COVID-19 vaccination and Guillain-Barré syndrome: analyses using the National Immunoglobulin Database

Vaccination against viruses has rarely been associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). An association with the COVID-19 vaccine is unknown. We performed a population-based study of National Health Service (NHS) data in England and a multicentre surveillance study from UK hospitals, to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 vaccination and GBS. Firstly, we present a retrospective analysis of every GBS patient in England in the National Immunoglobulin Database (NID) linked with their COVID-19 vaccination data. Cases of GBS identified in the National Immunoglobulin Database (NID) from 8 December 2021 to 8 July 2021 were linked to data from the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) in England to identify exposure to a COVID-19 vaccine. For the NID/NIMS linked dataset, GBS cases temporally associated with vaccination within a 6-week risk window of any COVID-19 vaccine were identified. Secondly, we prospectively collected incident UK GBS cases from 1 January 2021 to 7 November 2021 in a separate UK multicentre surveillance database, regardless of vaccine exposure, with vaccine timings and GBS phenotypic data. For this multicentre UK surveillance dataset, we explored phenotypes of reported GBS cases to identify features of COVID-19 vaccine-associated GBS. 996 GBS cases were recorded in the NID from January to October 2021. A spike of GBS cases above the 2016-2020 average occurred in March-April 2021. In England, among all cases of GBS, 198 occurred within 6 weeks of the first-dose COVID-19 vaccination (0.618 cases per 100,000 vaccinations, 176 ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca), 21 tozinameran (Pfizer), 1 mRNA-1273 (Moderna)). The excess of GBS occurs with a peak at 24 days; first-doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 accounted for the excess. No excess was seen for second-dose vaccination. The absolute number of excess GBS cases was between 98-140 cases for first-dose ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination from January-July 2021. First-dose tozinameran and second-dose of any vaccination showed no excess GBS risk. 121 patients were reported in the separate multicentre surveillance dataset with no phenotypic or demographic differences identified between vaccinated and non-vaccinated GBS cases. Data from the linked NID/NIMS dataset suggest that first-dose ChAdOx1 nCoV-19vaccination is associated with an excess GBS risk of 0.576 (95%CI 0.481-0.691) cases per 100,000 doses. However, further data reported from a multicentre surveillance dataset suggest that no specific clinical features, including facial weakness, are associated with vaccination-related GBS compared to non-vaccinated cases. The pathogenic cause of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19specific first dose link warrants further study.

Barrier Gesture Relaxation during Vaccination Campaign in France: Modelling Impact of Waning Immunity

Non-pharmaceutical interventions have been implemented intermittently for more than a year in most countries of the world to mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic. In France, while the vaccination campaign is progressing, the French government has decided to remove many public health restrictions such as business closure, lockdowns, and curfews. Nonetheless, social distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing (also called barrier gestures) are still recommended. We utilize an age-structured compartmental SEIR model that takes into account the SARS-CoV-2 waning immunity, vaccination, and increased transmissibility from variants of concern to estimate if barrier gestures can be relaxed without causing a resurgence of severe infections. This model assumes that the susceptibility to infection is a function of immunity status, which depends on initial infection severity and vaccination status. It is calibrated on confirmed COVID-19 cases from the French surveillance database, and accounts for changes in contact behaviors due to the implementation of nation-wide public health policies. We study the partial and full relaxation of barrier gestures occurring from August to December 2021 under various immunity duration assumptions. Maintaining the application of barrier gestures appears essential to avoid a resurgence of severe infections that would exceed French health care capacities, while surmounting vaccine hesitancy represents the key to consider their relaxation. Immunity duration assumptions significantly influence the short-term dynamic of the epidemic, which should be considered for further modelling.

