Maternal and Child Health Journal
Volume 22, Issue 12, December 2018
https://link.springer.com/journal/10995/22/12/page/1
From the Field
Progress Toward Eliminating Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in Kenya: Review of Treatment Guidelines Uptake and Pediatric Transmission Between 2013 and 2016—A Follow Up
Ruby Angeline Pricilla, Melinda Brown…
Nature
Volume 563 Issue 7733, 29 November 2018
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html
Editorial | 26 November 2018
Beware the rise of the radical right
Academic freedom is on the hit list when radical politicians gain office — as they have done in Europe.
PharmacoEconomics
Volume 36, Issue 12, December 2018
https://link.springer.com/journal/40273/36/12/page/1
Current Opinion
Differential Pricing of Pharmaceuticals: Theory, Evidence and Emerging Issues
Patricia M. Danzon
PharmacoEconomics
Volume 36, Issue 12, December 2018
https://link.springer.com/journal/40273/36/12/page/1
Original Research Article
Cost Effectiveness of Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccines Compared with Trivalent Influenza Vaccines in Young Children and Older Adults in Korea
Yun-Kyung Kim, Joon Young Song, Hyeongap Jang, Tae Hyun Kim, Heejo Koo…
PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 1 Dec 2018)
Perspective
Machine learning in population health: Opportunities and threats
Abraham D. Flaxman, Theo Vos
| published 27 Nov 2018 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002702
Machine learning (ML) has succeeded in complex tasks by trading experts and programmers for data and nonparametric statistical models. However, the applications for which ML has been successfully deployed in health and biomedicine remain limited [1]. These limits also apply in population health, in which we are concerned with the health outcomes of a group of individuals and the distribution of outcomes within the group. In our metrics, we deal with messy global health data, and a large effort goes into piecing together sparse, noisy information to understand what causes how much health loss, where it occurs, and how it is changing. In our interventions, we often face stringent constraints on resources and need to develop appropriate and acceptable solutions under these constraints. How might ML-based approaches change population health? Here, we discuss opportunities and threats from ML, with our views on further development needed within ML to create the best possible outcomes…
PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 1 Dec 2018]
Research Article
HIV-positive gay men’s knowledge and perceptions of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccination: A qualitative study
Daniel Grace, Mark Gaspar, Rachelle Paquette, Ron Rosenes, Ann N. Burchell, Troy Grennan, Irving E. Salit
| published 29 Nov 2018 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207953
PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 1 Dec 2018]
Research Article
Religiosity predicts negative attitudes towards science and lower levels of science literacy
Jonathon McPhetres, Miron Zuckerman
| published 27 Nov 2018 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207125
PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 1 Dec 2018]
Evaluating science communication
Baruch Fischhoff
PNAS published ahead of print November 26, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1805863115
Abstract
Effective science communication requires assembling scientists with knowledge relevant to decision makers, translating that knowledge into useful terms, establishing trusted two-way communication channels, evaluating the process, and refining it as needed. Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda [National Research Council (2017)] surveys the scientific foundations for accomplishing these tasks, the research agenda for improving them, and the essential collaborative relations with decision makers and communication professionals. Recognizing the complexity of the science, the decisions, and the communication processes, the report calls for a systems approach. This perspective offers an approach to creating such systems by adapting scientific methods to the practical constraints of science communication. It considers staffing (are the right people involved?), internal collaboration (are they talking to one another?), and external collaboration (are they talking to other stakeholders?). It focuses on contexts where the goal of science communication is helping people to make autonomous choices rather than promoting specific behaviors (e.g., voter turnout, vaccination rates, energy consumption). The approach is illustrated with research in two domains: decisions about preventing sexual assault and responding to pandemic disease.
PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 1 Dec 2018]
Communicating uncertainty in policy analysis
Charles F. Manski
PNAS published ahead of print November 26, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1722389115
Abstract
The term “policy analysis” describes scientific evaluations of the impacts of past public policies and predictions of the outcomes of potential future policies. A prevalent practice has been to report policy analysis with incredible certitude. That is, exact predictions of policy outcomes are routine, while expressions of uncertainty are rare. However, predictions and estimates often are fragile, resting on unsupported assumptions and limited data. Therefore, the expressed certitude is not credible. This paper summarizes my work documenting incredible certitude and calling for transparent communication of uncertainty. I present a typology of practices that contribute to incredible certitude, give illustrative examples, and offer suggestions on how to communicate uncertainty.
PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 1 Dec 2018]
Scientific communication in a post-truth society
Shanto Iyengar and Douglas S. Massey
PNAS published ahead of print November 26, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1805868115
Abstract
Within the scientific community, much attention has focused on improving communications between scientists, policy makers, and the public. To date, efforts have centered on improving the content, accessibility, and delivery of scientific communications. Here we argue that in the current political and media environment faulty communication is no longer the core of the problem. Distrust in the scientific enterprise and misperceptions of scientific knowledge increasingly stem less from problems of communication and more from the widespread dissemination of misleading and biased information. We describe the profound structural shifts in the media environment that have occurred in recent decades and their connection to public policy decisions and technological changes. We explain how these shifts have enabled unscrupulous actors with ulterior motives increasingly to circulate fake news, misinformation, and disinformation with the help of trolls, bots, and respondent-driven algorithms. We document the high degree of partisan animosity, implicit ideological bias, political polarization, and politically motivated reasoning that now prevail in the public sphere and offer an actual example of how clearly stated scientific conclusions can be systematically perverted in the media through an internet-based campaign of disinformation and misinformation. We suggest that, in addition to attending to the clarity of their communications, scientists must also develop online strategies to counteract campaigns of misinformation and disinformation that will inevitably follow the release of findings threatening to partisans on either end of the political spectrum.
Preventive Medicine
Volume 117, Pages 1-114 (December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/preventive-medicine/vol/117/suppl/C
Behavior Change, Health, and Health Disparities 2018: Tobacco Regulatory Science
Edited by Stephen T. Higgins
This Special Issue of Preventive Medicine (PM) is the 5th in a series on behavior change, health, and health disparities. Unhealthy behavior patterns (i.e., lifestyle choices) including cigarette smoking and other substance abuse, physical inactivity, unhealthy food choices, and non-adherence with recommended medical regimens, undermine U.S. population health by increasing risk for chronic disease and premature death. This Special Issue brings together scholarly contributions from the emerging area of tobacco regulatory science to examine current topics of critical importance to reducing the burden of cigarette smoking on U.S. population health. More specifically, three related topics are examined including (a) the potential for reducing smoking by adopting a national policy that would cap the nicotine content of cigarettes at minimally-addictive levels; (b) increasing scientific understanding of cigarette smoking and other tobacco use among populations that are especially vulnerable to initiating smoking, tobacco addiction, and its adverse health consequences; and (c) the potential of a harm-reduction strategy for reducing the burden of smoking by advocating that those who are unwilling or unable to quit nicotine use substitute electronic cigarettes or other non-combusted sources of nicotine for cigarettes in order to avoid exposure to the other toxins in tobacco smoke that are most responsible for smoking morbidity and mortality. While tremendous progress has been made in reducing overall U.S. smoking prevalence and its adverse health impacts, more needs to be done. This Special Issue offers some ideas that have the potential to make a substantive contribution towards that goal.
