Category: Vaccine

Liaw YF. Antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B: opportunities and challenges in Asia. J Hepatol. 2009;51:40310.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Moucari R, Korevaar A, Lada O, Martinot-Peignoux M, Boyer N, Mackiewicz V, Dauvergne A, Cardoso AC, Asselah T, Nicolas-Chanoine MH, et al. High rates of HBsAg seroconversion in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients responding to interferon: a long-term follow-up study. J Hepatol. 2009;50:108492.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Kim GA, Lim YS, An J, Lee D, Shim JH, Kim KM, Lee HC, Chung YH, Lee YS, Suh DJ. HBsAg seroclearance after nucleoside analogue therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B: clinical outcomes and durability. Gut. 2014;63:132532.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Terrault NA, Lok ASF, McMahon BJ, Chang KM, Hwang JP, Jonas MM, Brown RS Jr., Bzowej NH, Wong JB. Update on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic hepatitis B: AASLD 2018 hepatitis B guidance. Hepatology. 2018;67:156099.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

EASL. 2017 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of hepatitis B virus infection. J Hepatol 2017, 67:370398.

Li MH, Yi W, Zhang L, Lu Y, Lu HH, Shen G, Wu SL, Hao HX, Gao YJ, Chang M, et al. Predictors of sustained functional cure in hepatitis B envelope antigen-negative patients achieving hepatitis B surface antigen seroclearance with interferon-alpha-based therapy. J Viral Hepat. 2019;26(Suppl 1):3241.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Wu Y, Liu Y, Lu J, Cao Z, Jin Y, Ma L, Geng N, Ren S, Zheng Y, Shen C, Chen X. Durability of Interferon-induced Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seroclearance. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;18:514e516512.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Huang D, Wu D, Wang P, Wang Y, Yuan W, Hu D, Hu J, Wang Y, Tao R, Xiao F, et al. End-of-treatment HBcrAg and HBsAb levels identify durable functional cure after Peg-IFN-based therapy in patients with CHB. J Hepatol. 2022;77:4254.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Zeng QL, Yu ZJ, Shang J, Xu GH, Sun CY, Liu N, Li CX, Lv J, Liu YM, Liang HX, et al. Short-term Peginterferon-Induced High Functional Cure Rate in Inactive Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Carriers with Low Surface Antigen levels. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020;7:ofaa208.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Wu F, Wang Y, Cui D, Tian Y, Lu R, Liu C, Li M, Li Y, Gao N, Jiang Z et al. Short-term Peg-IFN -2b Re-treatment Induced a high functional cure rate in patients with HBsAg recurrence after stopping Peg-IFN -Based regimens. J Clin Med 2023, 12.

Cao Z, Liu Y, Ma L, Lu J, Jin Y, Ren S, He Z, Shen C, Chen X. A potent hepatitis B surface antigen response in subjects with inactive hepatitis B surface antigen carrier treated with pegylated-interferon alpha. Hepatology. 2017;66:105866.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Wu YL, Shen CL, Chen XY. Antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B: safety, effectiveness, and prognosis. World J Clin Cases. 2019;7:178494.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Pan CQ, Li MH, Yi W, Zhang L, Lu Y, Hao HX, Wan G, Cao WH, Wang XY, Ran CP, et al. Outcome of Chinese patients with hepatitis B at 96 weeks after functional cure with IFN versus combination regimens. Liver Int. 2021;41:1498508.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Song A, Wang X, Lu J, Jin Y, Ma L, Hu Z, Zheng Y, Shen C, Chen X. Durability of hepatitis B surface antigen seroclearance and subsequent risk for hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis. J Viral Hepat. 2021;28:60112.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Jiang S, Cai M, Zhang Z, Qian C, Wang J, Li Z, Guo Q, Zhou H, Xin H, Cai W et al. The potential effect of HBV vaccination on off-treatment HBsAg reversion after interferon-induced HBsAg clearance. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023:2161254.

Liu Y, Ren S, Ma L, Lin X, Li H, Lu J et al. Clinical study of hepatitis B vaccine in achieving hepatitis B surface antibody seroconversion in patients with functional cure. Braz J Infect Dis, 2023:103703.

Wu ZQ, Tan L, Gan WQ, Mo ZS, Chen DB, Wang PP, Zhao QY, Xie DY, Gao ZL. The relationship between the clearance of HBsAg and the remodeling of B cell subsets in CHB patients treated with Peg-IFN-. Ann Transl Med. 2021;9:414.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Xu X, Shang Q, Chen X, Nie W, Zou Z, Huang A, Meng M, Jin L, Xu R, Zhang JY, et al. Reversal of B-cell hyperactivation and functional impairment is associated with HBsAg seroconversion in chronic hepatitis B patients. Cell Mol Immunol. 2015;12:30916.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Bertoletti A, Ferrari C. Adaptive immunity in HBV infection. J Hepatol. 2016;64:S7183.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Salimzadeh L, Le Bert N, Dutertre CA, Gill US, Newell EW, Frey C, Hung M, Novikov N, Fletcher S, Kennedy PT, Bertoletti A. PD-1 blockade partially recovers dysfunctional virus-specific B cells in chronic hepatitis B infection. J Clin Invest. 2018;128:457387.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Wu YC, Kipling D, Leong HS, Martin V, Ademokun AA, Dunn-Walters DK. High-throughput immunoglobulin repertoire analysis distinguishes between human IgM memory and switched memory B-cell populations. Blood. 2010;116:10708.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Vsquez C, Franco MA, Angel J. Rapid Proliferation and differentiation of a subset of circulating IgM Memory B cells to a CpG/Cytokine stimulus in Vitro. PLoS ONE. 2015;10:e0139718.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

