
May 18, 2019 Volume 393Number 10185p2009-2098, e40

Comment
WHO takes action to promote the health of refugees and migrants
Lawrence O Gostin, Ibrahim Abubakar, Ranieri Guerra, Sabina F Rashid, Eric A Friedman,
Zsuzsanna Jakab
Migration is a defining issue of our time.1 There are 1 billion migrants globally, of whom 258 million have crossed borders. 2 Climate change and political instability propel ever-greater displacement, with major detriments to health. 3 Policies that fail to prevent human trafficking or guarantee essential services to migrants undermine universal health coverage (UHC) and the global pledge in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “leave no one behind”. The World Health Assembly (WHA) on May 20–28, 2019, should adopt, and robustly implement, WHO’s Global Action Plan on Promoting the Health of Refugees and Migrants, 2019–2013 (GAP).

The Lancet
May 18, 2019 Volume 393Number 10185p2009-2098, e40

Review
Mass gatherings medicine: public health issues arising from mass gathering religious and sporting events
Ziad A Memish, Robert Steffen, Paul White, Osman Dar, Esam I Azhar, Avinash Sharma, Alimuddin Zumla
Summary
Mass gathering events are associated with major public health challenges. The 2014 Lancet Series on the new discipline of mass gatherings medicine was launched at the World Health Assembly of Ministers of Health in Geneva in May, 2014. The Series covered the planning and surveillance systems used to monitor public health risks, public health threats, and experiences of health-care providers from mass gathering events in 2012 and 2013. This follow-up Review focuses on the main public health issues arising from planned mass gathering events held between 2013 and 2018. We highlight public health and research data on transmission of infectious diseases and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, mass casualty incidents, and non-communicable diseases, including thermal disorders. In the events discussed in this Review, the combination of a large influx of people, many from countries with outbreak-prone infectious diseases, with a high degree of crowd interactions imposed substantial burdens on host countries’ health systems. The detection and transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in pilgrims attending the Kumbh Mela and the Hajj raise concern of possible globalisation from mass-gathering religious events. Priorities for further investments and opportunities for research into prevention, surveillance, and management of these public health issues are discussed.

Nature
Volume 569 Issue 7756, 16 May 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

World View | 14 May 2019
Vaccination lags behind in middle-income countries
Poor children in relatively rich nations are being let down by immunization programmes
Seth Berkley, Gavi
Indonesia, Iraq and South Africa now rank among the ten countries with the highest number of under-immunized children worldwide, even though these countries are richer than many of their neighbours. What is going on?
Not so long ago, improving the health of the world’s poorest people meant focusing on the world’s poorest countries. That’s changing. Soon, the majority of the most vulnerable populations will be in middle-income countries (MICs), where gross national income per capita is between US$995 and $12,055 per year. Increasing migration, urbanization, conflict and climate change are causing inequities to yawn ever wider, despite United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind.
As the World Health Assembly meets in Geneva, Switzerland, next week, the development community must tackle an emerging conundrum: how do we increase access to vaccines, primary health care and other essential health interventions in countries that can — at least according to their gross national incomes — afford them?…

New England Journal of Medicine
May 16, 2019 Vol. 380 No. 20
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Perspective
Big Data and the Intelligence Community — Lessons for Health Care
Kevin Vigilante, M.D., M.P.H., Steve Escaravage, M.S., and Mike McConnell, M.P.A.
Health care is lagging behind other industries in its approaches to data science, in part because it is relatively new to big data. By learning from the intelligence community, the health sector can accelerate progress and capitalize on existing innovations.

