Lancet Global Health
Feb 2019  Volume 7Number 2e160-e280
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Comment
Importance of tuberculosis vaccination targeting older people in China
Yue Wang, Weibing Wang

 
Lancet Global Health
Feb 2019  Volume 7Number 2e160-e280
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Comment
The role of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in reducing pneumonia mortality
Mark Jit, Stefan Flasche

Lancet Global Health
Feb 2019  Volume 7Number 2e160-e280
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Articles
Age-targeted tuberculosis vaccination in China and implications for vaccine development: a modelling study
Rebecca C Harris, Tom Sumner, Gwenan M Knight, Tom Evans, Vicky Cardenas, Chen Chen,
Richard G White

Lancet Global Health
Feb 2019  Volume 7Number 2e160-e280
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Articles
Effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction on childhood pneumonia mortality in Brazil: a retrospective observational study
Cynthia Schuck-Paim, Robert J Taylor, Wladimir J Alonso, Daniel M Weinberger, Lone Simonsen

Nature 
Volume 565 Issue 7740, 24 January 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Editorial | 21 January 2019
Genomics can help to monitor cholera
Sequence data from whole genomes let researchers track the spread of strains worldwide.

Nature 
Volume 565 Issue 7740, 24 January 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Comment | 22 January 2019
Where are the Ebola diagnostics from last time?
Analysis reveals commercial tests for Ebola are too hard to come by in the current outbreak — sustain investment, urge Lieselotte Cnops, Kevin K. Ariën and colleagues.
Lieselotte Cnops, Birgit De Smet[…] & Kevin K. Ariën

PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News
Volume 820, Issue 1, January 2019
https://link.springer.com/journal/40274/820/1

Clinical study
Childhood pneumococcal vaccination cost effective in India
Krishnamoorthy Y, et al.

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 26 Jan 2019)

Evaluating strategies for control of tuberculosis in prisons and prevention of spillover into communities: An observational and modeling study from Brazil
Tarub S. Mabud, Maria de Lourdes Delgado Alves, Albert I. Ko, Sanjay Basu, Katharine S. Walter, Ted Cohen, Barun Mathema, Caroline Colijn, Everton Lemos, Julio Croda, Jason R. Andrews
Research Article | published 24 Jan 2019 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002737

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 26 Jan 2019)

Prior dengue virus infection and risk of Zika: A pediatric cohort in Nicaragua
Aubree Gordon, Lionel Gresh, Sergio Ojeda, Leah C. Katzelnick, Nery Sanchez, Juan Carlos Mercado, Gerardo Chowell, Brenda Lopez, Douglas Elizondo, Josefina Coloma, Raquel Burger-Calderon, Guillermina Kuan, Angel Balmaseda, Eva Harris
Research Article | published 22 Jan 2019 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002726

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 26 Jan 2019)

Research Article
Does prior dengue virus exposure worsen clinical outcomes of Zika virus infection? A systematic review, pooled analysis and lessons learned
Jennifer Masel, Michael K. McCracken, Todd Gleeson, Brian Morrison, George Rutherford, Allison Imrie, Richard G. Jarman, Michael Koren, Simon Pollett
| published 25 Jan 2019 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007060

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 26 Jan 2019]

Research Article
Cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccine strategies for the elderly in South Korea
Jae-Won Yun, Min Joo Choi, Gyeong-Seon Shin, Jae-Ok Lim, Ji Yun Noh, Yun-Kyung Kim, Joon Young Song, Woo Joo Kim, Sang-Eun Choi, Hee Jin Cheong
Research Article | published 25 Jan 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209643

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 26 Jan 2019]

Can vaccination coverage be improved by reducing missed opportunities for vaccination? Findings from assessments in Chad and Malawi using the new WHO methodology
Ikechukwu Udo Ogbuanu, Anyie J. Li, Blanche-philomene Melanga Anya, Mbaihol Tamadji, Geoffrey Chirwa, Kwame W. Chiwaya, Mohamed El-Hafiz Djalal, Dah Cheikh, Zorodzai Machekanyanga, Joseph Okeibunor, Colin Sanderson, Richard Mihigo
Research Article | published 24 Jan 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210648

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 26 Jan 2019]

Completion of multiple-dose travel vaccine series and the availability of pharmacist immunizers: A retrospective analysis of administrative data in Alberta, Canada
Sherilyn K. D. Houle, Dean T. Eurich
Research Article | published 23 Jan 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211006

Public Health Reports
Volume 134 Issue 1, January/February 2019
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/phrg/134/1

Executive Perspective
Global Health Security: Protecting the United States in an Interconnected World
Rebecca E. Bunnell, PhD, MEd, Zara Ahmed, DrPH, MPP, Megan Ramsden, MPH, Karina Rapposelli, MPH, Madison Walter-Garcia, MPH, Eshita Sharmin, MPH, Nancy Knight, MD
First Published November 14, 2018; pp. 3–10

Research Ethics
Volume 15 Issue 1, January 2019
http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/reab/current

Original Article: Non-Empirical
Exploring the socioethical dilemmas in the use of a global health archive
Matthew James Vaughton Holmes, Isla-Kate Morris, Anthony Williams, Jennifer Le Blond, Victoria Cranna, Gail Davey
First Published November 1, 2018; pp. 1–9

Research Ethics
Volume 15 Issue 1, January 2019
http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/reab/current

Original Articles: Empirical
Ethical complexities in child co-research
Merle Spriggs, Lynn Gillam
First Published December 20, 2017; pp. 1–16
Abstract
Child co-research has become popular in social research involving children. This is attributed to the emphasis on children’s rights and is seen as a way to promote children’s agency and voice. It is a way of putting into practice the philosophy, common amongst childhood researchers, that children are experts on childhood. In this article, we discuss ethical complexities of involving children as co-researchers, beginning with an analysis of the literature, then drawing on data from interviews with researchers who conduct child co-research. We identify six ethical complexities, some of which are new findings which have not been mentioned before in this context. In light of these possible ethical complexities, a key finding is for researchers to be reflexive – to reflect on how the research may affect child co-researchers and participants before the research starts. A separate overriding message that came out in responses from the researchers we interviewed was the need for support and training for child co-researchers. We conclude by providing a list of questions for reflexive researchers to ask of themselves when they use child co-research methodology. We also provide important questions for human research ethics committees to ask when they review projects using child co-research.