McHeyzer-Williams LJ, Milpied PJ, Okitsu SL, McHeyzer-Williams MG. Class-switched memory B cells remodel BCRs within secondary germinal centers. Nat Immunol. 2015;16:296305.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Rinaldi S, Pallikkuth S, George VK, de Armas LR, Pahwa R, Sanchez CM, Pallin MF, Pan L, Cotugno N, Dickinson G, et al. Paradoxical aging in HIV: immune senescence of B cells is most prominent in young age. Aging. 2017;9:130725.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Weinstein JS, Bertino SA, Hernandez SG, Poholek AC, Teplitzky TB, Nowyhed HN, Craft J. B cells in T follicular helper cell development and function: separable roles in delivery of ICOS ligand and antigen. J Immunol. 2014;192:316679.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Zhang L, Li H, Ren H, Hu P. Circulating PD-1(hi)CXCR5(+)CD4(+) T cells are associated with a decrease in hepatitis B surface antigen levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B who are receiving peginterferon- therapy. Mol Immunol. 2018;103:2708.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Liu Y, Hu X, Hu X, Yu L, Ji H, Li W, Cai Y, Cheng G, Jiang Y. T follicular helper cells improve the response of patients with chronic hepatitis B to interferon by promoting HBsAb production. J Gastroenterol. 2022;57:3045.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Bentebibel SE, Khurana S, Schmitt N, Kurup P, Mueller C, Obermoser G, Palucka AK, Albrecht RA, Garcia-Sastre A, Golding H, Ueno H. ICOS(+)PD-1(+)CXCR3(+) T follicular helper cells contribute to the generation of high-avidity antibodies following influenza vaccination. Sci Rep. 2016;6:26494.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Heit A, Schmitz F, Gerdts S, Flach B, Moore MS, Perkins JA, Robins HS, Aderem A, Spearman P, Tomaras GD, et al. Vaccination establishes clonal relatives of germinal center T cells in the blood of humans. J Exp Med. 2017;214:213952.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Xing M, Feng Y, Yao J, Lv H, Chen Y, He H, Wang Z, Hu C, Lou X. Induction of peripheral blood T follicular helper cells expressing ICOS correlates with antibody response to hepatitis B vaccination. J Med Virol. 2020;92:6270.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Chekol Abebe E, Asmamaw Dejenie T, Mengie Ayele T, Dagnew Baye N, Agegnehu Teshome A, Tilahun Muche Z. The Role of Regulatory B Cells in Health and diseases: a systemic review. J Inflamm Res. 2021;14:7584.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Sanaei MJ, Nahid-Samiei M, Abadi MSS, Arjmand MH, Ferns GA, Bashash D, Rahimian G, Bagheri N. New insights into regulatory B cells biology in viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections. Infect Genet Evol. 2021;89:104753.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Fu B, Wang D, Shen X, Guo C, Liu Y, Ye Y, Sun R, Li J, Tian Z, Wei H. Immunomodulation Induced during Interferon- therapy impairs the Anti-HBV Immune Response through CD24(+)CD38(hi) B cells. Front Immunol. 2020;11:591269.

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Gong Y, Zhao C, Zhao P, Wang M, Zhou G, Han F, Cui Y, Qian J, Zhang H, Xiong H, et al. Role of IL-10-Producing Regulatory B cells in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus infection. Dig Dis Sci. 2015;60:130814.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Krber N, Pohl L, Weinberger B, Grubeck-Loebenstein B, Wawer A, Knolle PA, Roggendorf H, Protzer U, Bauer T. Hepatitis B Vaccine Non-responders Show Higher frequencies of CD24(high)CD38(high) Regulatory B cells and lower levels of IL-10 expression compared to responders. Front Immunol. 2021;12:713351.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Bolther M, Andersen KLD, Tolstrup M, Visvanathan K, Woolley I, Skinner N, Millen R, Warner N, stergaard L, Jensen-Fangel S. Levels of regulatory B cells do not predict serological responses to hepatitis B vaccine. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2018;14:14838.

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

McHeyzer-Williams LJ, McHeyzer-Williams MG. Antigen-specific memory B cell development. Annu Rev Immunol. 2005;23:487513.

