Scientific Evidence
VACCINE CONCERNS
Safety – Autism
INTERPRETATION: Our analyses do not support a causal association between MMR vaccine and autism. If such an association occurs, it is so rare that it could not be identified in this large regional sample.
CONCLUSIONS: Timely vaccination during infancy has no adverse effect on neuropsychological outcomes 7 to 10 years later. These data may reassure parents who are concerned that children receive too many vaccines too soon.
Conclusions: Conducting epidemiologic research on ASD in adults is feasible. The prevalence of ASD in this population is similar to that found in children. The lack of an association with age is consistent with there having been no increase in prevalence and with its causes being temporally constant. Adults with ASD living in the community are socially disadvantaged and tend to be unrecognized.
Safety – Side Effects
CONCLUSION: TIV administered to young infants beginning at 6 to 12 weeks of age is safe and immunogenic.
Measles-Mumps-Rubella-Varicella Combination Vaccine and the Risk of Febrile Seizures Nicola P. Klein, Bruce Fireman, W. Katherine Yih, Edwin Lewis, Martin Kulldorff, Paula Ray, Roger Baxter, Simon Hambidge, James Nordin, Allison Naleway, Edward A. Belongia, Tracy Lieu, James Baggs, and Eric Weintraub for the Vaccine Safety Datalink 2010;126;e1-e8; originally published online Jun 29, 2010; Pediatrics DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-0665
CONCLUSION: Among 12- to 23-month-olds who received their first dose of measles-containing vaccine, fever and seizure were elevated 7 to 10 days after vaccination. Vaccination with MMRV results in 1 additional febrile seizure for every 2300 doses given instead of separate MMR + varicella vaccines. Providers who recommend MMRV should communicate to parents that it increases the risk of fever and seizure over that already associated with measles-containing vaccines.
Conclusion - A 2 + 1-dose PCV-7 schedule was associated with an increase in serotype 19A nasopharyngeal acquisition compared with unvaccinated controls.
CONCLUSION: Influenza vaccine that was administered in the second or third trimester of gestation was safe in this study population.
CONCLUSIONS In this posthoc subgroup analysis, the vaccine reduced health care resource utilization attributable to rotavirus gastroenteritis, without increased risk of intussusception or other serious adverse events, among infants in a resource-limited country.
Conclusion: In conclusion, these findings suggest that the H1N1 vaccine has a reasonable safety profile, and there is no evidence that the vaccine is associated with an increased risk of the Guillain–Barré syndrome.
Vaccination status and health in children and adolescents—findings of the German health interview and examination survey for children and adolescents (KiGGS). Schmitz R, Poethko-Müller C, Reiter S, Schlaud M: Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108(7): 99–104.DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2011.0099
Conclusion: Conclusion: The prevalence of allergic diseases and non-specific infections in children and adolescents was not found to depend on vaccination status.
Efficacy
CONCLUSION: The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine prevented pneumococcal pneumonia and reduced mortality from pneumococcal pneumonia in nursing home residents.
CONCLUSION: The introduction of the RV5 vaccine was associated with a dramatic reduction in hospitalizations for acute gastroenteritis among US children during the 2008 rotavirus season.
CONCLUSION: In infants in developing countries in Asia, pentavalent rotavirus vaccine is safe and efficacious against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis, and our results support expanded WHO recommendations to promote its global use.
CONCLUSION: Pentavalent rotavirus vaccine is effective against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis in the first 2 years of life in African countries with high mortality in infants younger than 5 years. We support WHO’s recommendation for adoption of rotavirus vaccine into national expanded programmes on immunisation in Africa.
CONCLUSION: TIV administered to young infants beginning at 6 to 12 weeks of age is safe and immunogenic.
CONCLUSION: Increased use of RV5 in a pediatric practice was associated with fewer AGE office visits and hospitalizations. The reduction was specific for RV-positive AGE and seen among children who were targeted for immunization as well as older groups, suggesting a herd-immunity effect.
Conclusions: Maternal influenza vaccination was significantly associated with reduced risk of influenza virus infection and hospitalization for an ILI up to 6 months of age and increased influenza antibody titers in infants through 2 to 3 months of age.
Immunogenicity of bivalent types 1 and 3 oral poliovirus vaccine: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. Dr Roland W Sutter MD a , Prof T Jacob John FRCP[E] b, Prof Hemant Jain MD c, Prof Sharad Agarkhedkar MD d, Prof Padmasini Venkat Ramanan MD e, Harish Verma MB f, Jagadish Deshpande PhD g, Ajit Pal Singh MB h, Meghana Sreevatsava MPH a, Pradeep Malankar MD a, Anthony Burton a, Arani Chatterjee MB h, Hamid Jafari MD f, R Bruce Aylward MD a
Interpretation: The findings show the superiority of bOPV compared with tOPV, and the non-inferiority of bOPV compared with mOPV1 and mOPV3.
Effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccine in children aged 9 months to 3 years: an observational cohort study. Santtu Heinonen MD a, Heli Silvennoinen MD a, Pasi Lehtinen MD a, Raija Vainionpää PhD b, Thedi Ziegler PhD c, Dr Terho Heikkinen MD
Interpretation – Trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine was effective in preventing influenza in young children, including those younger than 2 years. Our findings suggest that influenza vaccine recommendations should be reassessed in most countries.