Research Ethics
Volume 15 Issue 1, January 2019
http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/reab/current

Navigating research ethics in the absence of an ethics review board: The importance of space for sharing
Cécile Giraud, Giuseppe Davide Cioffo, Maïté Kervyn de Lettenhove, Carlos Ramirez Chaves
First Published January 1, 2018; pp. 1–17

Science         
25 January 2019  Vol 363, Issue 6425
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Policy Forum
Toward unrestricted use of public genomic data
By Rudolf I. Amann, Shakuntala Baichoo, Benjamin J. Blencowe, Peer Bork, Mark Borodovsky, Cath Brooksbank, Patrick S. G. Chain, Rita R. Colwell, Daniele G. Daffonchio, Antoine Danchin, Victor de Lorenzo, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Robert D. Finn, Claire M. Fraser, Jack A. Gilbert, Steven J. Hallam, Philip Hugenholtz, John P. A. Ioannidis, Janet K. Jansson, Jihyun F. Kim, Hans-Peter Klenk, Martin G. Klotz, Rob Knight, Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis, Nikos C. Kyrpides, Christopher E. Mason, Alice C. McHardy, Folker Meyer, Christos A. Ouzounis, Aristides A. N. Patrinos, Mircea Podar, Katherine S. Pollard, Jacques Ravel, Alejandro Reyes Muñoz, Richard J. Roberts, Ramon Rosselló-Móra, Susanna-Assunta Sansone, Patrick D. Schloss, Lynn M. Schriml, João C. Setubal, Rotem Sorek, Rick L. Stevens, James M. Tiedje, Adrian Turjanski, Gene W. Tyson, David W. Ussery, George M. Weinstock, Owen White, William B. Whitman, Ioannis Xenarios
Science25 Jan 2019 : 350-352 Full Access
Publication interests should not limit access to public data
Summary
Despite some notable progress in data sharing policies and practices, restrictions are still often placed on the open and unconditional use of various genomic data after they have received official approval for release to the public domain or to public databases. These restrictions, which often conflict with the terms and conditions of the funding bodies who supported the release of those data for the benefit of the scientific community and society, are perpetuated by the lack of clear guiding rules for data usage. Existing guidelines for data released to the public domain recognize but fail to resolve tensions between the importance of free and unconditional use of these data and the “right” of the data producers to the first publication. This self-contradiction has resulted in a loophole that allows different interpretations and a continuous debate between data producers and data users on the use of public data. We argue that the publicly available data should be treated as open data, a shared resource with unrestricted use for analysis, interpretation, and publication.

Social Science & Medicine
Volume 221  Pages 1-132 (January 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/221/suppl/C

Research article  Abstract only
“You don’t trust a government vaccine”: Narratives of institutional trust and influenza vaccination among African American and white adults
Amelia M. Jamison, Sandra Crouse Quinn, Vicki S. Freimuth
Pages 87-94

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 6  Pages 763-898 (4 February 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/6

Conference report
Conference info   Abstract only
Malaria vaccine trials in pregnant women: An imperative without precedent
Sara A. Healy, Michal Fried, Thomas Richie, Karin Bok, … Patrick E. Duffy
Pages 763-770
Abstract
Pregnant women are highly susceptible to Plasmodium falciparum malaria, leading to substantial maternal, perinatal, and infant mortality. While malaria vaccine development has made significant progress in recent years, no trials of malaria vaccines have ever been conducted in pregnant women. In December 2016, an expert meeting was convened at NIAID, NIH, in Rockville, Maryland to deliberate on the rationale and design of malaria vaccine trials in pregnant women. The discussions highlighted the progress made over recent years in the field of maternal immunization for other infectious diseases, and the evolving regulatory and ethical environment, all of which support a new emphasis on testing malaria vaccines that offer direct benefits to pregnant women. Initial safety and immunogenicity studies of malaria vaccines will be conducted in non-pregnant adult volunteers. Subsequently, efficacy trials involving pregnant women will likely be conducted in malaria-endemic and often resource-poor environments where sufficiently high malaria incidence will allow vaccine activity to be measured. Such trials will need to meet all international standards to ensure the safety of mother and offspring, under oversight of appropriate ethical and regulatory bodies. The convened experts drafted a clinical development plan to test a malaria vaccine product during pregnancy, using as a case study PfSPZ Vaccine being developed by Sanaria Inc. that is currently in phase 2 testing. Following the expert recommendations, a pregnancy registry has been initiated in Ouelessebougou, Mali, to provide baseline information on maternal and fetal outcomes as a context for evaluating PfSPZ Vaccine safety in the future, and new regimens are being assessed that will be suitable for evaluation in pregnant women.