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Islam M, Kumar K, Sevak JK, Jindal A, Vyas AK, Ramakrishna G, Kottilil S, Sharma MK, Sarin SK, Trehanpati N. Immune drivers of HBsAg loss in HBeAg-negative CHB patients after stopping nucleotide analog and administration of Peg-IFN. Hepatol Commun 2023, 7.

Doede AM, Kannegieter N, ztrk K, van Loveren H, Janssen R, Buisman AM. Higher numbers of memory B-cells and Th2-cytokine skewing in high responders to hepatitis B vaccination. Vaccine. 2016;34:22819.

Article PubMed Google Scholar

View original post here:

Peg-IFN combined with hepatitis B vaccination contributes to HBsAg seroconversion and improved immune function ... - Virology Journal

Published 03-29-24

Submitted by Merck & Co., Inc.

Vaccines are one of the most significant public health achievements in modern history, playing a vital role in helping to prevent certain infectious diseases and protect communities across the globe.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic brought forth a new set of challenges in sustaining vaccination efforts for other preventable diseases highlighting existing disparities and inequalities in access to health care and underscoring the urgent need for action.

In two op-eds for Devex, an independent news organization covering global development, Drew Otoo, Pharm.D., president of global vaccines, Merck, and Alfred Saah, M.D., executive director of scientific affairs, Merck, highlighted some of the ways the company is working to address these challenges at the global, national and local levels.

Collaborating to help increase health equity

Otoo said collaboration across sectors is key to building trust, enabling equity and establishing stronger, more resilient vaccination programs.

Now more than ever, we have an opportunity to evaluate and strengthen our approach Together, we can help create a more equitable future where vaccines are available to and accepted by all who can benefit from them.

Drew Otoo, Pharm.D. President of global vaccines, Merck

Otoo shared examples of Merck's work with local and global stakeholders to develop tailored approaches to improve vaccine confidence and supply vaccines for communities that might otherwise be without them:

Combating vaccine hesitancy and building trust

Saah emphasized Merck's commitment to addressing vaccine hesitancy (the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines) and building confidence at local, national and global levels.

By understanding the knowledge gaps and prioritizing strategies that strengthen how we communicatewe can potentially combat vaccine hesitancy, improve vaccine confidence and make a difference in global public health.

Alfred Saah, M.D. Executive director of scientific affairs, Merck

Despite the well-documented benefits of vaccines, hesitancy is a longstanding public health issue that can result in under-vaccination and global disease outbreaks. The reasons behind vaccine hesitancy are often connected to the 3Cs Model, defined by a World Health Organization strategic advisory group:

Saah shared some of Merck's efforts to improve vaccine confidence, which include:

Continuing to improve vaccine access

Despite the challenges ahead, both Saah and Otoo are optimistic about the future.

Combating vaccine hesitancy is not an easy feat and has been a challenge our global society has faced for centuries, wrote Saah. However, these challenges bring new opportunities to improve our approach and be better advocates for ourselves, our families and our communities.

By going where the need exists and continuing to invest in innovative, strategic and diverse collaborations, I'm confident we'll find new ways to solve complex public health problems.

Drew Otoo

Learn more about how collaborations can help yield stronger vaccination programs.

View original content here.

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visitwww.merck.comand connect with us onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,YouTubeandLinkedIn.

More from Merck & Co., Inc.

Read the rest here:

CSRWire - How We Can Strengthen Vaccination Programs and Build Vaccine Confidence Together - CSRwire.com

W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice vetoes vaccine exemption bill

Organizations who put forth a petition for the veto that garnered more than 3,600 signatures. (WCHS){p}{/p}

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS)

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said it was the "overwhelming" opposition from medical professionals that convinced him to veto the controversial vaccine exemption bill Wednesday.

House Bill 5105, a bill passed both the House and Senate in the 2024 regular session, would have allowed private and parochial schools to create their own vaccine policies. It also would have exempted public virtual school students from state requirements for childhood immunizations.

Hours before the midnight deadline on Wednesday, Justice announced his veto.

"The overwhelming majority that have voiced their opinion believe that this legislation will do irreparable harm by crippling childhood immunity to diseases such as mumps and measles," Justice said in a statement. "West Virginia historically has seen very few instances of these diseases, specifically because the vaccination requirements in this state are so strong."

Justice received a wave of opposition to the bill including a petition that was delivered to him last week by several medical and educational groups that had more than 3,600 signatures.

Tiffany Gale heads the West Virginia Women's Alliance, which was one of the organizations who signed on.

"While yes, we absolutely support personal freedom, when that freedom can harm others especially young children, we really have to take into consideration the effect that it's going to have," Gale said.

Dr. Lisa Costello, a pediatrician in Morgantown and the immediate past president of the West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, praised the governor's veto Wednesday evening.

"As a pediatrician and a mother of a toddler who is going to be starting Catholic school this fall, I am so grateful that Gov. Justice vetoed House Bill 5105 because that means that our communities and children will be protected and we will able to remain a national leader in school immunization policies," Costello said.

