Safety, immunogenicity and effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccines in healthy pregnant women and children under 5 years: An Evidence-Based Clinical Review

Annual influenza vaccination is often recommended for pregnant women and young children to reduce the risk of severe influenza. However, most studies investigating the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy or effectiveness of influenza vaccines are conducted in healthy adults. In this evidence-based clinical review, we provide an update on the safety profile, immunogenicity, and efficacy/effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccines (IIVs) in healthy pregnant women and children <5 years old. Six electronic databases were searched until May 27, 2021. We identified 3,731 articles, of which 93 met the eligibility criteria and were included. The IIVs were generally well tolerated in pregnant women and young children, with low frequencies of adverse events following IIV administration; however, continuous vaccine safety monitoring systems are necessary to detect rare adverse events. IIVs generated good antibody responses, and the seroprotection rates after IIVs were moderate to high in pregnant women (range = 65%–96%) and young children (range = 50%–100%), varying between the different influenza types/subtypes and seasons. Studies show vaccine efficacy/effectiveness values of 50%–70% in pregnant women and 20%–90% in young children against lab-confirmed influenza, although the efficacy/effectiveness depended on the study design, host factors, vaccine type, manufacturing practices, and the antigenic match/mismatch between the influenza vaccine strains and the circulating strains. Current evidence suggests that the benefits of IIVs far outweigh the potential risks and that IIVs should be recommended for pregnant women and young children.

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The Economic Burden of Malnutrition in Pregnant Women and Children under 5 Years of Age in Cambodia

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu8050292 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 292 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Regina Moench-Pfanner ◽

Sok Silo ◽

Arnaud Laillou ◽

Frank Wieringa ◽

Rathamony Hong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Economic Burden ◽

Women And Children ◽

Children Under 5

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Passive Surveillance of Malaria in Pregnant Women, Non-pregnant Women and Children Under 5 Years of Age in Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2021.751456 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Humera Qureshi ◽

Muhammad Imran Khan ◽

Akhlaq Ahmad ◽

Usman Ayub Awan ◽

Aamer Ali Khattak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Malaria Surveillance ◽

Endemic Region ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ◽

Women And Children ◽

Children Under 5

Background: Malaria among pregnant women is one of the major causes of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, especially in high-risk areas. Therefore, our study identified the burden of malaria for pregnant women, non-pregnant women, and children under 5 years of age, and malaria service health facilities in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. In this survey, 15,650 individuals were surveyed, and 1,283 were malaria-positive detected. The data were collected from 80 different healthcare centers. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. ArcGIS version 10.8 was used for study area mapping.Results: Malaria was detected in 23.3% of children under five, 4.4% of pregnant women, and 72.3% of non-pregnant women, respectively. Moreover, P. falciparum, P. vivax, and mixed infection had a prevalence of 2.1, 96.8, and 1.1%. The most often used and effective medications to treat malaria were chloroquine (29.7%) and primaquine (69.4%).Conclusion: This study's findings depict that malaria's prevalence in the non-pregnant women's group was high. Additionally, P. vivax infection was found to be more prevalent than other types of malaria infection. Due to the scarcity of healthcare facilities in this endemic region, special attention should be directed to strengthening the malaria surveillance and eradication programs.

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Exploring predictive frameworks for malaria in Burundi

10.1101/2021.07.20.21260697 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lionel Divin Mfisimana ◽

Emile Nibayisabe ◽

Kingsley Badu ◽

David Niyukuri

Keyword(s):

Neural Network ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Generalized Linear Model ◽

Intervention Programs ◽

Health Concern ◽

Access To Health Services ◽

Access To Health ◽

Women And Children ◽

Source Of Information ◽

Children Under 5

Abstract Malaria is a major public health concern in Burundi. The infection has been increasing in the last decade despite efforts to increase access to health services, and the deployment of several intervention programs. The use of different data sources can help to build predictive models of malaria cases in different sub-populations. We built predictive frameworks using generalized linear model (GLM), and artificial neural network to predict malaria cases in four sub-populations (pregnant women and children under 5 years, pregnant women, children between 0 and 11 months, children between 12 and 59 months), and the overall general population. The results showed that almost half malaria infections are observed in pregnant women and children under 5 years, but children between 12 and 59 months carry the highest burden. Neural network model performed better in predicting total cases compared to GLM. But the latter provided information on the e ect of predictors, which is an important source of information to mainstream target interventions. Early prediction of cases can provide timely information needed to be proactive for intervention strategies, and it can help to mitigate the epidemics and reduce its impact on populations and the economy.