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 6  Pages 763-898 (4 February 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/6

Research article  Abstract only
Rapid behavioral assessment of barriers and opportunities to improve vaccination coverage among displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh, January 2018
Mohamed F. Jalloh, Sarah D. Bennett, Didarul Alam, Paryss Kouta, … Brent Wolff
Pages 833-838

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 6  Pages 763-898 (4 February 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/6

Research article   Abstract only
Provider time and costs to vaccinate adult patients: Impact of time counseling without vaccination
Angela Shen, Olga Khavjou, Grant King, Laurel Bates, … Benjamin Yarnoff
Pages 792-797

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 6  Pages 763-898 (4 February 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/6

Research article   Open access
Projected impact, cost-effectiveness, and budget implications of rotavirus vaccination in Mongolia
Munkh-Erdene Lusvan, Frédéric Debellut, Andrew Clark, Sodbayar Demberelsuren, … Clint Pecenka
Pages 798-807

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 6  Pages 763-898 (4 February 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/6

Research article  Open access
Oral cholera vaccination strategy: Self-administration of the second dose in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh
Ashraful Islam Khan, Muhammad Shariful Islam, Md. Taufiqul Islam, Azimuddin Ahmed, … Firdausi Qadri
Pages 827-832

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 6  Pages 763-898 (4 February 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/6

Research article   Abstract only
Development of a valid and reliable scale to assess parents’ beliefs and attitudes about childhood vaccines and their association with vaccination uptake and delay in Ghana
Aaron S. Wallace, Kathleen Wannemuehler, George Bonsu, Melissa Wardle, … Saad B. Omer
Pages 848-856

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 6  Pages 763-898 (4 February 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/6

Research article   Abstract only
Vaccine health beliefs and educational influences among pediatric residents
Gitanjli Arora, Deborah Lehman, Sandhya Charlu, Nicole Ross, … Pia S. Pannaraj
Pages 857-862

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 6  Pages 763-898 (4 February 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/6

Research article   Abstract only
A multilevel analysis of factors influencing the inaccuracy of parental reports of adolescent HPV vaccination status
Milkie Vu, Minh Luu, Regine Haardörfer, Carla J. Berg, … Robert A. Bednarczyk
Pages 869-876

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

Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology
2019 Jan 13. doi: 10.12932/AP-100518-0309. [Epub ahead of print]
Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology
E Prompetchara, C Ketloy, SJ Thomas, K Ruxrungtham
Abstract
The first licensed dengue vaccine, CYD-TDV (Dengvaxia®), has received regulatory approval in a number of countries. However, this vaccine has some limitations. Its efficacy against DENV2 was consistently lower than other serotypes. Protective efficacy also depended on prior dengue sero-status of the vaccinees. Lower efficacy was observed in children with < 9 years old and dengue-na?ve individuals. More importantly, risk of hospitalization and severe dengue was increased in the youngest vaccine recipients (2-5 years) compared to controls. Thus, the quest of a better vaccine candidate continues. There are two live-attenuated vaccine candidates currently testing in phase III trial including DENVax, developed by US CDC and Inviragen (now licensed to Takeda) and TV003/TV005, constructed by US NIAID. In addition, there are several phase I-II as well as preclinical phase studies evaluating vaccines for safety and immunogenicity, this include other live-attenuated platform/strategy, purified-inactivated viruses formulated with adjuvants, DNA vaccine, subunit vaccine, viral vector and also heterologous prime/boost strategies. The major difficulties of dengue vaccine development are included the lack of the best animal model, various immune status of individual especially in endemic areas and clear cut off of protective immunity. Several research and development efforts are ongoing to find a better effective and accessible dengue vaccine for people needed.

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 26 Jan 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
 
 
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
 
 
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
Charlemagne –
The campaign against vaccination
Disease will be a major political battleground in the coming decades
Jan 19th 2019
 
 
Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
Delivery innovation spreads vaccines’ benefits
22 January 2019
While some scientists seek vaccine breakthroughs for cancer, HIV and malaria, others are focusing on a more basic problem: ensuring that the vaccines we have reach those in need.
 
 
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
 
 
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
 
 
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
 
 
The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
 
 
New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
As Told To
Amid a Measles Outbreak, an Ultra-Orthodox Nurse Fights Vaccination Fears in Her Community
“We live in close quarters with extended family. So we should consider ourselves especially obligated to prevent harm to our fellow community members,” Blima Marcus said.
By Amanda Schaffer
January 25, 2019
 
 
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
How to Inoculate Against Anti-Vaxxers
19 January 2019
…Thwarting this danger will require a campaign as bold and aggressive as the one being waged by the anti-vaccination contingent. And to launch such a campaign would require overcoming strong inertia: a waning public health apparatus, countervailing politics and a collective amnesia over the havoc the diseases in question once wrought. But to succeed would be to rescue from oblivion one of the greatest triumphs of human ingenuity over disease — and to save countless lives.
 
 
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/home-page?_wsjregion=na,us&_homepage=/home/us
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
Health
Washington State Becomes Latest Hot Spot in Measles Outbreak
By Brianna Abbott
Jan. 23, 2019 5:06 pm ET
The U.S. is experiencing outbreaks of measles, largely due to a drop in vaccination rates in some areas. An outbreak in Washington state has sickened 23 people this month.
Appeared in the January 23, 2019, print edition as ‘Measles Breaks Out in the Northwest.’
 