Those who supported the bill, including the majority of senators and delegates and groups such as West Virginians for Health Freedom, argued that this was a matter of parental rights and freedom. West Virginians for Health Freedom sent in a letter to the governor to urge support.

In his release, Justice said he understood all opinions but must side with the medical experts on this.

West Virginia is way ahead of the pack in protecting our children from preventable diseases like the measles, and in this matter, I will defer to our licensed medical professionals who have come forward overwhelmingly to say this bill could and likely would result in reduced immunity and harm to West Virginias kids," he said.

The Legislature does have the power to override a veto, but House of Delegates spokesperson Ann Ali said once they adjourn the regular session, both bodies are limited on what they can do. Even if they are called back in for a special session, lawmakers would only be able to take up what is on the governor's call list.

Load more...

Read more:

W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice vetoes vaccine exemption bill - WCHS

Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the first to need two doses to keep their jobs.

State and territory governments subsequently implemented employment and public space mandates which required people to show proof of vaccination to enter hospitality venues and events. A constellation of private companies also required vaccines for their workers or patrons.

Vaccine mandates receive considerable attention when theyre introduced. For COVID vaccine mandates, policymakers offered reasoning including protecting the vulnerable, safeguarding health systems, and making it possible to open state borders and lift internal restrictions. Experts and the public sometimes debated the merits of these policies, but the reasons behind them were relatively clear.

By contrast, the removal of vaccine mandates often appears haphazard. Less is known about how or why it happens, or how it should be done.

However, mandate removal may have just as much of an influence on peoples future attitudes and behaviour as mandate imposition. As New South Wales considers removing its COVID vaccine mandate for health-care workers, its pertinent to explore how to abolish a vaccine mandate in the right way.

Many COVID vaccine mandates terminated when state governments stopped classifying the pandemic as an emergency. The mandates which remained in place covered workers in high-risk settings, but even some of these have since ended.

Queensland and Western Australia removed their COVID vaccine requirements for health workers in 2023, and this week NSW announced its considering doing the same.

This is good news. Governments should treat vaccine mandates like other health policies and review them regularly in the context of changing evidence. Some criteria governments should think about when implementing or removing vaccine mandates include:

Disease burden in the community

Governments should consider the rate of severe illness and availability of treatment options and hospital resources. In the case of COVID, the general population has developed high levels of hybrid immunity from vaccination and infection.

Read more: Queensland ruling doesn't mean all COVID vaccine mandates were flawed. Here's why

Population vulnerability

Health-care workers are more likely to be exposed to disease, and they may transmit it to patients who are at high risk of serious outcomes. This is why NSW and some other states require staff in health or aged care to get flu vaccines each year.

Vaccine effectiveness

It matters how well the mandated vaccine prevents severe disease in people who are vaccinated, which COVID vaccines do well. But whether they reduce transmission to others is also relevant. Importantly, COVID vaccination reduces but does not prevent disease transmission. Outside an emergency situation, this weakens the argument for mandating vaccination.

Another good reason to revisit NSWs current two-dose mandate for health workers is the fact its obviously outdated. Although some other states and territories have required one booster, this did not have to be regular or recent.

Having received two or three doses of the vaccine, often much earlier in the pandemic, is unlikely to offer protection against infection today. Most people vaccinated or not have now also developed some immunity through infection.

Since these policies dont reflect current evidence or recommendations, leaving them in place could actually be damaging. It may erode trust and confidence in the health system and government, both for health-care workers and the public.

While its important to review these policies in changing contexts, theres a risk vaccine or mandate opponents will use this opportunity to claim mandates were never necessary.

No COVID decisions were perfect, and we should evaluate pandemic decision-making across a range of measures. But the circumstances and justifications for introducing mandates were very different from today. This distinction should be kept in mind when communicating changes in mandate policy.

For NSW and any other jurisdictions considering removing mandates, first, they should consult meaningfully with the community to drive decision-making and communication. This includes engaging with those who are subject to the mandate and those indirectly affected by it.

We applaud NSW Health for consulting with health workforce stakeholders. However, they havent described consulting with patients or vulnerable groups, who may worry mandate removal exposes them to untenable risk from their health-care providers. Its important to prepare a communication strategy for this group, too.

Transparency is key to maintaining trust in public health officials. When a decision is made to alter or remove a mandate, we recommend transparently explaining the decision and the data that informed it. For communicating about mandate removal, spokespeople could provide clear, simple data that compares the burden of disease or immunity rates at the time of implementation versus now.

Its also crucial any announcement about mandate removal makes clear that vaccination is still recommended. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant framed the early messaging well, saying NSW Health would continue to strongly recommend employees stay up-to-date with their COVID vaccinations.

Finally, governments should provide clear and accessible legal and health guidance to private companies. These employers may still have mandatory vaccination policies in place, and need support on how best to consider or announce their removal.

Read more: Unintended consequences of NZ's COVID vaccine mandates must inform future pandemic policy new research

The abolition of COVID vaccine mandates is an important milestone in our journey out of the pandemic. At the same time, it means governments need to ensure high voluntary vaccine uptake.

