Variations in influenza vaccination coverage among the high-risk population in Sweden in 2003/4 and 2004/5: a population survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Sweden, the vaccination campaign is the individual responsibility of the counties, which results in different arrangements. The aim of this study was to find out whether influenza vaccination coverage rates (VCRs) had increased between 2003/4 and 2004/5 among population at high risk and to find out the influence of personal preferences, demographic characteristics and health care system characteristics on VCRs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An average sample of 2500 persons was interviewed each season (2003/4 and 2004/5). The respondents were asked whether they had had an influenza vaccination, whether they suffered from chronic conditions and the reasons of non-vaccination. For every county the relevant health care system characteristics were collected via a questionnaire sent to the medical officers of communicable diseases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No difference in VCR was found between the two seasons. Personal invitations strongly increased the chance of having had a vaccination. For the elderly, the number of different health care professionals in a region involved in administering vaccines decreased this chance.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Sweden remained below the WHO-recommendations for population at high risk due to disease. To meet the 2010 WHO-recommendation further action may be necessary to increase vaccine uptake. Increasing the number of personal invitations and restricting the number of different administrators responsible for vaccination may be effective in increasing VCRs among the elderly.</p

Contribution of immunodiagnostic tests to epidemiological/intervention studies of cysticercosis/taeniosis in Mexico

Cysticercosis is acquired when swine ingest human faeces contaminated with Taenia solium eggs. Humans become tapeworm carriers when they ingest infected pork meat. They can also develop cysticercosis after inadvertently swallowing T. solium eggs. Human neurocysticercosis (NCC) is considered as a public health problem in Mexico and in several countries around the world, mainly developing ones. The development of immunodiagnostic techniques has promoted the conduct of seroepidemiological studies. This review provides insight into the evolution of these techniques, their predictive values and their use infield studies, and summarizes evidence supporting health care practice and policy related to cysticercosis/taeniosis in Mexico. Serological studies in rural and urban settings have demonstrated that close proximity with a tapeworm carrier is the main risk factor for acquiring cysticercosis. Research focusing on the tapeworm carrier generated an ELISA for the detection of Taenia coproantigens and facilitated the evaluation of intervention measures. Health education and self-identification of tapeworm carriers were shown to be successful. However, cestodial treatment as a community-based intervention was not as successful. Current immunodiagnostic techniques can be used to pinpoint transmission foci so that appropriate and effective interventions can be applied. In this way, sustainable control, and even eradication of T. solium may be envisioned

Bayesian sample size determination for estimating binomial parameters from data subject to misclassification

We investigate the sample size problem when a binomial parameter is to be estimated, but some degree of misclassification is possible. The problem is especially challenging when the degree to which misclassification occurs is not exactly known. Motivated by a Canadian survey of the prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection in pregnant women, we examine the situation where it is desired that a marginal posterior credible interval for the prevalence of width w has coverage (1 − α), using a Bayesian sample size criterion. The degree to which the misclassification probabilities are known a priori can have a very large effect on sample size requirements, and in some cases achieving a coverage of (1 − α) is impossible, even with an infinite sample size. Therefore, investigators must carefully evaluate the degree to which misclassification can occur when estimating sample size requirements