Public Health Reports
Volume 133 Issue 1_suppl, November/December 2018
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/phrg/133/1_suppl
From Local Action to National Progress on 5 Major Health Challenges: The Bloomberg American Health Initiative
Guest Editor: Joshua M. Sharfstein, Jessica Leighton, Alfred Sommer and Ellen J. MacKenzie
The articles in this supplemental issue of Public Health Reports provide insight into what it will take for the field of public health to tackle 5 of the most complex and difficult health problems of our time: (1) large numbers of adolescents disconnected from work and school; (2) violence (including gun violence), intimate partner and sexual violence, and suicide; (3) opioid addiction and overdose; (4) a dysfunctional food system associated with obesity; and (5) threats to the environment.
These 5 problems are the central focus of the new Bloomberg American Health Initiative, which MacKenzie et al1 describe in their Commentary. “All 5 areas of focus are serious problems facing the nation, with deep connections to economic and social factors,” they write. “None have quick fixes.”1 Yet there is reason to believe that public health can lead the way toward meaningful progress.
From December 2017 to April 2018, the initiative held 5 national symposia to document the state of understanding and to inform a public health perspective on each challenge. This supplement includes these perspectives, as well as commentaries in the cross-cutting areas of evidence, policy, and equity. Together, these articles provide a road map for efforts to bring public health training to frontline organizations, pursue insights through innovative research, and advance effective programs, policies, and strategies for change…
Qualitative Health Research
Volume 28 Issue 14, December 2018
http://qhr.sagepub.com/content/current
Research Articles
An Ounce of Prevention: Identifying Cues to (In)Action for Maternal Vaccine Refusal
Melissa L. Crrion
First Published August 10, 2018; pp. 2183–2194
Preview
Recent increases in childhood vaccine exemption rates are a source of concern within the public health community. Drawing from the health belief model and in-depth interviews with 50 mothers (n = 50) who refused one or more vaccine, the aim of this study was to identify the specific reasons and the broader decision context(s) that underscored participants’ vaccine refusal. Results indicate that the vast majority of participants supported vaccination until a particular cue motivated them to consider otherwise, and qualitative analysis identified three main categories into which these cues fell: perceived adverse reactions, endorsements from health care professionals, and perceived contradiction among expert-endorsed messages. These categories point to the central role of health communication in motivating vaccine refusal. Better understanding these cues can inform vaccine communication scholarship and practice, and also lend theoretical insight into the intertextual nature of controversial health messages and decisions.
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH)
http://www.paho.org/journal/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=101
Recently Published Articles
Saúde universal com equidade, sem deixar ninguém para tras [Universal health with equity, leaving no one behind]
Joaquín Molina
Editorial | PDF (also in English): https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.173 | Published 27 November 2018
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health(RPSP/PAJPH)
http://www.paho.org/journal/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=101
Recently Published Articles
Análise crítica da interculturalidade na Política Nacional de Atenção às Populações Indígenas no Brasil [Critical analysis of interculturality in the National Policy for the Care of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil]
Leo Pedrana, Leny Alves Bomfim Trad, Maria Luiza Garnelo Pereira, Mônica de Oliveira Nunes de Torrenté and Sara Emanuela de Carvalho Mota
Opinion and analysis l PDF: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.178 l Published 27 November 2018
Science
30 November 2018 Vol 362, Issue 6418
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Editorial
Define the human right to science
By Jessica M. Wyndham, Margaret Weigers Vitullo
Science30 Nov 2018 : 975
Summary
The adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly will mark its 70th anniversary on 10 December. One right enshrined in the UDHR is the right of everyone to “share in scientific advancement and its benefits.” In 1966, this right was incorporated into the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, a treaty to which 169 countries have voluntarily agreed to be bound. Unlike most other human rights, however, the right to science has never been legally defined and is often ignored in practice by the governments bound to implement it. An essential first step toward giving life to the right to science is for the UN to legally define it.
Science
30 November 2018 Vol 362, Issue 6418
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
In Depth
Shock greets claim of CRISPR-edited babies
By Dennis Normile
Science 30 Nov 2018 : 978-979 Restricted Access
Apparent germline engineering by Chinese researcher prompts outrage and investigations.
Systematic Reviews
https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 1 Dec 2018]
Protocol
A review protocol on research partnerships: a Coordinated Multicenter Team approach
Research partnership approaches, in which researchers and stakeholders work together collaboratively on a research project, are an important component of research, knowledge translation, and implementation. De…
Authors: Femke Hoekstra, Kelly J. Mrklas, Kathryn M. Sibley, Tram Nguyen, Mathew Vis-Dunbar, Christine J. Neilson, Leah K. Crockett, Heather L. Gainforth and Ian D. Graham
Citation: Systematic Reviews 2018 7:217
Published on: 30 November 2018
Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 52 Pages 7907-8164 (18 December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/52
Review article Abstract only
Post-exposure prophylaxis for measles with immunoglobulins revised recommendations of the standing committee on vaccination in Germany
Dorothea Matysiak-Klose, Sabine Santibanez, Christine Schwerdtfeger, Judith Koch, … Ulrich Heininger
Pages 7916-7922
Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 52 Pages 7907-8164 (18 December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/52
Review article Open access
The use of eHealth with immunizations: An overview of systematic reviews
Elsy Maria Dumit, David Novillo-Ortiz, Marcela Contreras, Martha Velandia, M. Carolina Danovaro-Holliday
Pages 7923-7928
Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 52 Pages 7907-8164 (18 December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/52
Review article Abstract only
A big pertussis outbreak in a primary school with high vaccination coverage in northern China: An evidence of the emerging of the disease in China
Haitao Huang, Ping Gao, Zhigang Gao, Lijuan Wang, … Ying Zhang
Pages 7950-7955
Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 52 Pages 7907-8164 (18 December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/52
Review article Open access
Coverage and timeliness of vaccination and the validity of routine estimates: Insights from a vaccine registry in Kenya
Ifedayo M.O. Adetifa, Boniface Karia, Alex Mutuku, Tahreni Bwanaali, … J. Anthony G. Scott
Pages 7965-7974
Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 52 Pages 7907-8164 (18 December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/52
Review article Abstract only
Parents’ perceptions of childhood immunization in Israel: Information and concerns
Bella Elran, Sarit Yaari, Yael Glazer, Mira Honovich, … Emilia Anis
Pages 8062-8068
Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 52 Pages 7907-8164 (18 December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/52
Review article Abstract only
Association between patient reminders and influenza vaccination status among children
Katherine E. Kahn, Tammy A. Santibanez, Yusheng Zhai, Carolyn B. Bridges
Pages 8110-8118
Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 52 Pages 7907-8164 (18 December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/52
Review article Abstract only
Vaccine-preventable disease control in the People’s Republic of China: 1949–2016
Wenzhou Yu, Lisa A. Lee, Yanmin Liu, Robert W. Scherpbier, … Huaqing Wang
Pages 8131-8137
Vaccine
Volume 36, Issue 52 Pages 7907-8164 (18 December 2018)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/36/issue/52
Review article Abstract only
Outsmart HPV: Acceptability and short-term effects of a web-based HPV vaccination intervention for young adult gay and bisexual men
Annie-Laurie McRee, Abigail Shoben, Jose A. Bauermeister, Mira L. Katz, … Paul L. Reiter
