Chickenpox: Presentation, transmission, complications and prevention

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 482-485
Author(s):  
Deborah Louise Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Immunisation Programme ◽  
The United States ◽  
Childhood Vaccination ◽  
Varicella Vaccination ◽  
National Immunisation Programme ◽  
Varicella Zoster ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
Routine Childhood ◽  
Vaccination Scheme ◽  
The Uk

Varicella, commonly known as chickenpox is an acute and highly infectious disease, which is caused by the varicella zoster virus Varicella. The two chickenpox vaccines available in the UK are Varilrix and Varivax but are not included in the routine childhood vaccination scheme unless they are immunocompromised ( Gov.uk, 2018 ; PHE, 2019 ). The varicella vaccination has been associated with a dramatic reduction in chickenpox cases in countries such as the United States, where every child can be vaccinated ( Seward et al, 2002 ). Johnston et al (1997) ; however, suggest that approximately 2–3% of patients vaccinated per year can develop a mild form of chickenpox regardless of the vaccine given. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (2010) has not recommended it as part of the national immunisation programme but nearly a decade later perhaps it is time to revisit this topic.

scholarly journals Real-world data on immune responses following heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccination schedule with Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines in England

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha J Westrop ◽  
Heather J Whitaker ◽  
Annabel A Powell ◽  
Linda Power ◽  
Corinne Whillock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Real World ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Immunisation Programme ◽  
Vaccination Schedule ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
National Immunisation Programme ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Nucleoprotein N

Background There are limited data on immune responses to heterologous COVID–19 immunisation schedules, especially following an extended ≥12–week interval between doses. Methods SARS–CoV–2 infection–naïve and previously–infected adults receiving ChAd–BNT (ChAdOx1 nCoV–19, AstraZeneca followed by BNT162b2, Pfizer–BioNTech) or BNT–ChAd as part of the UK national immunisation programme provided blood samples at 30 days and 12 weeks after their second dose. Geometric mean concentrations (GMC) of anti–SARS–CoV–2 spike (S-antibody) and nucleoprotein (N-antibody) IgG antibodies and geometric mean ratios (GMR) were compared with a contemporaneous cohort receiving homologous ChAd–ChAd or BNT–BNT. Results During March–October 2021, 75,827 individuals were identified as having received heterologous vaccination, 9,489 invited to participate, 1,836 responded (19.3%) and 656 were eligible. In previously–uninfected adults, S–antibody GMC at 30 days post–second dose were lowest for ChAd–ChAd (862 (95%CI, 694– 1069)) and significantly higher for ChAd–BNT (6233 (5522– 7035); GMR 6.29; (5.04– 7.85); p<0.001), BNT-ChAd (4776 (4066– 5610); GMR 4.55 (3.56– 5.81); p<0.001) and BNT–BNT (5377 (4596– 6289); GMR 5.66 (4.49– 7.15); p<0.001). By 12 weeks after dose two, S–antibody GMC had declined in all groups and remained significantly lower for ChAd–ChAd compared to ChAd–BNT (GMR 5.12 (3.79– 6.92); p<0.001), BNT–ChAd (GMR 4.1 (2.96– 5.69); p<0.001) and BNT–BNT (GMR 6.06 (4.32– 8.50); p<0.001). Previously infected adults had higher S–antibody GMC compared to infection–naïve adults at all time–points and with all vaccine schedules. Conclusions These real–world findings demonstrate heterologous schedules with adenoviral–vector and mRNA vaccines are highly immunogenic and may be recommended after a serious adverse reaction to one vaccine product, or to increase programmatic flexibility where vaccine supplies are constrained.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of the live attenuated and the inactivated influenza vaccine in two-year-olds – a nationwide cohort study Finland, influenza season 2015/16

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (38) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Nohynek ◽  
Ulrike Baum ◽  
Ritva Syrjänen ◽  
Niina Ikonen ◽  
Jonas Sundman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Influenza Season ◽  
Immunisation Programme ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
National Immunisation Programme ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Trivalent Vaccine