Integration of community-based testing data into national HIV surveillance in Poland, Serbia and Slovakia within the framework of INTEGRATE project

Background Community-based voluntary counselling and testing contributes to early HIV diagnoses among key populations. Testing data from such decentralized services is however often not standardized nor linked to national surveillance systems. This study aimed to support the integration of community testing data into respective national surveillance and monitoring and evaluation systems for those infections. We present results from three national pilots, focused on improved data collection and transfer. Methods Within the Joint Action INTEGRATE different pilot activities were planned and implemented according to the local context. In Slovakia, standardised data collection tools were implemented in three community testing services. The data generated was used to calculate the proposed indicators. In Poland, positive test results from the community testing database were linked to the national case-based surveillance database using confirmatory test number, to improve the completeness of behavioural data in the national database. In Serbia, voluntary counselling and testing forms were improved enabling identification of community-based testing. A system to generate unique client identifiers was initiated in the National registry of HIV cases to monitor linkage to care. Results All three sites were able to estimate most of the agreed indicators. In Slovakia during the study period 675 people were tested for HIV, 410 for hepatitis C and 457 for syphilis, with reactivity rates of 0.4, 2.5 and 1.8%, respectively. For HIV, 66.7% of reactive cases were confirmed and linked to care. In Poland, 28.9% of the community testing sites’ records were linked to the national surveillance database (and accounted for 14.3% of all new diagnoses registered here during 2017–2018). Reactivity rate ranged between 1.9% and 2.1%. In Serbia, 80 persons were tested at community sites, from which two had a reactive HIV test result. By linking unique client identifiers from voluntary counselling and testing and National Registry of HIV cases databases, linkage to care within a two-month period was observed for one of two people with reactive HIV test result. Conclusions Pilot activities in the three countries demonstrate that integration of community-based testing data into surveillance systems is feasible and can help improve national surveillance data by providing key information.

Barrier gesture relaxation during vaccination campaign in France: modelling impact of waning immunity

Non-pharmaceutical interventions have been implemented intermittently for more than a year in most countries of the world to mitigate COVID-19 epidemic. In France, while the vaccination campaign is progressing, the French government has decided to remove many public health restrictions such as business closure, lockdowns and curfews. Nonetheless, social distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing (also called barrier gestures) are still recommended. We utilize an age-structured compartmental SEIR model that takes into account SARS-CoV-2 waning immunity, vaccination, and increased transmissibility from variants of concern, to estimate if barrier gestures can be relaxed without causing a resurgence of severe infections. This model assumes that susceptibility to infection is a function of immunity status, which depends on initial infection severity and vaccination status. It is calibrated on confirmed COVID-19 cases from the French surveillance database, and accounts for changes in contact behaviors due to implementation of nation-wide public health policies. We study partial and full relaxation of barrier gestures occurring from August to December 2021 under various immunity duration assumptions. Maintaining application of barrier gestures appears essential to avoid a resurgence of severe infections that would exceed health care capacities, while surmounting vaccine hesitancy represents the key to consider their relaxation. Immunity duration assumptions significantly influence the short-term dynamic of the epidemic which should be considered for further modelling.

Lessons learnt from syphilis-infected blood donors: a timely reminder of missed opportunities

ObjectiveDue to the increased number of syphilis infections diagnosed in the UK and beyond, we reviewed our data on blood donors infected with syphilis in the UK and Ireland between 2016 and 2019.MethodsData were extracted from the surveillance database for all blood donors confirmed positive for syphilis in the UK and Ireland between 2016 and 2019, together with the total number of donations tested during that period. Data on positive cases included gender, age group, reported treatment, symptoms and confirmatory results. All cases were divided into recently acquired within 24 months and past syphilis infection. We also reviewed the information on symptoms characteristic of syphilis reported by blood donors with an untreated syphilis infection during the postdonation discussions.ResultsScreening of 8 246 600 blood donations for treponemal antibodies identified 316 blood donors with confirmed syphilis infection in the UK and Ireland between 2016 and 2019 (1.6 per 100 000 donations). 42% of them (133 of 316) were classed as a recent infection based on their donation testing results, previous donation date and clinical history provided, and they were hence considered potentially infectious. Most of these blood donors (202 of 316, 64%) had not been previously diagnosed or treated for syphilis, although 50 of them reported symptoms consistent with syphilis infection and 19 had been misdiagnosed despite seeking medical help.ConclusionsThis observational study shows that syphilis infection remains undiagnosed, especially among heterosexual men, and that infectious syphilis is often missed as a differential diagnosis even when donors have presented with genital or oral ulceration, rashes in the genital area and lymphadenopathy. Considering the recent resurgence of syphilis infections in the UK and beyond and our generally expanding sexual networks, it is important to consider syphilis in differential diagnosis even if specific risk factors have not been identified.