Pages 8158-8164
Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 1 Dec 2018)
Open Access Article
Impact of Out-of-Pocket Cost on Herpes Zoster Vaccine Uptake: An Observational Study in a Medicare Managed Care Population
by Zhuliang Tao, Yong Li, Stephen Stemkowski, Kelly D. Johnson, Camilo J. Acosta, Dongmu Zhang and A. Mark Fendrick
Vaccines 2018, 6(4), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines6040078 – 21 November 2018
Abstract
Herpes zoster (HZ) vaccination is approved for adults aged 50+ for the prevention of HZ, but it is underutilized. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between out-of-pocket cost and HZ vaccine utilization. Adults aged 65 or older enrolled for at least 12 months in Medicare Advantage/Part D (MAPD) and Medicare Part D only (PDP) plans from 1 January 2007 to 30 June 2014 were selected. Abandonment was defined as a reversed claim for HZ vaccine with no other paid claim within 90 days. Out-of-pocket costs used were actual amounts recorded in the claim. Overall, the HZ vaccine abandonment rate was 7.3%. Mean out-of-pocket costs were higher for individuals who abandoned versus those who did not ($88 (±$55) versus $80 (± $49)). Logistic regression indicated individuals with out-of-pocket costs of $80–$90 were 21% more likely (OR = 1.21, 1.16–1.27 95% CI), and those with out-of-pocket costs >$90 were 90% more likely (OR = 1.90, 1.85–1.96 95% CI) to abandon than those with out-of-pocket costs <$80. The models also suggested that socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic disparities in vaccine abandonment existed. Different vaccine targeting efforts and pharmacy benefit design strategies may be needed to increase use, improve adherence, and minimize disparities
Viruses
2018, 10(11), 648
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/10/11
Open Access Article
Willingness to Participate and Associated Factors in a Zika Vaccine Trial in Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Harapan Harapan, Mudatsir Mudatsir, Amanda Yufika, Yusuf Nawawi, Nur Wahyuniati, Samsul Anwar, Fitria Yusri, Novi Haryanti, Nanda Putri Wijayanti, Rizal Rizal, Devi Fitriani, Nurul Fadhliati Maulida, Muhammad Syahriza, Ikram Ikram, Try Purwo Fandoko, Muniati Syahadah, Febrivan Wahyu Asrizal, Kurnia F. Jamil, Yogambigai Rajamoorthy, Abram Luther Wagner, David Alexander Groneberg, Ulrich Kuch, Ruth Müller, R. Tedjo Sasmono and Allison Imrie
Viruses 2018, 10(11), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/v10110648
Received: 23 October 2018 / Revised: 12 November 2018 / Accepted: 13 November 2018 / Published: 18 November 2018
Viewed by 307 | PDF Full-text (464 KB) | HTML Full-text | XML Full-text
Abstract
One of the crucial steps during trials for Zika and other vaccines is to recruit participants and to understand how participants’ attitudes and sociodemographic characteristics affect willingness to participate (WTP). This study was conducted to assess WTP, its explanatory variables, and the impact of financial compensation on WTP in Indonesia. A health facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in eleven regencies in the Aceh and West Sumatra provinces of Indonesia. Participants were recruited via a convenience sampling method and were interviewed. The associations between explanatory variables and WTP were assessed using a two-step logistic regression analysis. A total of 1,102 parents were approached, and of these 956 (86.8%) completed the interview and were included in analysis. Of those, 144 (15.1%) were willing to participate in a Zika vaccine trial without a financial compensation. In the multivariate analysis, WTP was tied to an age of more than 50 years old, compared to 20–29 years (odds ratio (OR): 5.0; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.37–10.53), to being female (OR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.11–4.37), and to having heard about Zika (OR: 2.41; 95% CI: 1.59–3.65). Participants’ WTP increased gradually with higher financial compensation. The rate of WTP increased to 62.3% at the highest offer (US$ 350.4), and those who were still unwilling to participate (37.7%) had a poorer attitude towards childhood vaccination. This study highlights that pre-existing knowledge about Zika and attitudes towards childhood vaccination are important in determining community members being willing to participate in a vaccine trial. Financial incentives are still an important factor to enhance participant recruitment during a vaccine trial.
From Google Scholar & other sources: Selected Journal Articles, Newsletters, Dissertations, Theses, Commentary
Revista de Saúde Pública
Vol 52 (2018)
What is the importance of vaccine hesitancy in the drop of vaccination coverage in Brazil?
Ana Paula Sayuri Sato
Abstract
The successful Programa Nacional de Imunizações do Brasil (Brazilian National Immunization Program) has been experiencing a major challenge with regard to vaccination coverage for children, which has been dropping. Several aspects are related, but certainly vaccine hesitancy has been strengthening itself as one of the main concerns of Brazilian public administrators and researchers. Vaccine hesitancy is the delay in acceptance or refusal despite having the recommended vaccines available in health services, being a phenomenon that varies over time, over location and over types of vaccines. Hesitant individuals are between the two poles of total acceptance and refusal of vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy is nothing new in European and North-American countries, and even in Brazil, it has been studied even if under another name. The drop of vaccination coverage observed from 2016 on reiterates the relevance of the theme, which must be better understood through scientific research.
Revista Latinoamericana de Infectología Pediátrica
2018; 31 (3)
Dengue surveillance in children who received CYD tetravalent dengue vaccine during their second year of life while participating in a clinical trial in a southern state of Mexico
JL Arredondo-García, FI Rodríguez Melo, S Canche…
ABSTRACT
Dengue is a systemic viral infection transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and is a public health challenge due to its rapid global expansion and lack of specific therapeutic agents. To date (January 2018), the CYD-TDV vaccine has been granted licensure in 19 countries. The World Health Organization global strategy for dengue prevention and control 2012-2020 has, as a global goal, the reduction of the burden of disease. One of the technical elements of this strategy is the implementation of a dengue vaccine. This is an epidemiological descriptive study of 248 subjects with retrospective and passive surveillance for 2 years; from this cohort, 162 subjects, ages 4 years 8 months to 5 years 9 months, underwent active surveillance. Eligible participants were children who participated in the previous randomized phase III trial conducted in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. All the subjects who completed the previous trial were included for retrospective/passive surveillance; the subjects who underwent active surveillance (n = 162 subjects) were identified during a three-month enrollment period. Blood draws and phone calls (study procedures) were performed under the applicable local and international regulations. None of the 248 participants followed for passive surveillance had a reported confirmed dengue case. Forty-one cases of suspected vector-transmitted disease without virological or serological confirmation were detected. The result of this study provides support for the safety of the vaccine in this age group. Further follow-ups in similar populations should be done in order to obtain more information.
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 1 Dec 2018
[No new, unique, relevant content]
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new, unique, relevant content]
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
A battle within a battle – The struggle to get Ebola vaccine to rebel-held areas of Congo
Jabs can stop the epidemic. But men with machetes can stop the vaccinators
Middle East and Africa
Nov 29th 2018
Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
2018 Surges In Measles In Europe And US Show Importance Of Herd Immunity
24 November 2018
This is what happens when you tell people to not get the measles vaccine without providing a viable alternative. In just the first 6 months of 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region had over 41,000 measles cases, which has already made 2018 the worst year for measles in the decade by far. The previous high was 23,927 for all of 2017. During the first 6 months of 2018, at least 37 people in Europe have died from the disease. Expect these number to be higher by the time we get to the end of the year. Measles is up in the U.S. this year as well.