This requires funding, efficient service delivery, support for health-care workers who administer vaccines, and persuasive public health campaigns. When governments manage mandate removal well, they make it easier for themselves to continue to protect the public against disease.

Continued here:

NSW may end its COVID vaccine mandate for health workers. That doesn't mean it was a bad idea in the first place - The Conversation

Kentucky bill would ban mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for work, study, or healthcare

by Christian Hauser, WKRC

(CBS Newspath, CNN Newsource, file)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKRC)- Kentucky Senate Bill 295 states that the Covid-19 vaccine cannot be required for anyone to be a student or participate in any extra-curricular activities, you can't be required to get the vaccine for a job or to maintain a professional license, and that you can't be required to get it to receive health care services.

For example, a doctor couldn't refuse to treat you if you didn't get a vaccine.

(WKRC,%20CBS%20Newspath,%20CNN%20Newsource,%20KET)

State Sen. Lindsey Tichenor (R)-Smithfield sponsored the bill. Tichenor said that people shouldn't be forced to get vaccinated if they don't want to. She said that an employer, for instance, shouldn't be able to dictate your health decisions.

However, the CDC and FDA stated that what Tichenor claims is misleading.

Hamilton County Medical Director Dr. Steve Feagins said that the reporting system is used to see if there's any correlation between an adverse event and the vaccine.

"It's for everybody, not just for clinicians, or pharmacists. It's for everybody, for anything that happens, that may or may not be related to a vaccine. It may not even be related in time to receiving a vaccine," Hamilton County Medical Director Dr. Steve Feagins said.

The VAERS website clearly states that just because there's a report of a bad reaction or death, doesn't mean the vaccine caused the event.

This bill doesn't just prohibit requirements around the current vaccine, it would ban any future Covid vaccine requirements in the future.

"We have no understanding guys, of what this virus is going to look like two years from now, what it's going to look like 10 years from now, and to say under no circumstances can we require even healthcare professionals [to be vaccinated?] It's a danger to our patients if we go in there with communicable diseases," State Sen. Karen Berg (D)-Louisville said.

Load more...

More here:

Kentucky bill would ban mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for work, study, or healthcare - WKRC TV Cincinnati

This article has been reviewed according to ScienceX's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

trusted source

proofread

close

Vaccination not only reduces the severity of TB in infected cattle, but reduces its spread in dairy herds by 89%, research finds. The research, led by the University of Cambridge and Penn State University, improves prospects for the elimination and control of bovine tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease of cattle that results in large economic costs and health impacts across the world. The study is published in the journal Science.

This is the first study to show that BCG-vaccinated cattle infected with TB are substantially less infectious to other cattle. This remarkable indirect effect of the vaccine beyond its direct protective effect has not been measured before.

The spillover of infection from livestock has been estimated to account for about 10% of human tuberculosis cases. While such zoonotic TB (zTB) infections are most commonly associated with gastrointestinal infections related to drinking contaminated milk, zTB can also cause chronic lung infections in humans. Lung disease caused by zTB can be indistinguishable from regular tuberculosis, but is more difficult to treat due to natural antibiotic resistance in the cattle bacteria.

TB remains endemic in many countries around the world, including in Europe and the Americas, where its control costs farmers and taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

close

In the study, carried out in Ethiopia, researchers examined the ability of the vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Gurin (BCG), to directly protect cattle that receive it, as well as to indirectly protect both vaccinated and unvaccinated cattle by reducing TB transmission. Vaccinated and unvaccinated animals were put into enclosures with naturally infected animals, in a novel crossover design performed over two years.

"Our study found that BCG vaccination reduces TB transmission in cattle by almost 90%. Vaccinated cows also developed significantly fewer visible signs of TB than unvaccinated ones. This suggests that the vaccination not only reduces the progression of the disease, but that if vaccinated animals become infected, they are substantially less infectious to others," said Andrew Conlan, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge's Department of Veterinary Medicine and a corresponding author of the study.

Using livestock census and movement data from Ethiopia, the team developed a transmission model to explore the potential for routine vaccination to control bovine tuberculosis.

"Results of the model suggest that vaccinating calves within the dairy sector of Ethiopia could reduce the reproduction number of the bacteriumthe R0to below 1, arresting the projected increase in the burden of disease and putting herds on a pathway towards elimination of TB," Conlan said.

close

The team focused their studies in Ethiopia, a country with the largest cattle herd in Africa and a rapidly growing dairy sector that has a growing burden of bovine tuberculosis and no current control program, as a representative of similarly situated transitional economies.

"Bovine tuberculosis is largely uncontrolled in low- and middle-income countries, including Ethiopia," said Abebe Fromsa, associate professor of agriculture and veterinary medicine at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and the study's co-lead author. "Vaccination of cattle has the potential to provide significant benefits in these regions."