Although widely recommended, influenza vaccination of children is part of the national vaccination programme only in few countries. In addition to Canada and the United States (US), in Europe Finland and the United Kingdom have introduced live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) for healthy children in their programmes. On 22 June 2016, the US Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices, voted against further use of LAIV due to no observed vaccine effectiveness (VE) over three consecutive influenza seasons (2013/14 to 2015/16). We summarise the results of a nationwide, register-based cohort study (N=55,258 of whom 8,086 received LAIV and 4,297 TIV); all outcome (laboratory-confirmed influenza), exposure (vaccination) and confounding variable data were retrieved from four computerised national health registers, which were linked via a unique personal identity code assigned to all permanent Finnish residents regardless of nationality. Our study provides evidence of moderate effectiveness against any laboratory-confirmed influenza of the quadrivalent LAIV vaccine (VE: 51%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 28–66%) as well as the inactivated trivalent vaccine (VE: 61%; 95% CI: 31–78%) among two-year-olds during the influenza season 2015/16 in Finland. Based on these data, Finland will continue using LAIV for young children in its National Immunisation Programme this coming influenza season.

scholarly journals Two centuries of immunisation in the UK (part II)

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Lang ◽  
Sarah Loving ◽  
Noel Denis McCarthy ◽  
Mary Elizabeth Ramsay ◽  
David Salisbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Immunisation Programme ◽  
National Immunisation Programme ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Past Half Century ◽  
Public Health Surveillance System ◽  
The Uk

The centrally coordinated response that controlled the polio epidemics of the 1950s through immunisation led to the development of a national immunisation strategy in the UK and the formation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in 1963, which oversees the immunisation programme and advises the UK Department of Health on new vaccine introductions. As a result of technological advances in vaccine development and scientific advances in immunology and microbiology over the 56 years since then, and the formation of a comprehensive public health surveillance system for vaccine-preventable disease, the National Health Service immunisation programme now covers 18 serious diseases of childhood, with an astonishing impact on child health. Here we consider the formation of the JCVI and the development of the national immunisation programme and review the introduction of vaccines over the past half century to defend public health.

scholarly journals Two centuries of immunisation in the UK (part 1)

2019 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2019-317314
Author(s):  
Sarah Lang ◽  
Sarah Loving ◽  
Noel Denis McCarthy ◽  
Mary Elizabeth Ramsay ◽  
David Salisbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Immunisation Programme ◽  
National Immunisation Programme ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Uk National Health Service ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The impact of immunisation is best understood through a historical lens, since so many of the diseases which placed a burden on our population have been eliminated or controlled through immunisation. The United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service (NHS), which celebrated its 70thbirthday in 2018, is responsible for delivering the highly successful universal national immunisation programme. However, the first vaccines used in the UK were not part of a centrally coordinated programme until the 1960s. Resources that summarise the first 200 years of immunisation in the UK are not readily accessible. Here we provide a two part chronological insight into the history of the UK immunisation programme from primary sources. In Part I, we highlight the importance of wartime conditions, unprecedented vaccine development, and the polio outbreaks in the in driving developments in immunisation and discuss subsequent changes in the use of the original vaccines of the immunisation programme, namely, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio. In Part 2, we discuss the formation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and its role, working with public health agencies and advising the UK Governments on vaccine policy, to bring a comprehensive programme to defend the health of the population against serious infectious diseases, highlighting the importance of programme organisation and leadership.

scholarly journals Rotavirus vaccine impact assessment surveillance in India: protocol and methods

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e024840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayana P Nair ◽  
Samarasimha Reddy N ◽  
Sidhartha Giri ◽  
Venkata Raghava Mohan ◽  
Umesh Parashar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Entry ◽  
Immunisation Programme ◽  
Ethics Committees ◽  
Rotavirus Vaccine ◽  
Routine Immunisation ◽  
National Immunisation Programme ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
Institutional Ethics ◽  
Institutional Review ◽  
Vaccine Impact