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new, unique, relevant content]
The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new, unique, relevant content]
New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new, unique, relevant content]
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
Health
UN: Polio Remains Global Emergency, Eradication at Risk
The World Health Organization says the ongoing attempt to eradicate polio remains a global emergency amid an increase in cases for the first time in years and a worrying number of outbreaks sparked by the vaccine.
Nov. 30, 2018
Africa
US Urged to Send Ebola Experts In as Congo Outbreak Worsens
Global health experts are urging the Trump administration to allow U.S. government disease specialists — “some of the world’s most experienced” — to return to northeastern Congo to help fight the second-largest Ebola outbreak in history.
Nov. 30, 2018
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/home-page?_wsjregion=na,us&_homepage=/home/us
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
Why small groups of vaccine refusers can make large groups of people sick
29 November 2018
Saad B. Omer
Think Tanks et al
Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new relevant content]
Center for Global Development
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new relevant content]
CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new relevant content]
Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 1 Dec 2018
[No new relevant content]
.– Request an Email Summary: Vaccines and Global Health : The Week in Review is published as a single email summary, scheduled for release each Saturday evening before midnight (EDT in the U.S.). If you would like to receive the email version, please send your request to david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org.
– pdf version: A pdf of the current issue is available here: Vaccines and Global Health_The Week in Review_24 Nov 2018
– blog edition: comprised of the approx. 35+ entries posted below.
– Twitter: Readers can also follow developments on twitter: @vaxethicspolicy.
.
– Links: We endeavor to test each link as we incorporate it into any post, but recognize that some links may become “stale” as publications and websites reorganize content over time. We apologize in advance for any links that may not be operative. We believe the contextual information in a given post should allow retrieval, but please contact us as above for assistance if necessary.
Support this knowledge-sharing service: Your financial support helps us cover our costs and to address a current shortfall in our annual operating budget. Click here to donate and thank you in advance for your contribution.
.
David R. Curry, MS
Executive Director
Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy
Milestones :: Perspectives
330,000 Rohingyas and host community to get cholera vaccine in Cox’s Bazar
SEAR/PR/1702
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 17 November 2018
Nearly 330,000 Rohingyas refugees and Bangladesh host community will be vaccinated against cholera in a month-long campaign beginning today in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and its nearby areas, to protect vulnerable population against the deadly disease amidst increased risk of flooding in the ongoing cyclone season.
Led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with support of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and partners such as Gavi, the vaccine alliance, the campaign aims to reach people who missed some or all previous cholera vaccination opportunities.
“Despite the progress and efforts made by humanitarian agencies to improve water and sanitation conditions in Rohingya camps, cholera remain a concern. Oral cholera vaccination is the most effective way to protect such a large section and reduce the risk of disease outbreak,” says Dr Bardan Jung Rana, WHO Representative in Bangladesh.
Nearly 2.2 million doses of oral cholera vaccines have been dispensed among Rohingya refugees and their host population through three massive vaccination campaigns since November 2017…
::::::
::::::
Abuja, 22 November 2018 – The Government of Nigeria – with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF aims to vaccinate 26.2 million people during the second phase of its biggest-ever yellow fever campaign as it seeks to establish high population immunity nationwide.
This step of the campaign, which is funded by Gavi will run from 22 November to 1 December 2018 and will target children and adults in Plateau, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Borno states as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
“The vaccination will be for people within 9 months to 44 years cohort, parents are advised to avail themselves and their children to partake in the vaccination; The vaccine is free, safe and effective,” said Dr Joseph Oteri, Director of Special Duties at Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Yellow fever is caused by a virus spread through the bite of infected mosquitos. Some patients can develop serious symptoms, including high fever and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), but the disease can be easily prevented by a vaccine that provides immunity for life.
“Immunizing more than 26 million people is a massive undertaking,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “But this achievement will represent a huge step towards protecting people from the potentially deadly viral haemorrhagic disease not only in Nigeria but in the African region.”
To ensure this phase of the vaccination campaign runs smoothly, the Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO with support from Gavi, has trained and deployed Management Support Teams (MST). The MSTs are overseeing preparations in the run-up to the campaign and, in partnership with WHO yellow fever experts, will act as supervisors and provide technical assistance during the campaign itself.
“Nigeria is on the front line in the global battle against yellow fever,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Routine immunisation coverage remains dangerously low, as shown by the latest outbreak, which is why this campaign is so important to protect the vulnerable. While this campaign will save lives, we need to focus our efforts on the best long-term solution – improving routine immunisation coverage so every child is protected, preventing outbreaks from happening in the first place.”…
Featured Journal Content
The Lancet
Nov 24, 2018 Volume 392 Number 10161 p2237-2324
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current
Comment
The state of vaccine confidence
Heidi J Larson
On Oct 17, 2018, WHO reported 52,958 measles cases in the European region since the beginning of 2018, which is more than double the 23 757 cases reported for Africa in the same period.1 The USA reported about 80 000 influenza deaths and a record high of over 950 000 influenza-related hospital admissions during the winter of 2017–18. 2 Overall, seasonal influenza vaccination coverage in the USA in adults was only 37·1%, 6·2% lower than the 2016–17 season.3
In Europe, 29,464 of the measles cases were in Ukraine,4 where a combination of anxieties about vaccine safety, historic distrust in government, and a health system needing reform5n converged to create fertile ground for the outbreak. In England, too, by the end of October, 2018, there were 913 measles cases,6 largely among teenagers and young adults who missed their childhood measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination because of parental anxieties over a decade ago. The 2018 European measles outbreak should not be a surprise. In 2016, a global study on vaccine confidence found that vaccine scepticism was highest in Europe. 7 There were more than 37 measles-related deaths reported in countries across Europe in the first half of 2018, with the highest number of deaths in Serbia at 14. 8
Complex determinants of vaccination, such as alternative health beliefs, politics, histories, trust, relationships, and emotions, contribute to the overall stagnation of childhood and adult vaccine uptake globally. Vaccine anxieties are not new, but the viral spread of concerns, reinforced by a quagmire of online misinformation, is increasingly connected and global.
Although the USA reported only 143 measles cases by early October, 2018,9 there are growing anti-vaccine networks and vaccine refusals and increasing numbers of non-medical vaccine exemptions.10 In 2015, after an outbreak in California, measles spread across multiple US states, causing 188 cases largely among those who were unvaccinated.9 This outbreak became a tipping point for pro-vaccine parents who organised a movement to overturn the personal-belief exemption in California. The emotional appeal of a young boy named Rhett with leukaemia, dependent on others to be vaccinated, lent a powerful voice to the movement and the State Assembly passed the senate bill. Vaccine critics share emotional stories and personal testimonies using YouTube and Facebook as platforms. In this case, the story of Rhett was a powerful way to change minds in support of vaccination. In Italy, concerned teachers similarly mobilised to urge the government to keep compulsory vaccination intact because they did not want unvaccinated children in the classroom. 11 Initiatives like these need to be championed as examples to motivate others.
What else can be done? The international public health community and national immunisation programmes have increasingly acknowledged the seriousness of growing vaccine hesitancy. In November 2011, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization expressed concerns about growing vaccine reluctance and the Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy was set up in March, 2012. 12 In February2013, the US National Vaccine Advisory Committee established the Vaccine Confidence Working Group. 13 These groups have produced analyses on the drivers of vaccine hesitancy and strategies to shift the tide of reluctance. In Europe, the European Commission is supporting a joint action involving 23 countries to strengthen vaccination efforts, with a key focus on vaccine hesitancy,14 and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control produced a Catalogue of Interventions Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy, 15 among other reports investigating the issue.