Conclusion Childhood bacterial pneumonia and empyema admission rates were increasing prior to 2006 and decreased by 19% and 22% respectively between 2006 and 2008, following the introduction of the PCV7 pneumococcal conjugate vaccination to the national childhood immunisation programme.
CONCLUSIONS In this posthoc subgroup analysis, the vaccine reduced health care resource utilization attributable to rotavirus gastroenteritis, without increased risk of intussusception or other serious adverse events, among infants in a resource-limited country.
THE VACCINES
MMR
INTERPRETATION: Our analyses do not support a causal association between MMR vaccine and autism. If such an association occurs, it is so rare that it could not be identified in this large regional sample.
MMRV
Measles-Mumps-Rubella-Varicella Combination Vaccine and the Risk of Febrile Seizures Nicola P. Klein, Bruce Fireman, W. Katherine Yih, Edwin Lewis, Martin Kulldorff, Paula Ray, Roger Baxter, Simon Hambidge, James Nordin, Allison Naleway, Edward A. Belongia, Tracy Lieu, James Baggs, and Eric Weintraub for the Vaccine Safety Datalink 2010;126;e1-e8; originally published online Jun 29, 2010; Pediatrics DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-0665
CONCLUSION: Among 12- to 23-month-olds who received their first dose of measles-containing vaccine, fever and seizure were elevated 7 to 10 days after vaccination. Vaccination with MMRV results in 1 additional febrile seizure for every 2300 doses given instead of separate MMR + varicella vaccines. Providers who recommend MMRV should communicate to parents that it increases the risk of fever and seizure over that already associated with measles-containing vaccines.
Pneumococcal
CONCLUSION: The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine prevented pneumococcal pneumonia and reduced mortality from pneumococcal pneumonia in nursing home residents.
Conclusion - A 2 + 1-dose PCV-7 schedule was associated with an increase in serotype 19A nasopharyngeal acquisition compared with unvaccinated controls.
Conclusion Childhood bacterial pneumonia and empyema admission rates were increasing prior to 2006 and decreased by 19% and 22% respectively between 2006 and 2008, following the introduction of the PCV7 pneumococcal conjugate vaccination to the national childhood immunisation programme.
Rotavirus
CONCLUSION: The introduction of the RV5 vaccine was associated with a dramatic reduction in hospitalizations for acute gastroenteritis among US children during the 2008 rotavirus season.
CONCLUSION: In infants in developing countries in Asia, pentavalent rotavirus vaccine is safe and efficacious against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis, and our results support expanded WHO recommendations to promote its global use.
CONCLUSION: Pentavalent rotavirus vaccine is effective against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis in the first 2 years of life in African countries with high mortality in infants younger than 5 years. We support WHO’s recommendation for adoption of rotavirus vaccine into national expanded programmes on immunisation in Africa.
CONCLUSION: Increased use of RV5 in a pediatric practice was associated with fewer AGE office visits and hospitalizations. The reduction was specific for RV-positive AGE and seen among children who were targeted for immunization as well as older groups, suggesting a herd-immunity effect.
CONCLUSIONS In this posthoc subgroup analysis, the vaccine reduced health care resource utilization attributable to rotavirus gastroenteritis, without increased risk of intussusception or other serious adverse events, among infants in a resource-limited country.
Influenza
CONCLUSION: TIV administered to young infants beginning at 6 to 12 weeks of age is safe and immunogenic.
CONCLUSION: Influenza vaccine that was administered in the second or third trimester of gestation was safe in this study population.
Conclusions: Maternal influenza vaccination was significantly associated with reduced risk of influenza virus infection and hospitalization for an ILI up to 6 months of age and increased influenza antibody titers in infants through 2 to 3 months of age.
Effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccine in children aged 9 months to 3 years: an observational cohort study. Santtu Heinonen MD a, Heli Silvennoinen MD a, Pasi Lehtinen MD a, Raija Vainionpää PhD b, Thedi Ziegler PhD c, Dr Terho Heikkinen MD
Interpretation – Trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine was effective in preventing influenza in young children, including those younger than 2 years. Our findings suggest that influenza vaccine recommendations should be reassessed in most countries.
Conclusion: In conclusion, these findings suggest that the H1N1 vaccine has a reasonable safety profile, and there is no evidence that the vaccine is associated with an increased risk of the Guillain–Barré syndrome.
Polio
Immunogenicity of bivalent types 1 and 3 oral poliovirus vaccine: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. Dr Roland W Sutter MD a , Prof T Jacob John FRCP[E] b, Prof Hemant Jain MD c, Prof Sharad Agarkhedkar MD d, Prof Padmasini Venkat Ramanan MD e, Harish Verma MB f, Jagadish Deshpande PhD g, Ajit Pal Singh MB h, Meghana Sreevatsava MPH a, Pradeep Malankar MD a, Anthony Burton a, Arani Chatterjee MB h, Hamid Jafari MD f, R Bruce Aylward MD a
Interpretation: The findings show the superiority of bOPV compared with tOPV, and the non-inferiority of bOPV compared with mOPV1 and mOPV3.
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