"For over a hundred years, programs to eliminate bovine tuberculosis have relied on intensive testing and slaughtering of infected animals," said Vivek Kapur, professor of microbiology and infectious diseases and Huck Distinguished Chair in Global Health at Penn State and a corresponding author of the study.

He added, "This approach is unimplementable in many parts of the world for economic and social reasons, resulting in considerable animal suffering and economic losses from lost productivity, alongside an increased risk of spillover of infection to humans. By vaccinating cattle, we hope to be able to protect both cattle and humans from the consequences of this devastating disease."

Professor James Wood, Alborada Professor of Equine and Farm Animal Science in the University of Cambridge's Department of Veterinary Medicine, noted that despite TB being more prevalent in lower-income countries, the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand also experience considerable economic pressures from the disease which continues to persist despite intensive and costly control programs.

Wood said, "For over 20 years the UK government has pinned hopes on cattle vaccination for bovine tuberculosis as a solution to reduce the disease and the consequent costs of the controls. These results provide important support for the epidemiological benefit that cattle vaccination could have to reduce rates of transmission to and within herds."

More information: Abebe Fromsa et al, BCG vaccination reduces bovine tuberculosis transmission, improving prospects for elimination, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adl3962. http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl3962

Journal information: Science

More:

Tuberculosis vaccine may enable elimination of the disease in cattle by reducing its spread - Phys.org

This article has been reviewed according to ScienceX's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

close

New research to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (2730 April) shows that even in men who receive two doses of mpox vaccine intradermally, their level of antibodies to the virus falls to low or zero within the first few months if they have not received a previous smallpox vaccine.

Previous smallpox vaccination contributes significantly to higher neutralizing antibodies following first MVA-BN dose.

The authors, who include Dr. Klara Sonden, deputy state epidemiologist of the of Public Health Agency of Sweden and affiliated to Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, says that their study shows that booster vaccination may be needed long-term for such individuals, and that scientific evidence is needed for the background to any decisions.

Since May 2022, an mpox outbreak has emerged globally, spreading mainly among men who have sex with men (MSM). It was classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

In Sweden, a vaccine against smallpox based on the live Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara (MVA-BN), has been offered intradermally to risk groups. Intradermal administration means 0.1 ml in the skin, one-fifth of the dose needed for subcutaneous administration. This was used as a dose-saving strategy as supplies were initially limited.

The vaccine has been shown to be efficacious in studies using real-world data from the 2022 and onward outbreak among MSM, with limited number of breakthrough infections and milder disease reported when breakthrough infections occur so far. The aim of this cohort study was to assess dynamics of, and factors affecting neutralizing antibodies against mpox virus (MPXV) following MVA-BN vaccination.

A total of 100 MSM attending the sexual health clinic "Venhlsan," Stockholm, Sweden, eligible to receive the vaccine MVA-BN were included in the study. Following the initial serum sample drawn before dose 1, serum samples were further collected before dose 2, and 28 days and three months after the second dose.

These samples were tested to establish titers (levels) of MPXV-neutralizing antibodies. Titers were compared in individuals with or without previous smallpox vaccination and patients with past natural infection were included as positive controls.

Ten individuals were of uncertain status regarding smallpox vaccination (due to being born in many different countries in the time period 1977-1980 when vaccination was de-escalated globally) and 23 individuals were previously smallpox vaccinated. The other 67 individuals had no history of smallpox vaccination.

A total of 312 samples from four time points from the 100 individuals included in the study were analyzed. In addition to the study population, anonymized age and sex matched controls from blood donors were included as negative controls (n=20) and previously MPXV-infected individuals as positive controls (n=20). The controls gave one blood sample each.

Within the study group, previous smallpox vaccination was associated with significantly higher antibody titers, and 15/23 of these individuals had pre-existing neutralizing antibodies (i.e., the B-cell memory was still present thanks to their previous smallpox vaccination).

Among those without prior smallpox vaccination, fewer than half of the group showed any detectable neutralizing antibodies at all 28 days after the second vaccination, with those who did exhibit responses having a median titer (standard unit of measurement of antibodies) of 20. In contrast, for previously vaccinated individuals, the median titer 28 days after a single dose of the MVA-BN vaccine was 40.

The authors say, "Our findings corroborate other studies showing that mpox vaccination results in neutralizing antibodies only in a proportion of vaccinees, and that a significant decline occurs already during the first month post-vaccination Immunity after previous MPXV infection mounts a higher and more robust neutralizing response. In conclusion, the findings merits the study of booster doses."

They continue: "Our results indicate a rapid decline in neutralizing antibodies after two doses and are in line with other recent studies. These results, together with the continued spread of mpox in MSM populations in Europe has prompted the consideration of a booster dose. Such a recommendation needs to be based on scientific evidence.

"However, as far as we know, no clinical trial has studied or is studying a 3rd MVA-BN dose (from an analysis of clinicaltrials.gov March 2024), but a booster dose is common practice for inactivated vaccines. The MVA-BN is a live, non-replicating vaccine and therefore likely equivalent to an inactivated vaccine.