These initiatives have changed the policy landscape and created an openness for political and programmatic changes. But investments and other actions are needed to move analyses into action.
First, investment is needed at local levels to monitor public sentiments and fund the resources to respond. Although there are some common vaccine concerns and anxieties globally, specific local issues will differ. Resources are needed for immunisation programmes to undertake local research to better understand specific issues and to identify the key influencers and the emerging issues before they become crises.
Second, investment is needed for piloting and implementing strategies to find out what works best. There is a wealth of new research and proposed solutions to address vaccine hesitancy and build confidence. Many of these suggested interventions, such as motivational interviewing, innovative uses of social media, mapping and engaging trust networks, need to be trialled in different contexts to understand what works and then tailored to be taken to scale.
Third, dialogue, including through social media, is important. Public health officials too often shy away from social media, but they and other relevant stakeholders need to go where the discussions are happening and where influence is being leveraged. Social media engagement can help.16
Fourth, more opportunities need to be created—eg, in clinics and schools—for parents and other stakeholders to discuss their questions and concerns. The power of listening and dialogue should never be underestimated.17 Having someone available to answer questions in clinic waiting rooms or in community settings can help mitigate anxiety and allow hesitant parents to feel that their concerns are being listened to.
Finally, more support is needed for those on the front line of questioning. If there are good listening mechanisms—whether face-to-face discussions in clinics or other settings or through media monitoring— anticipating questions and preparing answers in advance can support health-care workers and officials who are confronted with difficult questions.18
Although there are some positive initiatives to address vaccine hesitancy, the spread of misinformation is moving quickly and boldly, appealing to emotions and heightening anxieties. Building vaccine confidence goes beyond changing an individual’s mind. The dissenting voices have become highly connected networks, undermining one of the most effective disease prevention tools. We need globally and locally connected positive voices and interventions that are vigilant, listening, and have the resources and capacity to respond.
[Citations available at title link above]
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
14 November 2018
[Editor’s text bolding]
…The Islamic Advisory Group for Polio Eradication (IAG) held its fifth annual meeting on 14 November 2018 at the headquarters of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the co-chairmanship of Al Azhar Al Sharif and the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) and the participation of the other two core partners, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the OIC. Through the fifth annual meeting the IAG:
Access to Medicines Index 2018
Access to Medicine Foundation. November 2018 :: 258 pages
Funders: UK Department for International Development; The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
PDF: https://accesstomedicinefoundation.org/media/uploads/downloads/5bf82b990058d_5bf6b5facee2e_Access-to-Medicine-Index-2018.pdf
Executive Summary
Globally, two billion people cannot access the medicines they need, with millions in low- and middle-income countries dying each year from diseases because the vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tests that they need are either unavailable or unaffordable. Pharmaceutical companies control products that can greatly alleviate disease burdens; they also have the expertise to meet the need for new and adapted innovative products; the power to address the affordability of those products through more refined access strategies; and the ability to strengthen supply chains and support healthcare infrastructures. Considering their size, resources, pipelines, portfolios and global reach, these companies have a critical role to play
in improving access to medicine.
For more than a decade, the Access to Medicine Foundation has worked to stimulate change within pharmaceutical companies. Every two years, it publishes its Access to Medicine Index, which analyses the top 20 research-based pharmaceutical companies and ranks them according
to their efforts to improve access to medicine in developing countries. A total of 69 indicators
make up a framework within which company performances relating to 77 diseases, conditions and pathogens in 106 low- and middle-income countries can be compared.
The Index analysis brings out best practices and examples, highlights areas where progress
has been made and areas where critical action is required. The Index also acts as a benchmark
where companies can compare their own contributions to improving access to medicine with their peers. While companies are held to a single standard, they are different in the way they operate and in their portfolio of investigational and marketed products. The Index is a relative ranking: scores cannot be directly compared between Indices.
The methodology is updated every two years in line with developments in access to medicine
following a wide-ranging multi-stakeholder dialogue. For the first time this year, the Index examines company efforts to increase access to cancer products. Also for the first time, the Index zeroes in on 53 products on the market that it considers particularly critical candidates for company access initiatives and evaluates what companies are doing to facilitate their affordability and supply. These are products that are on patent, first-line therapies and on the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines (EML).
This report outlines the key findings and overall ranking analysis of the 2018 Access to Medicine
Index before presenting a detailed analysis of company performances and rankings in each of the seven areas of corporate activity it focuses on. The report concludes with detailed, tailored company report cards that explain each company’s performance, highlight industry-leading practices and company-specific opportunities to improve access
to medicine.
KEY FINDINGS
:: Most priority R&D projects are being conducted by five companies: GSK, Johnson & Johnson,
Merck KGaA, Novartis and Sanofi. Such concentration is also seen in the industry’s overwhelming focus on five of the 45 priority diseases – malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis– targeting that reflects international donor priorities.
:: Access initiatives for cancer focus on pricing but have limited reach, mainly for small population groups and fewer than five key countries on average. Meanwhile, access planning for cancer products in the pipeline lags far behind that for communicable disease candidate products and plans are less comprehensive.
:: The majority of the 53 key on-patent products have an access initiative attached to them, but
these are limited in scope, with pricing schemes being applied in fewer than five countries where greater affordability is a priority. Many of these key products with access initiatives are for diseases prioritised by global health donors or international procurers.
Ebola – Democratic Republic of the Congo
WHO statement on latest attacks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Statement
17 November 2018, Geneva
Following deadly attacks on Friday in the town of Beni, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ebola response activities are continuing.
While all WHO, Ministry of Health and partner staff are safe and accounted for, 16 WHO staff were evacuated to Goma for psychological care after their residence was hit by a shell which did not explode.
Ebola response operations were on-going but limited in Beni on Saturday.
Vaccination was suspended and the operations centre was closed, but teams still went out into the communities to follow up on some alerts of potential cases, to meet contacts and ensure they are still well, and to bring sick people to treatment centres. The treatment centers, which are run by partners, remained operational.
The response was not affected in areas outside Beni. On Sunday, all activities have re-launched, including vaccination.
“WHO will continue to work side-by-side with the ministry and our partners to bring this Ebola outbreak to an end,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We honour the memory of those who have died battling this outbreak, and deplore the continuing threats on the security of those still working to end it.”
::::::
16: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu
21 November 2018
[Excerpt]
Implementation of ring vaccination protocol
:: Vaccination activities were paused in Beni after the security incidents on 16 November 2018, but continued in Katwa, Butembo, Vuhovi and Kalunguta.
:: As of 19 November 2018, 518 new contacts were vaccinated in 13 rings in affected health zones, bringing the cumulative number of people vaccinated to 32 626. The current stock of vaccine in Beni is 5920 doses.
DONs Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
22 November 2018
[Excerpt]
WHO risk assessment
…As the risk of national and regional spread is very high, it is important for neighbouring provinces and countries to enhance surveillance and preparedness activities. The International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) Emergency Committee has advised that failing to intensify these preparedness and surveillance activities would lead to worsening conditions and further spread. WHO will continue to work with neighbouring countries and partners to ensure that health authorities are alerted and are operationally prepared to respond.