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 18 May 2019]
Decreasing measles burden by optimizing campaign timing
Niket Thakkar, Syed Saqlain Ahmad Gilani, Quamrul Hasan, and Kevin A. McCarthy
PNAS first published May 13, 2019
Significance
Measles vaccine is a highly effective healthcare intervention, but getting vaccine to those in need remains a major problem. Complicating the issue, high-burden countries typically have low-quality infrastructure, severely limiting the number of infections detected and therefore limiting our understanding of local epidemiology. Here we show that statistical disease models can be fitted to sparse case data from Pakistan using a fast linear regression approach. This method yields estimates of the effects of past interventions, the seasonal likelihood of measles transmission, and the magnitude of future outbreaks under different intervention policies. We use these models to understand in general when and where vaccine should be distributed, and these results were used to inform Pakistan’s 2018 vaccination campaign planning.
Abstract
Measles remains a major contributor to preventable child mortality, and bridging gaps in measles immunity is a fundamental challenge to global health. In high-burden settings, mass vaccination campaigns are conducted to increase access to vaccine and address this issue. Ensuring that campaigns are optimally effective is a crucial step toward measles elimination; however, the relationship between campaign impact and disease dynamics is poorly understood. Here, we study measles in Pakistan, and we demonstrate that campaign timing can be tuned to optimally interact with local transmission seasonality and recent incidence history. We develop a mechanistic modeling approach to optimize timing in general high-burden settings, and we find that in Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of infections can be averted with no change in campaign cost.

Prehospital & Disaster Medicine
Volume 34 – Issue s1 – May 2019
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/prehospital-and-disaster-medicine/latest-issue

Best Papers
Resurgence of Vector-Borne and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Venezuela in Times of a Complex Humanitarian Health Crisis: A Regional Menace
Adriana Tami, Maria Eugenia Grillet, Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, José Oletta, Martin S Llewellyn, Juan V Hernández-Villena, Marilianna Márquez, on behalf of the working group on emerging and re-emerging diseases in Venezuela
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X1900030X
Published online: 06 May 2019, pp. s5-s6

Preventive Medicine
Volume 122, Pages 1-154 (May 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/preventive-medicine/vol/122/suppl/C

Burden of Cancer in Canada
Editorial Full text access
Translating scientific discoveries into action to reduce the current and future burden of cancer
Salaheddin M. Mahmud
Pages 1-2

Public Health Reports
Volume 134 Issue 3, May/June 2019
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/phrg/134/3

Case Study/Practice
Engaging Communities to Reach Immigrant and Minority Populations: The Minnesota Immunization Networking Initiative (MINI), 2006-2017
Patricia Peterson, MPA, Paula McNabb, MN, PHN, Sai Ramya Maddali, MPH, Jennifer Heath, DNP, MPH, RN, Scott Santibañez, MD, DMin, MPHTM
First Published March 26, 2019; pp. 241–248

Public Health Reports
Volume 134 Issue 3, May/June 2019
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/phrg/134/3

Research
Social Determinants of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake: An Assessment of Publicly Available Data
Sarah B. Maness, PhD, MPH, Erika L. Thompson, PhD, MPH
First Published April 5, 2019; pp. 264–273

Social Science & Medicine
Volume 228 Pages 1-294 (May 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/228/suppl/C

Research article Open access
Multiple inequity in health care: An example from Brazil
Estela Capelas Barbosa, Richard Cookson
Pages 1-8

Social Science & Medicine
Volume 228 Pages 1-294 (May 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/228/suppl/C

Research article Abstract only
Quantifying the public’s view on social value judgments in vaccine decision-making: A discrete choice experiment
Jeroen Luyten, Roselinde Kessels, Katherine E. Atkins, Mark Jit, Albert Jan van Hoek
Pages 181-193

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 22  Pages 2871-2974 (16 May 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/22

Conference info Open access
Global vaccinology training: Report from an ADVAC workshop
Philippe Duclos, Lindsay Martinez, Noni MacDonald, Edwin Asturias, … Paul-Henri Lambert
Pages 2871-2881

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 22  Pages 2871-2974 (16 May 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/22

Discussion Abstract only
Maternal immunization: A call to accelerate progress
Azucena Bardají, Noni E. MacDonald, Saad B. Omer, Teresa Aguado
Pages 2882-2883

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 22  Pages 2871-2974 (16 May 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/22

Research article Abstract only
Are community health workers cost-effective for childhood vaccination in India?
Deepti Bettampadi, Matthew L. Boulton, Laura E. Power, David W. Hutton
Pages 2942-2951

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 22  Pages 2871-2974 (16 May 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/22

Research article Abstract only
Are community health workers cost-effective for childhood vaccination in India?
Deepti Bettampadi, Matthew L. Boulton, Laura E. Power, David W. Hutton
Pages 2942-2951