 
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
Officials in anti-vaccination ‘hotspot’ near Portland declare an emergency over measles outbreak
Isaac Stanley-Becker  Jan 23, 2019
 
 
The Latest: Merck to ship 120,000 more Ebola vaccine doses
Associated Press   Jan 22, 2019

Think Tanks et al

 Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 26 Jan 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 26 Jan 2019
[No new relevant content]

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
[No new relevant content]

 Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 26 Jan 2019
[No new relevant content]

Milestones :: Perspectives

::::::

WHO: Ten threats to global health in 2019

[Selected full text]
Air pollution and climate change
 
Noncommunicable diseases
 
Global influenza pandemic

The world will face another influenza pandemic – the only thing we don’t know is when it will hit and how severe it will be. Global defences are only as effective as the weakest link in any country’s health emergency preparedness and response system.

WHO is constantly monitoring the circulation of influenza viruses to detect potential pandemic strains: 153 institutions in 114 countries are involved in global surveillance and response.

Every year, WHO recommends which strains should be included in the flu vaccine to protect people from seasonal flu. In the event that a new flu strain develops pandemic potential, WHO has set up a unique partnership with all the major players to ensure effective and equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines and antivirals (treatments), especially in developing countries.

Fragile and vulnerable settings

More than 1.6 billion people (22% of the global population) live in places where protracted crises (through a combination of challenges such as drought, famine, conflict, and population displacement) and weak health services leave them without access to basic care.

Fragile settings exist in almost all regions of the world, and these are where half of the key targets in the sustainable development goals, including on child and maternal health, remains unmet.

WHO will continue to work in these countries to strengthen health systems so that they are better prepared to detect and respond to outbreaks, as well as able to deliver high quality health services, including immunization.

Antimicrobial resistance

The development of antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials are some of modern medicine’s greatest successes. Now, time with these drugs is running out. Antimicrobial resistance – the ability of bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi to resist these medicines – threatens to send us back to a time when we were unable to easily treat infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, and salmonellosis. The inability to prevent infections could seriously compromise surgery and procedures such as chemotherapy.

Resistance to tuberculosis drugs is a formidable obstacle to fighting a disease that causes around 10 million people to fall ill, and 1.6 million to die, every year. In 2017, around 600 000 cases of tuberculosis were resistant to rifampicin – the most effective first-line drug – and 82% of these people had multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Drug resistance is driven by the overuse of antimicrobials in people, but also in animals, especially those used for food production, as well as in the environment. WHO is working with these sectors to implement a global action plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance by increasing awareness and knowledge, reducing infection, and encouraging prudent use of antimicrobials.

Ebola and other high-threat pathogens

In 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo saw two separate Ebola outbreaks, both of which spread to cities of more than 1 million people. One of the affected provinces  is also in an active conflict zone.

This shows that the context in which an epidemic of a high-threat pathogen like Ebola erupts is critical –  what happened in rural outbreaks in the past doesn’t always apply to densely populated urban areas or conflict-affected areas.

At a conference on Preparedness for Public Health Emergencies held last December, participants from the public health, animal health, transport and tourism sectors focussed on the growing challenges of tackling outbreaks and health emergencies in urban areas. They called for WHO and partners to designate 2019 as a “Year of action on preparedness for health emergencies”.

WHO’s R&D Blueprint identifies diseases and pathogens that have potential to cause a public health emergency but lack effective treatments and vaccines. This watchlist for priority research and development includes Ebola, several other haemorrhagic fevers, Zika, Nipah, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and disease X, which represents the need to prepare for an unknown pathogen that could cause a serious epidemic.

Weak primary health care  

Vaccine hesitancy

Vaccine hesitancy – the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines – threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease – it currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved.

Measles, for example, has seen a 30% increase in cases globally. The reasons for this rise are complex, and not all of these cases are due to vaccine hesitancy. However, some countries that were close to eliminating the disease have seen a resurgence.

The reasons why people choose not to vaccinate are complex; a vaccines advisory group to WHO identified complacency, inconvenience in accessing vaccines, and lack of confidence are key reasons underlying hesitancy. Health workers, especially those in communities, remain the most trusted advisor and influencer of vaccination decisions, and they must be supported to provide trusted, credible information on vaccines.

In 2019, WHO will ramp up work to eliminate cervical cancer worldwide by increasing coverage of the HPV vaccine, among other interventions. 2019 may also be the year when transmission of wild poliovirus is stopped in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last year, less than 30 cases were reported in both countries. WHO and partners are committed to supporting these countries to vaccinate every last child to eradicate this crippling disease for good.

Dengue

Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease that causes flu-like symptoms and can be lethal and kill up to 20% of those with severe dengue, has been a growing threat for decades.

A high number of cases occur in the rainy seasons of countries such as Bangladesh and India. Now, its season in these countries is lengthening significantly (in 2018, Bangladesh saw the highest number of deaths in almost two decades), and the disease is spreading to less tropical and more temperate countries such as Nepal, that have not traditionally seen the disease.

An estimated 40% of the world is at risk of dengue fever, and there are around 390 million infections a year. WHO’s Dengue control strategy aims to reduce deaths by 50% by 2020.

HIV

The progress made against HIV has been enormous in terms of getting people tested, providing them with antiretrovirals (22 million are on treatment), and providing access to preventive measures such as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, which is when people at risk of HIV take antiretrovirals to prevent infection).

However, the epidemic continues to rage with nearly a million people every year dying of HIV/AIDS. Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 70 million people have acquired the infection, and about 35 million people have died. Today, around 37 million worldwide live with HIV. Reaching people like sex workers, people in prison, men who have sex with men, or transgender people is hugely challenging. Often these groups are excluded from health services. A group increasingly affected by HIV are young girls and women (aged 15–24), who are particularly at high risk and account for 1 in 4 HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa despite being only 10% of the population.