Emergencies
POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 20 November2018 [GPEI]
:: The Islamic Advisory Group (IAG) for Polio Eradication concluded its fifth annual meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 14 November 2018, reaffirming a renewed commitment to continue supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, protecting children against all vaccine-preventable diseases and expanding its mandate to support other health priorities. The full meeting statement is available here.
Summary of new viruses this week:
Afghanistan – five wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) positive environmental samples.
Pakistan – one WPV1 positive environmental sample.
Papua New Guinea – three cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1).
DRC- one case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2).
Nigeria – two cases of cVDPV2..
Somalia– two cVDPV2 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 24 Nov 2018 ]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 16: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu 21 November 2018
:: DONs Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo 22 November 2018
[See Milestones above for more detail]
Bangladesh – Rohingya crisis
:: 330,000 Rohingyas and host community to get cholera vaccine in Cox’s Bazar
SEAR/PR/1702 Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 17 November 2018
[See Milestones above for more detail]
:: Weekly Situation Report 51 -15 November 2018 pdf, 545kb
Myanmar
:: 330,000 Rohingyas and host community to get cholera vaccine in Cox’s Bazar
17 November 2018
[See Milestones above for more detail]
Nigeria – No new announcements identified
Somalia – No new announcements identified
South Sudan – No new announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new announcements identified
Yemen – No new announcements identified
::::::
WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
Brazil (in Portugese) – No new announcements identified
Cameroon – No new announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new announcements identified
Hurricane Irma and Maria in the Caribbean – No new announcements identified
Iraq – No new announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new announcements identified
Libya – No new announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new announcements identified
Niger – No new announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – No new announcements identified
Sudan – No new announcements identified
Ukraine – No new announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new announcements identified
WHO-AFRO: Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin, Week 46: 10-16 November 2018
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 53 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key ongoing events, including:
:: Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Cholera in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Cholera in Cameroon
:: Humanitarian crisis in Central African Republic
:: Humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria.
::::::
WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
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 7 – 21 November 2018 | Is …
Syrian Arab Republic – No new 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 announcements identified.
Somalia – No new announcements identified.
::::::
“Other Emergencies”
Indonesia: Central Sulawesi Earthquake –
:: 18 November 2018 Central Sulawesi Earthquake & Tsunami: Humanitarian Country Team Situation Report #8 (as of 16 November 2018)
::::::
::::::
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 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.who.int/ebola/en/
:: 16: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu 21 November 2018
:: DONs Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo 22 November 2018
[See Milestones above for more detail]
MERS-CoV [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://who.int/emergencies/mers-cov/en/
– Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
20 November 2018 From 16 through 30 October 2018, the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) National Focal Point of Saudi Arabia reported four additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including one death. Details of these cases can be found in a separate document (see link below)…
Yellow Fever [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/yellowfev/en/
:: Nigeria to vaccinate 26 million people in 2nd phase of biggest-ever yellow fever vaccination campaign Abuja, 22 November 2018
[See Milestones above for more detail]
Zika virus [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/zika/en/
– No new announcements identified.
WHO & Regional Offices [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
21 November 2018
News Release
WHO and EU commit to work together to accelerate progress on health
19 November 2018
News Release
WHO and partners launch new country-led response to put stalled malaria control efforts back on track
Reductions in malaria cases have stalled after several years of decline globally, according to the new World malaria report 2018. To get the reduction in malaria deaths and disease back on track, WHO and partners are joining a new country-led response, launched today, to scale up prevention and treatment, and increased investment, to protect vulnerable people from the deadly disease.
For the second consecutive year, the annual report produced by WHO reveals a plateauing in numbers of people affected by malaria: in 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria, compared to 217 million the year before. But in the years prior, the number of people contracting malaria globally had been steadily falling, from 239 million in 2010 to 214 million in 2015.
“Nobody should die from malaria. But the world faces a new reality: as progress stagnates, we are at risk of squandering years of toil, investment and success in reducing the number of people suffering from the disease,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We recognise we have to do something different – now. So today we are launching a country-focused and -led plan to take comprehensive action against malaria by making our work more effective where it counts most – at local level.”..
::::::
Weekly Epidemiological Record, 23 November 2018, vol. 93, 47 (pp. 633–648)
:: Progress report on the elimination of human onchocerciasis, 2017–2018
:: Performance of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance and incidence of poliomyelitis, 2018
::::::
WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
Selected Featured News
:: WHO calls on African countries to mobilize additional resources for the malaria response
22 November 2018
Uganda Intensifies Ebola Community Engagement to Reach Individuals, Families, the Vulnerable and Hard-to-Reach Populations 22 November 2018
Nigeria to vaccinate 26 million people in 2nd phase of biggest-ever yellow fever vaccination campaign 22 November 2018
WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: WHO and partners launch new country-led response to put stalled malaria control efforts back on track (11/19/2018)
:: Mobile application to facilitate introduction of a pill to prevent new cases of HIV in Latin America (11/19/2018)
WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: WHO felicitates Nepal for trachoma elimination, rubella control
:: 330,000 Rohingyas and host community to get cholera vaccine in Cox’s Bazar
WHO European Region EURO
:: Early diagnosis means successful treatment: 2 men living with HIV in Greece share their experience 23-11-2018
:: Multicountry conference puts spotlight on importance of breastfeeding 22-11-2018
:: Celebrating success and inspiring progress on World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse 19-11-2018
WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO ready to assist Islamic Republic of Iran to improve road safety 21 November 2018
:: WHO investigates the mass death of fish in Iraq 20 November 2018
WHO Western Pacific Region
– No new announcement identified
CDC/ACIP [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Monday, November 19, 2018
CDC Establishes AFM Task Force
CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D., announced today the establishment of an Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) Task Force (Task Force) to aid in the ongoing investigation to define the cause of, and improve treatment and outcomes for, patients with AFM.
The AFM Task Force will bring together experts from a variety of scientific, medical, and public health disciplines to help solve this critical public health issue.
“I want to reaffirm to parents, patients, and our Nation CDC’s commitment to this serious medical condition,” said Dr. Redfield. “This Task Force will ensure that the full capacity of the scientific community is engaged and working together to provide important answers and solutions to actively detect, more effectively treat, and ultimately prevent AFM and its consequences.”
The Task Force will convene under CDC’s Office of Infectious Diseases’ Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), and will make key recommendations to the BSC to inform and strengthen CDC’s response to this urgent public health concern. It will be coordinated by the Office of the Director and is scheduled to submit its first report at the BSC’s December 6, 2018, public meeting in Atlanta.
AFM is a rare condition that affects a person’s nervous system, specifically, the spinal cord, causing weakness in one or more limbs. Beginning in 2014, the United States has seen an increased number of AFM cases, mostly in children. In 2018, there have been 106 confirmed cases of AFM in 29 states; all but five have been in children ages 18 or younger.
Africa CDC [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
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
2018-11-22 (chinadaily.com.cn)
Safety inspectors fail 100,000-plus doses of rabies vaccines
Drug regulators have denied market access to more than 100,000 doses of rabies vaccines produced in northeastern China in the past month, it was revealed on Nov 20.
Some 43,510 doses from Maifeng Bio Tech Co failed premarket safety and efficacy checks on Oct 29, as did 57,290 doses from Zhuoyi Biological Co on Nov 11. Both manufacturers are based in Changchun, Jilin province.