"Studies are essential to inform public health policy, and the largest STI clinic in Sweden is planning to perform a randomized clinical trial of a booster dose with immunological parameters as the primary outcome in the comparison with those who have had the two doses of the regular full 0.5 subcutaneous dose (sc) (0.5ml), two doses of the dose-saving intradermal dose (id) (0.1ml), or one dose sc/one dose id, and those with no booster dose."

They add that despite this, the mpox cases in Sweden have been few and mostly imported during 2023 (12 cases) and 2024 (5 cases) and the vast majority have been among unvaccinated individuals.

Data collection is ongoing regarding the occurrence of breakthrough infections in Sweden. Breakthrough cases have been reported in the scientific literature among individuals that have received different vaccination strategies (i.e. sc/sc, id/sc, id/id).

Dr. Sonden concludes, "The results presented here indicate that long-term protective immunity might need a booster dose for its maintenance. Since the current situation regarding mpox in Sweden is stable with minimal transmission any change in policy should be backed by results from clinical trials.

"Currently we will focus on finding unvaccinated individuals who are at risk of getting mpox and offer them vaccination, and we believe that this as well as the previously administered vaccinations will contribute to lowering the risk for new outbreaks of mpox in Sweden in future."

Provided by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Visit link:

Swedish study indicates decline of neutralizing antibodies to mpox virus during the first month after vaccination - Medical Xpress

Getting the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine to protect against tuberculosis (TB) or having latent (inactive) TB in young adulthood arent linked to the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a Norwegian study found.

The study, BCG vaccination and multiple sclerosis risk: A Norwegian cohort study, was published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal.

MS is an automminue disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath, a protective coating around nerve fibers that helps them send signals more efficiently. The loss of myelin leads to progressive nerve fiber degeneration and a range of MS symptoms.

Although generally not recommended for use in the U.S., the BCG vaccine is one of the most widely used vaccines worldwide.

BCG, an attenuated strain of the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, has been reported to have persistent effects on the immune system that may be relevant to treating or preventing autoimmune diseases. In the U.S., its considered only for people who meet specific criteria and in consultation with a TB expert, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website.

The studys objective was to examine if BCG given in early adulthood decreases MS risk, the researchers wrote. A relationship between vaccinations and the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been firmly established, they wrote.

The scientists analyzed data from a population-based Norwegian TB screening program that took place from 1963 to 1975. The program involved 791,369 individuals, 52% of them women, with a mean age at TB screening of 26.2 years. Some 89% had received the BCG vaccine, at a mean age of 15.6 years.

MS cases were found through the Norwegian MS Registry and Biobank, which started in 2001, and the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry.

A total of 2,862 MS cases, 65% of which were in women, were retrieved. The researchers found no association between MS risk and BCG vaccination, with no differences in the risk of developing MS between BCG-vaccinated individuals and nonvaccinated participants with no signs of TB infection.

The scientists then compared individuals born between 1920 and 1939 to those born between 1940 and 1959. Although the group born in the first period had a lower proportion of vaccinated individuals, fewer MS cases identified with symptom onset, and older age at vaccination, no clear association with MS risk was seen in any birth cohort category, the researchers wrote.

Because they wanted to exclude MS cases with disease onset before BCG vaccination, the team then restricted the vaccinated group to individuals who were vaccinated before age 18. Results were not substantially different.

Neither those BCG vaccinated nor those infected naturally with Mycobacterium tuberculosis differed from the non-vaccinated and uninfected population in terms of MS risk, the researchers wrote.

Read more:

BCG vaccine to prevent tuberculosis not linked to MS risk: Study - Multiple Sclerosis News Today

Since the pandemic began, some Republican Kentucky lawmakers have repeated common misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines that greatly reduce peoples risk of getting seriously sick or dying from it.

This week, that happened again when Republican state Sen. Lindsey Tichenor of Smithfield said inaccurately that the vaccines are ineffective and dangerous during a public debate in the Kentucky Legislature, and again in a news release sent by the Senate Republican caucus.

That news release originally cited two medical journal articles one retracted and the other disputed by doctors with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support a bill Tichenor sponsored that would bar employers and schools from requiring workers and students to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Senate approved the legislation, Senate Bill 295, Tuesday in a 25-11 vote. Most Republican senators voted in favor of it, but four voted against it, as did all Democratic senators.

The Senate GOP caucus backtracked on the inclusion of the retracted and disputed reports Wednesday after an inquiry from LPM News. An updated version of the news release removed both reports but kept other misinformation in.

The original news release sent out Tuesday by the Senate Republican caucus linked to three reports that they claimed supported the need for SB 295.

Near the top of one of those reports are two notices that say it was retracted by the medical journal that published it.

Another paper cited in the news release was disputed by professionals with the CDC.

The third link led to a fact sheet for health care providers regarding a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Its available on the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations website and includes information on the vaccine and related clinical studies.