This year, WHO will work with countries to support the introduction of self-testing so that more people living with HIV know their status and can receive treatment (or preventive measures in the case of a negative test result). One activity will be to act on new guidance announced In December 2018, by WHO and the International Labour Organization to support companies and organizations to offer HIV self-tests in the workplace.

Milestones :: Perspectives

WHO statement on reports of alleged misconduct

17 January 2019

Statement

WHO is aware of a news story published today about allegations of misconduct in the organization.

The allegations are being investigated according to WHO’s established procedures, having been referred to WHO’s Office of Internal Oversight Services by the Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The anonymous allegations, which had been circulating internally, were also addressed openly by Dr Tedros in global meetings with staff in which he stressed that WHO has zero tolerance for misconduct or discrimination of any kind.

Since Dr Tedros took office as Director-General in July 2017, he has championed openness, transparency and diversity. WHO’s senior management team is now one of the most diverse and gender-balanced of any United Nations agency. All regions of the world are represented and almost two-thirds are women. WHO is working consistently to increase geographical diversity and improve gender balance at all levels as part of its ongoing transformation process.

WHO has established mechanisms by which anyone inside or outside the organization can report concerns about any form of suspected misconduct by WHO personnel. WHO has recently strengthened the capacity of its internal oversight mechanisms and has proven processes for reporting and dealing with allegations of misconduct.

These include an independently-run integrity hotline which anyone can use to report concerns confidentially and anonymously. We regularly report the outcome of substantiated allegations arising from independent investigations to Member States in our reports to Governing Bodies. All these reports are posted on our public website.

WHO listens to all feedback so we can learn and improve and provide the best possible advice and assistance to countries.

Milestones :: Perspectives

AP Exclusive: UN health chief orders probe into misconduct

By MARIA CHENG

Associates Press  January 17, 2019

LONDON (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization has ordered an internal investigation into allegations the U.N. health agency is rife with racism, sexism and corruption, after a series of anonymous emails with the explosive charges were sent to top managers last year.

Three emails addressed to WHO directors — and obtained by the Associated Press — complained about “systematic racial discrimination” against African staffers and alleged other instances of wrongdoing, including claims that some of the money intended to fight Ebola in Congo was misspent.

Last month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staffers he had instructed the head of WHO’s office of internal oversight to look into the charges raised by the emails. He confirmed that directive to the AP on Thursday.

A WHO statement issued after the AP story was published said the agency was “aware” of such allegations and has “zero tolerance for misconduct or discrimination of any kind.” The statement said Tedros has “championed openness, transparency and diversity” since he became WHO’s chief.

However, critics doubt that WHO can effectively investigate itself and have called for the probe to be made public.

The first email, which was sent last April, claimed there was “systematic racial discrimination against Africans at WHO” and that African staffers were being “abused, sworn at (and) shown contempt to” by their Geneva-based colleagues.

Two further emails addressed to WHO directors complained that senior officials were “attempting to stifle” investigations into such problems and also alleged other instances of wrongdoing, including allegedly misspent Ebola funds.

The last email, sent in December, labeled the behavior of a senior doctor helping to lead the response against Ebola as “unacceptable, unprofessional and racist,” citing a November incident at a meeting where the doctor reportedly “humiliated, disgraced and belittled” a subordinate from the Middle East.

Tedros — a former health minister of Ethiopia and WHO’s first African director-general — said investigators looking into the charges “have all my support” and that he would provide more resources if necessary.

“To those that are giving us feedback, thank you,” he told a meeting of WHO’s country representatives in Nairobi last month. “We will do everything to correct (it) if there are problems.”

Milestones :: Perspectives

144th Session of the WHO Executive Board

24 January – 1 February 2019 Coordinated Universal Time

Geneva, Switzerland

Selected Agenda Content

EB144/1 – Provisional agenda
EB144/1 (annotated) – Provisional agenda (annotated)

EB144/8 – Public health preparedness and response
Report of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme

EB144/9 – Polio Eradication
EB144/10 – Polio Transition

EB144/11 Rev.1 – Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

EB144/12 – Universal health coverage
Primary health care towards universal health coverage
EB144/13 – Universal health coverage
Community health workers delivering primary health care: opportunities and challenges
EB144/14 – Universal health coverage
Preparation for the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on universal health coverage

EB144/17 – Medicines, vaccines and health products
Access to medicines and vaccines
EB144/18 – Medicines, vaccines and health products
Cancer medicines
EB144/19 – Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on health-related issues
Antimicrobial resistance

EB144/21 – Follow-up to the high-level meetings of the United Nations General Assembly on health-related issues
Ending tuberculosis

EB144/23 – Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework for the sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits
Implementation of decision WHA71(11) (2018)

EB144/24 – Member State mechanism on substandard and falsified medical products

EB144/27 – Promoting the health of refugees and migrants
Draft global action plan, 2019–2023

::::::

::::::

Milestones :: Perspectives

Ebola – Democratic Republic of the Congo

24: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu  16 January 2019
[Excerpts]

1. Situation update

…As of 14 January 2019, a cumulative total of 402 deaths were reported, including 353 deaths among confirmed cases. The case fatality ratio among confirmed cases is 58% (353/609). Since 1 December 2018, 36% (72/202) of cases have occurred in children <15 years of age. Of these, 16 cases were <1 year of age. A total of 29 pregnant women have been reported so far. To date, 57 infected healthcare workers (including 20 deaths) have been reported, with an additional laboratory worker and a nurse identified retrospectively during the last reporting week. On 14 January 2019, one death among a healthcare worker occurred in Katwa Health Zone.