IntroductionRotavirus infection accounts for 39% of under-five diarrhoeal deaths globally and 22% of these deaths occur in India. Introduction of rotavirus vaccine in a national immunisation programme is considered to be the most effective intervention in preventing severe rotavirus disease. In 2016, India introduced an indigenous rotavirus vaccine (Rotavac) into the Universal Immunisation Programme in a phased manner. This paper describes the protocol for surveillance to monitor the performance of rotavirus vaccine following its introduction into the routine childhood immunisation programme.MethodsAn active surveillance system was established to identify acute gastroenteritis cases among children less than 5 years of age. For all children enrolled at sentinel sites, case reporting forms are completed and a copy of vaccination record and a stool specimen obtained. The forms and specimens are sent to the referral laboratory for data entry, analysis, testing and storage. Data from sentinel sites in states that have introduced rotavirus vaccine into their routine immunisation schedule will be used to determine rotavirus vaccine impact and effectiveness.Ethics and disseminationThe Institutional Review Board of Christian Medical College, Vellore, and all the site institutional ethics committees approved the project. Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and with stakeholders of the universal immunisation programme in India.

scholarly journals Disease burden of varicella versus other vaccine-preventable diseases before introduction of vaccination into the national immunisation programme in the Netherlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alies van Lier ◽  
Brechje de Gier ◽  
Scott A McDonald ◽  
Marie-Josée J. Mangen ◽  
Maarten van Wijhe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herpes Zoster ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Immunisation Programme ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Uncertainty Interval ◽  
National Immunisation Programme ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
Life Years

Introduction Estimating burden of disease (BoD) is an essential first step in the decision-making process on introducing new vaccines into national immunisation programmes (NIPs). For varicella, a common vaccine-preventable disease, BoD in the Netherlands was unknown. Aim To assess national varicella BoD and compare it to BoD of other vaccine-preventable diseases before their introduction in the NIP. Methods In this health estimates reporting study, BoD was expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) using methodology from the Burden of Communicable Diseases in Europe (BCoDE)-project. As no parameters/disease model for varicella (including herpes zoster) were available in the BCoDE toolkit, incidence, disease progression model and parameters were derived from seroprevalence, healthcare registries and published data. For most other diseases, BoD was estimated with existing BCoDE-parameters, adapted to the Netherlands if needed. Results In 2017, the estimated BoD of varicella in the Netherlands was 1,800 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 1,800–1,900) DALYs. Herpes zoster mainly contributed to this BoD (1,600 DALYs; 91%), which was generally lower than the BoD of most current NIP diseases in the year before their introduction into the NIP. However, BoD for varicella was higher than for rotavirus gastroenteritis (1,100; 95%UI: 440–2,200 DALYs) and meningococcal B disease (620; 95%UI: 490–770 DALYs), two other potential NIP candidates. Conclusions When considering the introduction of a new vaccine in the NIP, BoD is usually estimated in isolation. The current approach assesses BoD in relation to other vaccine-preventable diseases’ BoD, which may help national advisory committees on immunisation and policymakers to set vaccination priorities.

scholarly journals Factors associated with the uptake of the UK routine childhood immunization schedule in a bi-ethnic population

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 697-702
Author(s):  
Gillian Santorelli ◽  
Jane West ◽  
Dan Mason ◽  
Chris Cartwright ◽  
Leena Inamdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Childhood Vaccination ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Vaccination Uptake ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Immunization Status ◽  
Routine Childhood ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background Various factors associated with vaccination uptake in children have been identified, but no study has examined their overall immunization status and individual vaccine coverage at 1, 2 and 5 years in the UK. Methods Data from 6977 participants in the Born in Bradford cohort were linked to primary care records. Overall immunization status and individual vaccine uptake of the UK routine childhood vaccination schedule was estimated in White British and Pakistani children born between 2007 and 2011, and factors associated with partial uptake in each ethnic group were identified using Poisson regression. Results Vaccine uptake was greater in Pakistani compared with White British children at all ages and for each year examined in this study. Children of foreign-born White British women were more likely to be partially immunized and those of foreign-born Pakistani women were more likely to be fully immunized. Socio-economic factors were strongly associated with uptake, especially among White British women. Conclusions Vaccination uptake is influenced by social and economic environment, ethnicity and maternal country of birth. This suggests that current health education and service delivery may not be effective for some families, including those from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, who may require targeted interventions to improve immunization uptake.

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