LPM contacted the Republican caucus communications team about the inclusion of the retracted and disputed papers Wednesday morning. A few hours later, the caucus sent out an updated version of the news release that removed all three reports.

It included a notice at the top of the announcement that read, The previous version of this press release cited studies that have since been redacted. This source should have been removed from this updated release.

A wide body of research conducted since COVID-19 vaccines were developed in 2020 confirms they are safe and effective, and it shows significant side effects rarely happen.

Yet the retracted report initially cited in the GOPs news release claimed otherwise and suggested governments should endorse a global moratorium on the vaccines.

The authors of the article include people who repeatedly have spread misinformation about vaccines. A medical journal published the paper in January and then retracted it in late February due to the concerns with the validity of some of the cited references that support the conclusions and a misrepresentation of the cited references and available data.

Tichenor called the inclusion of the retracted paper in the news release a simple error in a statement to LPM. But she also cast doubt on the journals given reasons for retracting the paper and said the authors are filing a lawsuit for unethical retraction.

Considering the amount of censorship imposed on those who questioned the narrative during the past four years, I am not surprised to see this study retracted, she said. While the source data has been retracted, I believe it has been done so because the report may include evidence to support the concerns of countless people.

Tichenor did not specifically address the news releases initial inclusion of another article, published in 2022 by a different medical journal, that doctors with the CDC criticized.

That article concerned the deaths of two teenage boys soon after they received a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Several professionals with the CDC disputed the article in a letter to the editor.

They cited the CDCs own evaluations, including its determination that one of the patients died of a bacterial infection a conclusion with which the original articles authors disagreed.

While the Senate GOPs updated news release no longer included that disputed article or the retracted paper, it still included a quote from Tichenor in which she falsely calls COVID-19 vaccines ineffective and dangerous.

The original and updated Senate GOP news releases also reference data from the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS.

Anybody can report an adverse event to the system, but such reports arent proof that a health problem was caused by a vaccine, according to the CDC. VAERS is an early warning system that could lead to further investigation by the CDC and FDA.

Some people have used VAERS data to fuel misinformation about the vaccines safety during the pandemic.

Tichenor cited VAERS data while making inaccurate claims about the COVID-19 vaccines during a Tuesday debate in the Kentucky Senate.

The reason the Senate GOP originally sent out Tuesdays news release was to highlight the Senates approval of SB 295, of which Tichenor is the lead sponsor.

The bill would bar any COVID-19 vaccine from being required for someone to enroll in school, to work for an employer, to obtain a professional license, or to receive a health care service.

Students in Kentucky arent required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to go to school. Major medical providers, including Norton Healthcare, required COVID-19 vaccines for workers earlier in the pandemic but dropped them after the federal government ended its vaccine mandate for various health care facilities last year.

Past ethics guidance on the American Medical Associations website reads, In general, no, a physician should not refuse a patient simply because the individual is not vaccinated or declines to be vaccinated.

During Tuesdays debate and vote on SB 295, multiple Republican senators publicly cast doubt on the vaccines efficacy and safety, despite the established research showing they are safe and effective.

Proponents of the bill also said it supports personal freedom.

A few Republican and Democratic senators spoke against the bill, raising concerns about how it would affect elderly or otherwise vulnerable patients at nursing homes or other health care facilities. They also argued against restricting businesses freedom to impose a vaccine requirement on workers.

SB 295 still needs approval from the House. And it's late enough in the legislative session that it could be vulnerable to a veto by Gov. Andy Beshear.

This story was updated.

State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Read the original post:

Kentucky Senate GOP backtracks after citing retracted COVID paper to support ban on vaccine mandates - WKU Public Radio

WILL COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- A measles case has been confirmed in Will County, health officials said Monday.

Officials said the case involves a child who had been in a Chicago migrant shelter and is now living and isolating with family in Will County after being exposed to measles early last week.

Will County health officials are now conducting contact tracing, including at a daycare and schools.

Ascension St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet is among the medical centers preparing for more measles cases.

Officials are again urging vaccination, but acknowledged at least some of the positive cases from the Pilsen migrant shelter involve people who'd already had one vaccine dose.

"Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and others against measles," said Will County Communicable Disease Program Manager Muneeza Azher. "If you are not vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to get the vaccine. If you are unsure whether you've been vaccinated, ask your healthcare provider to find out if you need a measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. If your child is 1 year old or older, and has never received the MMR vaccine, contact your child's pediatrician to discuss how your child can get caught up with their vaccines."

Younger students must wait another 21 days after their second dose before returning to preschool or daycare.

Illinois officials have confirmed 28 measles cases statewide this year. That includes 26 cases in Chicago and one each in Lake and Will counties, outpacing, in less than three months, the statewide total from the past eight years combined.

Measles signs and symptoms generally appear 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus, officials said. Common symptoms of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, red or watery eyes and tiny white spots that appear inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek.

Read more:

Measles outbreak Chicago: Health officials encourage measles vaccine after case confirmed in Will County; 26 confirmed in Chicago - WLS-TV