…Case management

On 24 November 2018, MoH announced the launch of a randomized control trial for Ebola therapeutics. This first-ever multi-drug randomized control trial within an outbreak setting is an important step towards finding an effective evidence-based treatment for Ebola. The trial is coordinated by WHO and led and sponsored by the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) which is the principal investigator. The trial has begun in the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) ETC in Beni, where patients are enrolled in the study after obtaining voluntary informed consent. MSF treatment centres are also preparing to launch the trial at their sites in the near future.

Until other ETCs are ready to launch the trial, they will continue to provide therapeutics under the Monitored Emergency Use of Unregistered Interventions (MEURI) (compassionate use) protocol, in collaboration with the MoH and the INRB, together with supportive care measures. WHO continues to provide technical clinical expertise on-site at all treatment centres. UNICEF is providing nutritional treatment and psychological support for all hospitalized patients…

…Implementation of ring vaccination protocol

As of 14 January 2019, a total of 60,460 individuals have been vaccinated since the start of the outbreak.

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 16 January 2019
Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Nigeria – advance notification one case of circulating vaccine derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) and two circulating VDPV2 positive environmental samples.
:: Pakistan – two cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) 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 19 Jan 2019]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 24: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu  16 January 2019
:: DONs Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo  17 January 2019

[See Milestones above for more detail]

Syrian Arab Republic
:: WHO statement on health situation in Rukban, Syria
17 January 2019, Damascus, Syria – The World Health Organization expresses severe concern about the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Rukban settlement close to the border with Jordan, and calls for immediate access to the settlement to assess the health situation, provide essential medicines and medical supplies, and support the medical evacuation of critically ill patients.
Approximately 40 000 people, mostly women and children, remain stranded in the settlement and are unable to leave, and harsh winter conditions have reportedly led to several deaths. Health care facilities are barely functioning and have very few staff or medical supplies. There are no generators or fuel to provide even minimum warmth to alleviate the bitterly cold weather…

Bangladesh – Rohingya crisis – No new digest announcements identified
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
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 19 Jan 2019]
occupied Palestinian territory – 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
Hurricane Irma and Maria in the Caribbean – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – 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 19 Jan 2019]
Afghanistan
Chad
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018
Kenya
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Mali
Namibia – viral hepatitis
Peru
Philippines – Tyhpoon Mangkhut

Tanzania

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

UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Yemen
:: Yemen Humanitarian Update Covering 13 December 2018 – 15 January 2019 | Issue 1  Published on 15 Jan 2019

KEY ISSUES:

• Humanitarian partners assisted about 1 million people displaced by conflict in Al Hudaydah Governorate in the last six months. Partners are preparing to assist about 342,000 people who are projected to return to Al Hudaydah City if the situation improves.
• The assisted displaced people include 127,644 in Hajjah Governorate where about 140,000 displaced people have been registered since June 2018.
• The Central Emergency Response Fund made US$32 million available to support critical services for the scaleup of the life-saving humanitarian responses in Yemen.

Syrian Arab Republic   – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Ethiopia  – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia  – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

“Other Emergencies”
Indonesia: Central Sulawesi Earthquake – No new digest announcements identified
 

::::::
:::::: 

Editor’s Note:
We will cluster these recent emergencies as below and continue to monitor the WHO webpages for updates and key developments.
EBOLA/EVD  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.who.int/ebola/en/
:: 24: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu  16 January 2019
:: DONs Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo  17 January 2019

[See Milestones above for more detail]

MERS-CoV [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://who.int/emergencies/mers-cov/en/
– No new digest announcements identified.

Yellow Fever  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/yellowfev/en/
9 January 2019
Yellow fever – Nigeria

Zika virus  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/zika/en/
– No new digest announcements identified.

::::::

::::::

WHO & Regional Offices [to 19 Jan 2019]
WHO statement on reports of alleged misconduct
17 January 2019
Statement
[See Milestones above]

::::::

144th Session of the WHO Executive Board
24 January – 1 February 2019 Coordinated Universal Time
Geneva, Switzerland
[See selected agenda content in Milestones above]

::::::

Weekly Epidemiological Record, 18 January 2019, vol. 94, 03 (pp. 17–44)
:: Editorial
:: Application of social science in the response to Ebola, Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Lessons learnt from Ebola virus disease surveillance in Équateur Province, May–July 2018
:: Preventing the international spread of Ebola virus by comprehensive, risk-informed measures at points of entry and compliance with the International Health Regulations (2005)
:: Risk communication, community engagement and social mobilization during the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 2018
:: A package for monitoring operational indicators of the response to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
::Operational readiness and preparedness for Ebola virus disease outbreak in countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo: progress, challenges and the way forward
:: Monthly report on dracunculiasis cases, January–November 2018

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Cabo Verde leads the way in ending new HIV infections in children in West and Central Africa
17 January 2019
:: UNAIDS, UNICEF and WHO urge countries in western and central Africa to step up the pace in the response to HIV for children and adolescents  16 January 2019
:: EVD – Rwanda conducts a Full Scale Simulation Exercise  14 January 2019
WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
– No new announcement identified

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
– No new announcement identified 

WHO European Region EURO
– No new announcement identified

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Medical kits and supplies delivered to Diyala, Iraq  17 January 2019

WHO Western Pacific Region ::
:: WHO-recommended newborn care cuts life-threatening infections by two thirds
15 January 2019

CDC/ACIP [to 19 Jan 2019]

http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html

– No new digest announcements identified

Africa CDC   [to 19 Jan 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.

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China
http://en.nhfpc.gov.cn/
Selected Updates/ Press Releases/ Notices
Website not responding at inquiry.

Announcements
 
 
BMGF – Gates Foundation  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.
 
