5 research outputs found
Equity of the Meningitis B vaccination programme in England, 2016-2018
In England, the Meningitis B (MenB) vaccine is scheduled at eight and 16 weeks with a booster dose at one year of age and protects children against invasive bacterial meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B. Coverage of the second dose of MenB vaccine at 12 months was >92% in 2017/18, but this may mask inequalities in coverage in particular population groups.
MenB vaccination records for children aged six, 12 and 18Â months of age from December 2016 to May 2018 were routinely extracted from GP patient management systems every month in England via a web-based platform for national monitoring of vaccine coverage. We determined the association between ethnicity, deprivation and area of residence, vaccine coverage and drop-out rates (between dose one and dose two), using binomial regression.
After adjusting for other factors, ethnic groups with lowest dose one coverage (Black or Black British-Caribbean, White-Any other White background, White-Irish) also had lowest dose two coverage, but in addition, these ethnic groups also had the largest drop-out rates between dose one and dose two. The drop-out rate for Black or Black British-Caribbean children was 5.7 percentage points higher than for White-British children. Vaccine coverage decreased with increasing deprivation quintile, and this was most marked for the booster coverage (6.2 percentage points lower in the most deprived compared to least deprived quintile, p < 0.001).
To achieve high coverage for completed courses across all ethnic groups and deprivation quintiles both high initiation rates and a reduction in drop-out rates for ethnic groups with lowest coverage is necessary. A qualitative approach to better understand reasons behind lower coverage and higher drop-out rates in the most underserved ethnic groups is required to develop tailored approaches addressing these inequalities
Nasopharyngeal carriage of pneumococcus in children in England up to 10 years after 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction: persistence of serotypes 3 and 19A and emergence of 7C
Background:Â Monitoring changes in pharyngeal carriage of pneumococcus in children following 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) introduction in the United Kingdom in 2010 informs understanding of patterns of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence.
Methods:Â Nasopharyngeal swabs from healthy children vaccinated with PCV13 according to schedule (2, 4, and 12 months) were cultured and serotyped. Results for children aged 13â48 months were compared between 2014â2015 and 2017â2019 and with children aged 6â12 months (2017â2020). Blood was obtained from a subset of children for pneumococcal serotype-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG).
Results:Â Total pneumococcal carriage at 13â48 months was 47.9% (473/988) in 2014â2015 and 51.8% (412/795) in 2017â2019 (PÂ = .10); at age 6â12 months this value was 44.6% (274/615). In 2017â2019, 2.9% (95% confidence interval, 1.8%â4.3%) of children aged 13â48 months carried PCV13 serotypes (mainly 3 [1.5%] and 19A [0.8%]) and >20% carried the additional 20-valent PCV (PCV20) serotypes. Similar proportions of children had IgG â„0.35 IU/mL for each serotype in 2014â2015 and 2017â2019. Serotype 7C carriage increased significantly (PÂ < .01) between 2014â2015 and 2017â2019. Carriage of PCV20 serotypes 8 and 12F, both major causes of IPD, was rare.
Conclusions:Â Introduction of PCV20, if licensed for children, could significantly change the composition of pneumococcal serotypes carried in the pharynx of UK children.
Clinical Trials Registration:Â NCT03102840
Serum HCoV-spike specific antibodies do not protect against subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents
SARS-CoV-2 infections in children are generally asymptomatic or mild and rarely progress to severe disease and hospitalization. Why this is so remains unclear. Here we explore the potential for protection due to pre-existing cross-reactive seasonal coronavirus antibodies and compare the rate of antibody decline for nucleocapsid and spike protein in serum and oral fluid against SARS-CoV-2 within the pediatric population. No differences in seasonal coronaviruses antibody concentrations were found at baseline between cases and controls, suggesting no protective effect from pre-existing immunity against seasonal coronaviruses. Antibodies against seasonal betacoronaviruses were boosted in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In serum, anti-nucleocapsid antibodies fell below the threshold of positivity more quickly than anti-spike protein antibodies. These findings add to our understanding of protection against infection with SARS-CoV-2 within the pediatric population, which is important when considering pediatric SARS-CoV-2 immunization policies