Effectiveness of two doses of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccine

Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was consistently high following two doses (94.6–97.4%) and three doses (96.1%) of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccine. These data support the public health value of providing two doses of the TBE vaccine to a traveller to an endemic area presenting with insufficient time to complete the full three-dose primary series.

Evaluation of Candida auris acquisition in U.S. international travelers using a culture-based screening protocol

Highlight Section We establish the feasibility of evaluating U.S. international travelers for Candida auris acquisition using a culture-based screening protocol. Corynebacterium auris was not identified in any of the travelers in this small cohort; further study is needed to determine the overall risk and risk factors for travel-associated acquisition.

SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in arriving air Travelers in Qatar

Among 352 174 airline travelers entering Qatar, 8236 (2.34%) tested positive on or within the first seven days of arrival, with 3789 (1.08%) testing positive at the time of arrival and the remaining 4447 (1.26%) testing negative at arrival but positive 1 week later.

Care-seeking delay of imported malaria to China: Implications for improving post-travel healthcare for migrant workers

Background: Imported malaria cases continue to pose major challenges in China as well as in other countries having achieved elimination. Our study aims to identify the factors influencing the timing of care-seeking after symptom onset among migrant workers with imported malaria, in order to develop innovative interventions to improve access and provision of post-travel healthcare for returning migrants. Methods: We analysed the timing and types of healthcare service utilization after symptom onset among patients with imported malaria between 2012 and 2019 in Jiangsu Province, China. Moreover, decision tree models were used to explore the factors influencing the care seeking timing after symptom onset among patients with imported malaria. Results: A total of 2255 cases of imported malaria were identified from 1 June 2012 through 31 December 2019. Patients with malaria imported into China were mainly male migrant labourers returning from sub-Saharan Africa (96.8%). A substantial number of patients with imported malaria sought healthcare more than 3 days after symptom onset, which clearly represented delayed healthcare-seeking behaviour. According to the decision tree analysis, initial healthcare seeking from healthcare facilities at higher administrative levels, infection with Plasmodium vivax, and absence of malaria infection history were significantly associated with delayed healthcare seeking in patients with imported malaria. Conclusion: The delay in seeking of medical care among migrant workers with imported malaria should be considered and addressed by specific interventions. In addition to increasing awareness about these issues among health care professionals, improved access to healthcare facilities at higher administrative levels as well as improved diagnostic capacity of healthcare facilities at lower administrative levels should be developed.. Moreover, education programs targeting populations at risk of malaria importation and delayed healthcare seeking should be improved to facilitate early healthcare seeking and service use.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Switzerland: Does the prolongation of vaccine booster intervals result in an increased risk of breakthroughs?

Background: In 2006, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health decided recommending a prolongation of vaccine booster intervals after the 3rd dose for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) from 3 to 10 years. Methods: To ascertain whether this amendment resulted in an increased rate of vaccine breakthroughs we conducted a retrospective analysis of surveillance data collected 2000–2019 by mandatory reporting to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). Fractions of breakthroughs (with 95% confidence intervals)—0 to 3 years vs. > 3 to 10 years after the 3rd vaccination dose—were compared across time periods and age groups. Results: Among 3205 notified TBE cases, known vaccination status was reported in 2562 (79.9%), including 103 patients with ≥3 vaccine doses (4.0%). Among those, there were 39 patients who had received the last dose within 3 years and 48 patients in the > 3 to 10 years group. During the 2010 to 2019 period in which the new booster strategy was implemented there were 23 and 38 breakthroughs, respectively, and the annual breakthrough rate was 7.7 (95% C.I. 5.0–11.7) cases during the first three years after the last dose, and 5.4 (95% C.I. 3.9–7.5) cases in following seven years. We observed no significant trend of TBE breakthroughs with increasing age. Increasing numbers of TBE and of vaccine breakthroughs over time have been associated with spreading endemicity and higher vaccination coverage in Switzerland. Conclusions: there is no indication that extended booster intervals resulted in an increased rate of breakthroughs, but there was a marked public health benefit with respect to increased acceptability of TBE immunization in the general population.