 
Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute    [to 19 Jan 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 19 Jan 2019]
https://carb-x.org/
CARB-X is a non-profit public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
No new digest content identified.
 
 
 
CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://cepi.net/
17 Jan 2019
CEPI partners with University of Queensland to create rapid-response vaccines
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the University of Queensland (UQ)—one of the country’s leading research institutions—have announced a partnering agreement, worth up to US$ 10.6 million (AU$ 14.7 million), to develop a “molecular clamp” vaccine platform, a transformative technology that enables targeted and rapid vaccine production against multiple viral pathogens.
 
 
16 Jan 2019
CEPI backs expansion of FIND’s Lassa fever response programme
 
 
EDCTP    [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.edctp.org/
The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as well as other poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on phase II and III clinical trials
Latest news
No new digest content identified.
 
 
 
Emory Vaccine Center    [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
No new digest content identified.
 
 
European Medicines Agency  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News and press releases
14/01/2019
News: Revised guideline aims to strengthen global approach to development of new antibacterial medicines
 
 
 
European Vaccine Initiative  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/news-events
15 January 2019
First clinical results of PlacMalVac project published
EVI-supported project publishes first clinical results for vaccine candidate to prevent pregnancy-associated malaria.
 
 
FDA [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
January 15, 2019 –
Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. and Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research on new policies to advance development of safe and effective cell and gene therapies
The FDA is witnessing a surge of cell and gene therapy products entering early development, evidenced by a large upswing in the number of investigational new drug (IND) applications. Based on this activity, we anticipate that the number of product approvals for cell and gene therapies will grow in the coming years, reflecting significant scientific advancement and the clinical promise of these new innovations…
 
 
Fondation Merieux  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
No new digest content identified.
 
 
Gavi [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.gavi.org/
15 January 2019
Iceland pledges US$1 million to immunise children in Malawi
 
 
GHIT Fund   [to 19 Jan 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 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
No new digest content identified.
 
 
Hilleman Laboratories   [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
Date: 18/01/2019
Hilleman Laboratories announces creation of new Strategic Advisory Committee
 
 
Human Vaccines Project   [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.
 
 
IAVI  [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
No new digest content identified.
 
 
IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/library/news/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.
 
 
IVAC  [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
No new digest content identified.
 
 
IVI   [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.ivi.int/
IVI News & Announcements
No new digest content identified.
 
 
JEE Alliance  [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
14.11.2018
The Alliance adopts a workplan with a focus on thematic dialogues and information sharing
Meeting, Multisectorality, OneHealth
 
 
MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.msf.org/
Selected News; Project Updates, Reports
DRC 2018 Ebola outbreaks
Ebola patient care increases amid growing tensions in North Kivu
18 Jan 2019

Neglected diseases
Lassa fever: A challenging disease to diagnose and treat
18 Jan 2019

Antibiotic resistance
“Without urgent action, common infections and minor injuries could be deadly again”
17 Jan 2019

Nigeria
Thousands fleeing Rann attack seek refuge in Cameroon
16 Jan 2019

Nigeria
Crisis update: Borno and Yobe states, January 2019
14 Jan 2019

 
NIH  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
No new digest content identified.

 
PATH  [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Jan. 15, 2019
Vietnam-produced seasonal influenza vaccine licensed for production and use
Milestone represents more than 10 years of partnership between Vietnamese manufacturers, PATH, the United States and Vietnam governments, and the World Health Organization.

Sabin Vaccine Institute  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
No new digest content identified.
 
 
UNAIDS [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
17 January 2019
Oral fluid HIV testing for gay men and other men who have sex with men in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

UNICEF  [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements

Statement
18/01/2019
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore’s remarks at Rotary International Assembly, San Diego, California,

Statement
“Lack of access to medical care in Syria is putting children’s lives at risk”
Statement attributable to Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

Vaccine Confidence Project  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Confidence Commentary:
Japan: ‘Distressing’ Trend – Cervical Cancer Increasing
Heidi Larson | 14 Jan, 2019
Cervical cancer is on the rise among young women in Japan. This contrasts with the trend seen in most other developed countries, where rates have been falling, largely as a result of screening and vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) — the chief cause of virtually all cervical cancers worldwide.
The recent increase in cervical cancer in Japan can probably be explained by several factors, say researchers: low levels of cervical cancer screening, changes in sexual behavior leading to an increase in the prevalence of HPV infection, and the suspension in June 2013 of an active recommendation of HPV vaccination.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

 
Wellcome Trust  [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News | 17 January 2019
Researchers can now transfer Wellcome grants outside the UK
Alyson Fox, our Director of Grants, explains why we’re changing our policy on transferring grants to ensure research can thrive in the UK, EU and beyond.

News | 14 January 2019
2018 was a flagship year for Innovations – and 2019 is equally promising
Director of Innovation Stephen Caddick reflects on the past year and explains how his team has built its global portfolio to around £1 billion, touching the lives of more than 1.8 million people.
 
 
The Wistar Institute   [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)   [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2018/
No new digest content identified.