The checks were conducted by the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, which released the information about the substandard vaccines on its website.
On Oct 23, the authority also denied market access to 77,516 doses of a rabies vaccine made by Chengda Biotech in Shenyang, Liaoning province.
China tightened supervision of vaccines this year after a scandal involving Changsheng Bio-tech Co, a major vaccine maker that was found producing substandard products…
Updated: 2018-11-22 (en.nhc.gov.cn)
NHC vice-minister attends launching ceremony of HIV testing campaign
The launching ceremony of a one-month campaign on HIV testing is held on Nov 20 in Beijing.
Wang Shenghe, vice-minister of China’s National Health Commission, addressed a launching ceremony of a month-long national HIV testing and consulting campaign on Nov 20 in Beijing.
The campaign was designed to publicize Dec 1 as World AIDS Day and to raise public awareness of HIV testing so that voluntarily testing will become more common…
Announcements
BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.
Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
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 24 Nov 2018 ]
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 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://cepi.net/
No new digest content identified.
EDCTP [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
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 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
No new digest content identified.
European Medicines Agency [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News and press releases
20/11/2018
News: Workshop on how to better support medicine developers in the generation and preparation of quality data packages for PRIME and Breakthrough Therapy applications
EMA and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are organising a workshop on 26 November 2018 to discuss how regulators can better guide and support medicine developers in generating quality and manufacturing data packages in the context of development support programmes, such as the PRIority MEdicines scheme (PRIME) in the EU and Breakthrough Therapy designation programme in the US. The goal is to help patients to benefit as early as possible from these therapies that target serious or life-threatening diseases or unmet medical needs…
European Vaccine Initiative [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/news-events
No new digest content identified.
FDA [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
No new digest content identified.
Fondation Merieux [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
Event
A Global Vaccinology Training Workshop to review the status of advanced vaccinology education around the world
November 22, 2018 – Les Pensières Center for Global Health, Veyrier-du-Lac (France)
The first Global Vaccinology Training Workshop was held November 7-8, 2018 at Les Pensières Center for Global Health, bringing together 42 participants from 18 countries. The workshop was organized by the Mérieux Foundation and the University of Geneva, the co-organizers of ADVAC, the Advanced Course of Vaccinology, which is given each year at Les Pensières. It convened leaders of vaccinology courses, some of which have been initiated by ADVAC alumni…
Mérieux Foundation co-organized event
10th International Global Virus Network Meeting: Eradication and Control of (Re-Emerging Viruses
November 28 – 30, 2018 – Les Pensieres Center for Global Health, Veyrier du Lac (France)
Mérieux Foundation co-organized event
OCV working group / Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC)
December 5 – 6, 2018 – Les Pensieres Center for Global Health, Veyrier-du-Lac (France)
Mérieux Foundation co-organized event
Dengue pre-vaccination screening based on serostatus: rapid tests and implementation strategies
January 14 – 16, 2019 – Les Pensières Center for Global Helath, Veyrier du Lac (France)
Gavi [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://www.gavi.org/
No new digest content identified.
GHIT Fund [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
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 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
19 November 2018
More Efforts, Funding Needed to End Malaria
MAPUTO, Mozambique – The Global Fund joined partners at the launch of the World Malaria Report 2018 with a call to increase investments and renew efforts to accelerate progress in the fight against malaria in high burden countries.
The report by WHO shows that after more than a decade of unprecedented decline of malaria, reductions have stalled and, in some countries, the disease is on the rise…
Hilleman Laboratories [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.
Human Vaccines Project [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.
IAVI [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
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 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
No new digest content identified.
IVI [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.ivi.int/
IVI News & Announcements
THSTI, IVI held joint symposium on Nov. 22
First cooperative program between International Vaccine Institute and Translational Health Science and Technology Institute expected to help accelerate cooperation between India and IVI
JEE Alliance [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
No new digest content identified.
MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.msf.org/
Selected News; Project Updates, Reports
Greece
Vaccinating over 2,000 refugee children in Moria, Lesbos
Project Update 21 Nov 2018
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will conduct a multi-antigen vaccination campaign for all migrant children aged under 16 on Lesbos island from 21 to 23 November, in collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Health (MoH), the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), and Médecins du Monde (MDM). MSF calls on the Greek Ministry of Health to set up routine vaccinations for all refugee children across Greece.
Due to the terrible living conditions, including the lack of basic sanitation, severe overcrowding, and extremely limited access to healthcare, coupled with the forthcoming winter, migrant children living on the Greek islands are extremely vulnerable to illness.
“The conditions in the camps are completely unacceptable and as a result, children are at a greater risk of getting seriously ill,” says Dr Declan Barry, medical coordinator for MSF in Greece. “With winter approaching, it is essential that all refugee children, who are susceptible to infections, are comprehensively vaccinated. It is every child’s right.”
DRC 2018 Ebola outbreaks
Crisis update – 19 November 2018
[Excerpt]
…Treatment with developmental drugs
In our ETCs, MSF teams have been progressively increasing the level of supportive care (oral and IV hydration, treatment for malaria and other coinfections as well as treatment of the symptoms of Ebola) and have also been able to offer new potential therapeutic treatments to patients with confirmed Ebola infection under the MEURI protocol. A team of clinicians makes the choice on an ad-hoc basis between five potential drugs (Favipiravir, Remdesivir (GS5734), REGN3470-3471-3479, ZMapp, and mAb114). The treatments are given only with the informed consent of the patient (or a family member if they are too young or too sick to consent) and are provided in addition to the supportive care.
These five drugs have not passed clinical tests yet and we are unable to measure their efficacy – yet their utilization has been approved by the ethical committees of the Ministry of Health and MSF, because it is believed they may improve a patient’s chances to survive. While caution must be exercised, these treatments are an added resource to the response. Because of their untested status, their utilization is subject to a strict protocol which places particular emphasis on the informed consent of the patient. Discussions on the implementation of a proper clinical trial are ongoing.
Vaccination activities
We have vaccinated 480 frontline workers (health staff, religious leaders, burial workers, etc) from Makeke on the Ituri-North Kivu border up to Biakato, as the population from Mangina often moves in this direction. In October our teams also vaccinated 606 people, being either health workers or potential contacts of confirmed Ebola patients, in the city of Beni. In November, we have vaccinated 150 health workers in Butembo, with the plan to vaccinate 1,700 people…
NIH [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
No new digest content identified.
PATH [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
No new digest content identified.
Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
No new digest content identified.
UNAIDS [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.unaids.org/en
22 November 2018
Access to quality medicines and gender-based violence discussed in Ethiopia
In order to highlight the need for sustainable and affordable access to quality medicines, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, spoke about the necessity of implementing the African Union Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan. Speaking at the opening ceremony of Africa Industrialization Week 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he called for close cooperation with regional economic communities in order to build production cooperation hubs and lead pharmaceutical regulatory harmonization in Africa…
20 November 2018..
Yekaterinburg to be the first Russian city to sign the Paris Declaration
UNICEF [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
Statement
Joint statement by Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, on the Situation in Yemen
22/11/2018
Press release
Deep inequality continues to shape the lives of children in Iraq
First comprehensive study on the wellbeing of children in seven years
19/11/2018
…Iraq has made notable progress on newborn and child health, including maintaining high levels of assisted births and reducing the number of children who die in their first month of life from 20 deaths per 1000 live births to 14 since the last survey was conducted in 2011. But the challenges arise soon after birth: Only 4 out of 10 of children are fully vaccinated, with the poorest children missing out the most. Half of all Iraqi households are at risk of drinking contaminated water and less than 40 per cent of the population has access to drinking water at home, placing children at grave risk of waterborne diseases…
Vaccine Confidence Project [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Posted on 23 Nov, 2018
Confidence Commentary:
The State of Vaccine Confidence 2018
The Lancet COMMENT| VOLUME 392, ISSUE 10161.