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Effectiveness of interventions to reduce household air pollution from solid biomass fuels and improve maternal and child health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol

Systematic Reviews ◽

10.1186/s13643-021-01590-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Katherine E. Woolley ◽

Emma Dickinson-Craig ◽

Suzanne E. Bartington ◽

Tosin Oludotun ◽

Bruce Kirenga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Biomass Fuels ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Women And Children ◽

Solid Biomass ◽

And Child Health ◽

Children Under 5

Abstract Background A variety of public health interventions have been undertaken in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with household air pollution (HAP) due to cooking, heating and lighting with solid biomass fuels. Pregnant women and children under five are particularly vulnerable to the effects of HAP, due to biological susceptibility and typically higher exposure levels. However, the relative health benefits of interventions to reduce HAP exposure among these groups remain unclear. This systematic review aims to assess, among pregnant women, infants and children (under 5 years) in LMIC settings, the effectiveness of interventions which aim to reduce household air pollutant emissions due to household solid biomass fuel combustion, compared to usual cooking practices, in terms of health outcomes associated with HAP exposure. Methods This protocol follows standard systematic review processes and abides by the PRISMA-P reporting guidelines. Searches will be undertaken in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), The Global Index Medicus (GIM), ClinicalTrials.gov and Greenfile, combining terms for pregnant women and children with interventions or policy approaches to reduce HAP from biomass fuels or HAP terms and LMIC countries. Included studies will be those reporting (i) pregnant women and children under 5 years; (ii) fuel transition, structural, educational or policy interventions; and (iii) health events associated with HAP exposure which occur among pregnant women or among children within the perinatal period, infancy and up to 5 years of age. A narrative synthesis will be undertaken for each population-intervention-outcome triad stratified by study design. Clinical and methodological homogeneity within each triad will be used to determine the feasibility for undertaking meta-analyses to give a summary estimate of the effect for each outcome. Discussion This systematic review will identify the effectiveness of existing HAP intervention measures in LMIC contexts, with discussion on the context of implementation and adoption, and summarise current literature of relevance to maternal and child health. This assessment reflects the need for HAP interventions which achieve measurable health benefits, which would need to be supported by policies that are socially and economically acceptable in LMIC settings worldwide. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42020164998

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Cost-effectiveness of a Vitamin D supplementation programme in pregnant women and children to prevent rickets in the UK

Bone Abstracts ◽

10.1530/boneabs.7.p110 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Vilius Floreskul ◽

Fatima Juma ◽

Anjali Daniel ◽

Imran Zamir ◽

Zulf Mughal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Vitamin D Supplementation ◽

Women And Children ◽

The Uk

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The mechanisms of action of Ivermectin against SARS-CoV-2: An evidence-based clinical review article

The Journal of Antibiotics ◽

10.1038/s41429-021-00430-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Asiya Kamber Zaidi ◽

Puya Dehgani-Mobaraki

Keyword(s):

Clinical Review ◽

Mechanisms Of Action ◽

Review Article ◽

Evidence Based

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A behaviour change intervention to reduce home exposure to second hand smoke during pregnancy in India and Bangladesh: a theory and evidence-based approach to development

Pilot and Feasibility Studies ◽

10.1186/s40814-021-00811-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Veena A. Satyanarayana ◽

Cath Jackson ◽

Kamran Siddiqi ◽

Prabha S. Chandra ◽

Rumana Huque ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Behaviour Change ◽

Delphi Survey ◽

Behaviour Change Techniques ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Behaviour Change Intervention ◽

Behaviour Change Interventions ◽

Modified Delphi ◽

Qualitative Interview Study ◽

At Home

Abstract Background Home exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is highly prevalent amongst pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries like India and Bangladesh. The literature on the efficacy of behaviour change interventions to reduce home exposure to SHS in pregnancy is scarce. Methods We employed a theory and evidence-based approach to develop an intervention using pregnant women as agents of change for their husband’s smoking behaviours at home. A systematic review of SHS behaviour change interventions led us to focus on developing a multicomponent intervention and informed selection of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) for review in a modified Delphi survey. The modified Delphi survey provided expert consensus on the most effective BCTs in reducing home exposure to SHS. Finally, a qualitative interview study provided context and detailed understanding of knowledge, attitudes and practices around SHS. This insight informed the content and delivery of the proposed intervention components. Results The final intervention consisted of four components: a report on saliva cotinine levels of the pregnant woman, a picture booklet containing information about SHS and its impact on health as well strategies to negotiate a smoke-free home, a letter from the future baby to their father encouraging him to provide a smoke-free home, and automated voice reminder and motivational messages delivered to husbands on their mobile phone. Intervention delivery was in a single face-to-face session with a research assistant who explained the cotinine report, discussed key strategies for ensuring a smoke-free environment at home and practised with pregnant women how they would share the booklet and letter with their husband and supportive family members. Conclusion A theory and evidence-based approach informed the development of a multicomponent behaviour change intervention, described here. The acceptability and feasibility of the intervention which was subsequently tested in a pilot RCT in India and Bangladesh will be published later.

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