::::::

BIO    [to 19 Jan 2019]
https://www.bio.org/insights/press-release
Jan 17 2019
BIO Statement on China Approvals of Agricultural Biotechnology Products
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement on the announcement that the People’s Republic of China’s National Biosafety Committee approved the final safety certificate for five agricultural biotechnology products.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network  [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA   [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA    [to 19 Jan 2019]
http://www.phrma.org/press-room
January 17, 2019
PhRMA Welcomes Genentech and Gilead Sciences to Association
 

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 Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 19 Jan 2019)

Correspondence
Achieving the end game: employing “vaccine diplomacy” to eradicate polio in Pakistan
On April 28, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared polio a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (PHIC) under the authority of the International Health Regulations. Although polio has…
Authors: Shahella Idrees Shakeel, Matthew Brown, Shakeel Sethi and Tim K. Mackey
Citation: BMC Public Health 2019 19:79
Published on: 17 January 2019

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 19 Jan 2019)

Research article
Is partnership the answer? Delivering the national immunisation programme in the new English health system: a mixed methods study
The English national health system experienced a major reorganisation in April 2013. This mixed methods study examined how staff managed to deliver the national immunisation programme within a new health infra…
Authors: Tracey Chantler, Sadie Bell, Vanessa Saliba, Catherine Heffernan, Thara Raj, Mary Ramsay and Sandra Mounier-Jack
Citation: BMC Public Health 2019 19:83
Published on: 17 January 2019

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 19 Jan 2019)

Research article
Vaccination coverage in Lebanon following the Syrian crisis: results from the district-based immunization coverage evaluation survey 2016
Following the Syrian crisis, a substantial influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon posed new challenges to optimal vaccination coverage for all children residing in the country. In 2016, the district-based immu…
Authors: Ziad Mansour, Randa Hamadeh, Alissar Rady, M. Carolina Danovaro-Holliday, Kamal Fahmy, Racha Said, Lina Brandt, Ramy Warrak and Walid Ammar
Citation: BMC Public Health 2019 19:58
Published on: 14 January 2019

Health Research Policy and Systems
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content
[Accessed 19 Jan 2019]

Research
Contemporary issues in north–south health research partnerships: perspectives of health research stakeholders in Zambia
The late 1990s and early 2000s have seen a growth in north–south health research partnerships resulting from scientific developments such as those in genetic studies and development of statistical techniques a…
Authors: Tulani Francis L. Matenga, Joseph Mumba Zulu, J. Hope Corbin and Oliver Mweemba
Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2019 17:7
Published on: 15 January 2019

Health Research Policy and Systems
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content
[Accessed 19 Jan 2019]

Research
Novel methods of qualitative analysis for health policy research
Currently, thanks to the growing number of public database resources, most evidence on planning and management, healthcare institutions, policies and practices is becoming available to everyone. However, one o…
Authors: Mireya Martínez-García, Maite Vallejo, Enrique Hernández-Lemus and Jorge Alberto Álvarez-Díaz
Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2019 17:6
Published on: 14 January 2019

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics
Volume 14 Issue 1, February 2019
http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/jre/current

Research Participants’ Perspectives on Ethical Issues
Trolley Dilemmas Fail to Predict Ethical Judgment in a Hypothetical Vaccination Context
Fredrik Andreas Dahl, Gry Oftedal
First Published November 1, 2018; pp. 23–32
Preview
We investigated whether the responses of 68 ethics committee members and staff to trolley dilemmas could predict their responses to research ethics problems concerning vaccine trials. Trolley dilemmas deal with the issue of sacrificing some for the benefit of many, which is also a core issue in the vaccination trial dilemmas. The subjects’ responses to trolley dilemmas showed no statistically significant correlation with their responses to our vaccination trial dilemmas. We concluded that, if there is a component of transferable intuition between the contexts, it must be small and dominated by other factors. Furthermore, the willingness to sacrifice some for many was larger in the trolley context, despite a more favorable risk/reward ratio and the voluntary participation of the subjects at risk in the vaccination situations. We conclude that one’s general willingness to trade lives in the trolley context may be an artifact that is due to its unrealistic setting.

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics
Volume 14 Issue 1, February 2019
http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/jre/current

Research Participants’ Perspectives on Ethical Issues
Trolley Dilemmas Fail to Predict Ethical Judgment in a Hypothetical Vaccination Context
Fredrik Andreas Dahl, Gry Oftedal
First Published November 1, 2018; pp. 23–32
Preview
We investigated whether the responses of 68 ethics committee members and staff to trolley dilemmas could predict their responses to research ethics problems concerning vaccine trials. Trolley dilemmas deal with the issue of sacrificing some for the benefit of many, which is also a core issue in the vaccination trial dilemmas. The subjects’ responses to trolley dilemmas showed no statistically significant correlation with their responses to our vaccination trial dilemmas. We concluded that, if there is a component of transferable intuition between the contexts, it must be small and dominated by other factors. Furthermore, the willingness to sacrifice some for many was larger in the trolley context, despite a more favorable risk/reward ratio and the voluntary participation of the subjects at risk in the vaccination situations. We conclude that one’s general willingness to trade lives in the trolley context may be an artifact that is due to its unrealistic setting.

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics
Volume 14 Issue 1, February 2019
http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/jre/current

Privacy of Clinical Research Subjects: An Integrative Literature Review
Sanna-Maria Nurmi, Mari Kangasniemi, Arja Halkoaho, Anna-Maija Pietilä
First Published October 24, 2018; pp. 33–48
Preview
With changes in clinical research practice, the importance of a study-subject’s privacy and the confidentiality of their personal data is growing. However, the body of research is fragmented, and a synthesis of work in this area is lacking. Accordingly, an integrative review was performed, guided by Whittemore and Knafl’s work. Data from PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL searches from January 2012 to February 2017 were analyzed via the constant comparison method. From 16 empirical and theoretical studies, six topical aspects were identified: the evolving nature of health data in clinical research, sharing of health data, the challenges of anonymizing data, collaboration among stakeholders, the complexity of regulation, and ethics-related tension between social benefits and privacy. Study subjects’ privacy is an increasingly important ethics principle for clinical research, and privacy protection is rendered even more challenging by changing research practice.