[See Milestones/Perspectives above for full text]
Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
November 2018
Vaccine Update for Providers
Announcements: Webinar archive and 2019 dates; edit to October article, and vaccine science on Pinterest
Wellcome Trust [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News | 21 November 2018
How research is helping kids growing up with congenital Zika syndrome
Three years on from an unprecedented epidemic in Central and South America, families affected by Zika are still benefiting from many research studies supported since the outbreak began.
… “What we can say at this point is that Zika virus infections in pregnancy are very serious and that the emphasis needs to be on preventing the infection from occurring,” says Brickley. “So things like vaccines and vector control are going to be pivotal in the future.”
While vector control – reducing people’s exposure to mosquitoes – is an ongoing challenge in the fight against many infections, little had been done on developing a Zika vaccine. It just hadn’t been considered a priority before.
Good progress has been made since 2015, however, and a number of candidate vaccines have entered early trials – although there is a lot of work still to be done before an effective vaccine will be available…
The Wistar Institute [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
No new digest content identified.
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2018/
22/11/18
Eradication isn’t the end of the Rinderpest story
OIE and FAO launch Global Action Plan to keep the world free of deadly cattle plague
…To maintain the global freedom from Rinderpest and prevent any re-introduction of the disease, the two agencies have developed a Global Action Plan published today. The plan is meant to be a guiding material for countries, outlining the responsibilities of all involved to maintain the freedom…
::::::
BIO [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
https://www.bio.org/insights/press-release
Nov 19 2018
New Report Shows Global Link Between Pro-Innovation Policies and Biotech Advances
Washington, D.C. (November 19, 2018) – A study released today highlights strategies, policies and best practices that have been successful in creating an environment in which biotechnology innovation can flourish around the world.
The fifth edition of the Building the Bioeconomy report shows the correlation between economies with pro-innovation policy frameworks and those achieving strong biotechnology outputs. By examining 28 different indicators, the report provides a full and detailed analysis of the biotechnology environment for 33 countries from all major regions of the world…
The full report with Executive Summary is available for download at
http://www.pugatch-consilium.com/reports/Building_the_Bioeconomy2018.pdf
DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
No new digest content identified.
IFPMA [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
No new digest content identified.
PhRMA [to 24 Nov 2018 ]
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 Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation
http://resource-allocation.biomedcentral.com/
(Accessed 24 Nov 2018 )
Research
Cost-effectiveness of a combined intervention of long lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying compared with each intervention alone for malaria prevention in Ethiopia
The effectiveness of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), for malaria prevention, have been established in several studies. However, the available evidence about the addit…
Authors: Alemayehu Hailu, Bernt Lindtjørn, Wakgari Deressa, Taye Gari, Eskindir Loha and Bjarne Robberstad
Citation: Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation 2018 16:61
Published on: 22 November 2018
BMC Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation
http://resource-allocation.biomedcentral.com/
(Accessed 24 Nov 2018 )
Research
The acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for hypothetical dengue vaccine in Penang, Malaysia: a contingent valuation study
Malaysia has been experiencing an escalation in dengue cases since the past 5 years. As the dengue vaccine pipeline continues to develop steadily with strong public interests, this study had been sought to eli…
Authors: Hui Yee Yeo and Asrul Akmal Shafie
Citation: Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation 2018 16:60
Published on: 22 November 2018
BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 24 Nov 2018 )
Research article
Effective coverage as a new approach to health system performance assessment: a scoping review
Delivering interventions is the main task of health systems whose accurate measurement is an essential input into tracking performance. Recently, the concept of effective coverage was introduced by World Healt…
Authors: Ali Jannati, Vahideh Sadeghi, Ali Imani and Mohammad Saadati
Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2018 18:886
Published on: 23 November 2018
BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 24 Nov 2018 )
Research article
Operationalizing the ‘pragmatic’ measures construct using a stakeholder feedback and a multi-method approach
Implementation science measures are rarely used by stakeholders to inform and enhance clinical program change. Little is known about what makes implementation measures pragmatic (i.e., practical) for use in co…
Authors: Cameo F. Stanick, Heather M. Halko, Caitlin N. Dorsey, Bryan J. Weiner, Byron J. Powell, Lawrence A. Palinkas and Cara C. Lewis
Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2018 18:882
Published on: 22 November 2018
BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 24 Nov 2018 )
Research article
A randomized trial to assess retention rates using mobile phone reminders versus physical contact tracing in a potential HIV vaccine efficacy population of fishing communities around Lake Victoria, Uganda
High retention (follow-up) rates improve the validity and statistical power of outcomes in longitudinal studies and the effectiveness of programs with prolonged administration of interventions. We assessed par…
Authors: Noah Kiwanuka, Juliet Mpendo, Stephen Asiimwe, Julius Ssempiira, Annet Nalutaaya, Betty Nambuusi, Mathias Wambuzi, Brian Kabuubi, Annemarie Namuniina, Frederick Oporia, Annet Nanvubya and Ali Ssetaala
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2018 18:591
Published on: 21 November 2018
BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 24 Nov 2018 )
Research article
A comprehensive systematic review of stakeholder attitudes to alternatives to prospective informed consent in paediatric acute care research
Authors: Jeremy Furyk, Kris McBain-Rigg, Bronia Renison, Kerrianne Watt, Richard Franklin, Theophilus I. Emeto, Robin A. Ray, Franz E. Babl and Stuart Dalziel
Citation: BMC Medical Ethics 2018 19:89
Abstract
Background
A challenge of performing research in the paediatric emergency and acute care setting is obtaining valid prospective informed consent from parents. The ethical issues are complex, and it is important to consider the perspective of participants, health care workers and researchers on research without prospective informed consent while planning this type of research.
Methods
We performed a systematic review according to PRISMA guidelines, of empirical evidence relating to the process, experiences and acceptability of alternatives to prospective informed consent, in the paediatric emergency or acute care setting. Major medical databases and grey sources were searched and results were screened and assessed against eligibility criteria by 2 authors, and full text articles of relevant studies obtained. Data were extracted onto data collection forms and imported into data management software for analysis.
Results
Thirteen studies were included in the review consisting of nine full text articles and four abstracts. Given the heterogeneity of the methods, results could not be quantitatively combined for meta-analysis, and qualitative results are presented in narrative form, according to themes identified from the data. Major themes include capacity of parents to provide informed consent, feasibility of informed consent, support for alternatives to informed consent, process issues, modified consent process, child death, and community consultation.
Conclusion
Our review demonstrated that children, their families, and health care staff recognise the requirement for research without prior consent, and are generally supportive of enrolling children in such research with the provisions of limiting risk, and informing parents as soon as possible. Australian data and perspectives of children are lacking and represent important knowledge gaps.
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 