Vitek® 2 MICs as first-line phenotypic screening method for carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Aim: To define sensitivity and specificity of Vitek® 2 MICs as phenotypic screening method for carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Materials & methods: We determined Vitek® 2 MICs of antipseudomonal antimicrobials in 130 unrelated carbapenemase-producing P. aeruginosa and 129 carbapenemase-negative P. aeruginosa isolates within a Dutch carbapenemase-surveillance database. We calculated test characteristics of single and combined antimicrobial MICs for carbapenemase production. Results: Vitek® 2 MIC above epidemiological cutoff of both imipenem and tobramycin or ciprofloxacin and tobramycin displayed a sensitivity of 96.2% and specificity of 89.6% for carbapenemase production in P. aeruginosa. Conclusion: Vitek® 2 MIC> epidemiological cut-off values seem sensitive and specific as a phenotypic screening strategy for carbapenemase-producing P. aeruginosa. Combining imipenem and tobramycin or ciprofloxacin and tobramycin performed best as a screening strategy for defining which P. aeruginosa isolates should undergo confirmatory tests for carbapenemase production.

Comparative analysis of perinatal outcomes and birth defects amongst adolescent and older Ugandan mothers: evidence from a hospital-based surveillance database

Background Uganda has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared the risk of adverse birth outcomes between adolescents (age 12–19 years) and mothers (age 20–34 years) in four urban hospitals. Methods Maternal demographics, HIV status, and birth outcomes of all live births, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions delivered from August 2015 to December 2018 were extracted from a hospital-based birth defects surveillance database. Differences in the distributions of maternal and infant characteristics by maternal age groups were tested with Pearson’s chi-square. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression to compare the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes among adolescents to mothers 20–34 years. Results A total of 100,189 births were analyzed, with 11.1% among adolescent mothers and 89.0% among older mothers. Adolescent mothers had an increased risk of preterm delivery (aOR: 1.14; CI 1.06–1.23), low birth weight (aOR: 1.46; CI 1.34–1.59), and early neonatal deaths (aOR: 1.58; CI 1.23–2.02). Newborns of adolescent mothers had an increased risk of major external birth defects (aOR: 1.33; CI 1.02–1.76), specifically, gastroschisis (aOR: 3.20; CI 1.12–9.13) compared to mothers 20–34 years. The difference between the prevalence of gastroschisis among adolescent mothers (7.3 per 10,000 births; 95% CI 3.7–14.3) was statistically significant when compared to mothers 20–34 years (1.6 per 10,000 births; 95% CI 0.9–2.6). Conclusions This study found that adolescent mothers had an increased risk for several adverse birth outcomes compared to mothers 20–34 years, similar to findings in the region and globally. Interventions are needed to improve birth outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Comparative analysis of perinatal outcomes and birth defects amongst adolescent and older Ugandan mothers: Evidence from a hospital-based surveillance database

Background: Uganda has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared the risk of adverse birth outcomes between adolescents (age 12-19 years) and mothers (age 20-34 years) in four urban hospitals.Methods: Maternal demographics, HIV status, and birth outcomes of all live births, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions delivered from August 2015 to December 2018 were extracted from a hospital-based birth defects surveillance database. Differences in the distributions of maternal and infant characteristics by maternal age groups were tested with Pearson’s chi-square. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression to compare the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes among adolescents to mothers 20-34 years.Results: A total of 100,189 births were analyzed, with 11.1% among adolescent mothers and 89.0% among older mothers. Adolescent mothers had an increased risk of preterm delivery (aOR: 1.14; CI: 1.06-1.23), low birth weight (aOR: 1.46; CI: 1.34-1.59), and early neonatal deaths (aOR: 1.58; CI: 1.23-2.02). Newborns of adolescent mothers had an increased risk of major external birth defects (aOR: 1.33; CI: 1.02-1.76), specifically, gastroschisis (aOR: 3.20; CI: 1.12-9.13) compared to mothers 20-34 years. The difference between the prevalence of gastroschisis among adolescent mothers (7.3 per 10,000 births; 95% CI: 3.7-14.3) was statistically significant when compared to mothers 20-34 years (1.6 per 10,000 births; 95% CI: 0.9-2.6).Conclusions: This study found that adolescent mothers had an increased risk for several adverse birth outcomes compared to mothers 20-34 years, similar to findings in the region and globally. Interventions are needed to improve birth outcomes in this vulnerable population.