Community participation in Dengue prevention: An approach from the perspective of different social actors

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Safety and immunogenicity of the Cuban heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in healthy infants. Results from a double-blind randomized control trial Phase I

Background: Cuba has a new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate (PCV7-TT). This study evaluates the safety and immunogenicity in healthy infants using 2p+1 vaccination schedule. Methods: A phase I, controlled, randomized and double blind clinical trial was designed. 30 unvaccinated healthy infants were included. 20 subjects were assigned to study group (PCV7-TT) and 10 to control group (Synflorix®) to receive the vaccines at 7, 8 months of age (primary series) and 11 months (booster dose). Blood samples were collected 30 days after second dose and post booster for antibodies measure analysis by ELISA and OPA. The statistics analysis included the frequency of occurrence for adverse events and the immune response. Non-parametric tests were used to compare the immune response. The clinical trial was published in the Cuban Public Register of Clinical Trials with code RPCEC00000173 available at http://registroclinico.sld.cu. Results: Overall, the safety profile of PCV7-TT was similar to Synflorix®. Local reactions were predominant and systemic events were mild in severity. Swelling and redness were frequently associated with PCV7-TT mainly after the first dose (50% and 40% respectively). 15% and 10% of subject reported severe swelling after first dose with PCV7-TT and after second dose with Synflorix®. Mild fever (≥38–≤39), vomiting and sleep disturb were the systemic events reported. 100% of infants achieved pneumococcal IgG antibody concentrations ≥0.35 µg/ml after booster dose for serotypes 1, 14, 18C and 19F in each vaccine group. For serotypes 5, 6B and 23F, more than 80% infants vaccinated with Synflorix® or PCV7-TT achieved protective IgG GMC ≥ 0.35 µg/ml after booster dose. OPA proportion’s responders to the seven common serotypes were 89.5% or more after the primary dose and 100% after booster dose in vaccinated with PCV7-TT. Conclusions: The Cuban PCV7-TT is safe, well tolerated and immunogenic in healthy infants

Developing new approaches for detecting and preventing Aedes aegypti population outbreaks: basis for surveillance, alert and control system

A new approach to dengue vector surveillance based on permanent egg-collection using a modified ovitrap and Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis(Bti) was evaluated in different urban landscapes in Recife, Northeast Brazil. From April 2004 to April 2005, 13 egg-collection cycles of four weeks were carried out. Geo-referenced ovitraps containing grass infusion, Bti and three paddles were placed at fixed sampling stations distributed over five selected sites. Continuous egg-collections yielded more than four million eggs laid into 464 sentinel-ovitraps over one year. The overall positive ovitrap index was 98.5% (over 5,616 trap observations). The egg density index ranged from 100 to 2,500 eggs per trap-cycle, indicating a wide spread and high density of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) breeding populations in all sites. Fluctuations in population density over time were observed, particularly a marked increase from January on, or later, according to site. Massive egg-collection carried out at one of the sites prevented such a population outbreak. At intra-site level, egg counts made it possible to identify spots where the vector population is consistently concentrated over the time, pinpointing areas that should be considered high priority for control activities. The results indicate that these could be promising strategies for detecting and preventing Ae. aegypti population outbreaks