10 research outputs found
Age for measles immunization seroconversion after measles vaccination at 6-8 months of age - A randomised controlled trial
The, objective of the study was to compare the
effectiveness of measles vaccine by seroconversion
in vaccinated children with non-vaccinated children
of 6 to 8 months age group in a city slam community
so as to study the feasibility of advancing the age
of immunization. Live attenuated lyophilized
Schwartz strain of measles vaccine was used.
Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody was
estimated. Seroconversion was defined as either the
conversion of negative to positive or a two fold rise
in titre. One hundred and thirty two children
completed the study. There was no difference in
the age, sex and nutritional status between vaccinated
and non-vaccinated groups (p>0.7). The
seroconversion rate in the vaccinated group was
65% and in the non-vaccinated group was 26%.
The age, sex and nutritional status did not significantly
affect the seroconversion. Oar data suggest
that immunization with measles vaccine may be
effective as early as 6 months of age. Immunization
at 6 months may be needed at least for children in
densely populated areas like cities and towns
Prevalence of placentally transmitted antibodies for measles in infants 3 to 11 months old in an urban slum community
Upto 35% of infants aged between 6 and 11
months are infected with measles in India with its
associated high morbidity and mortality. The
objective of the study is to know the waning pattern
of placentally transmitted antibodies (PTA) for
measles so that the age at which children are likely
to become susceptible to measles infection could be
identified. A cross-sectional serological survey
of children aged 3 to 11 months in one of the Integrated
Child Development Service (ICDS) area in
Madras city slums was done. Venous blood from
376 children was collected and was tested for
Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) antibodies by
standard microtitration technique. Titre > 1:8
has been considered as protective. The proportion
of children with immune level and the Geometric
Mean Titre (GMT), declined to the least by 5
months which denotes that most of the infants
become susceptible to measles infection from as
early as 5 months of age. There is no significant
difference in the waning pattern between different
age groups, sex and nutritional status. A community
study for effectiveness of measles vaccine
at 6-8 months of age is needed to know the feasibility
of immunization earlier than 9 months of age
A validation study comparing the sensitivity and specificity of the new Dr. KSU H1N1 RT-PCR kit with real-time RT-PCR for diagnosing influenza A (H1N1)
<b>Background and Objectives:</b> A new test (Dr. KSU H1N1 RT-PCR kit) was recently developed to provide a less expensive alternative to real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We report the findings of a validation study designed to assess the diagnostic accuracy, including sensitivity and specificity, of the new kit, as compared to real-time RT-PCR. <b>Design and Setting:</b> Cross-sectional validation study conducted from 18-22 November 2009 at a primary care clinic for H1N1 at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Riyadh. <b>Patients and Methods:</b> Nasopharyngeal swab samples and data on socio-demographic characteristics and symptoms were collected from 186 patients. Swab samples were sent to the laboratory for testing with both real-time RT-PCR and the new Dr. KSU H1N1 RT-PCR kit. We measured the sensitivity and specificity of the new test across the entire sample size and investigated how these values were affected by patient socio-demographic characteristics and symptoms. <b>Results</b>: The outcomes of the two tests were highly correlated (kappa=0.85; <i>P</i><.0001). The sensitivity and specificity of the new test were 99.11% and 83.78%, respectively. The sensitivity of the new test was affected only minimally (96%-100%) by patient characteristics and number of symptoms. On the other hand, the specificity of the new test varied depending on how soon patients were tested after onset of symptoms (100% specificity when swabs were taken on the first day of the symptoms, decreasing to 75% when swabs were taken on or after the third day). The specificity of the new test also increased with increasing body temperature. <b>Conclusion:</b> The new test seems to provide a cost-effective alternative to real-time RT-PCR for diagnosing H1N1 influenza. However, further testing may be needed to verify the efficacy of the test in different settings and communities