Flu vaccine

As severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants continue to emerge, it is important to characterize immune responses against variants which can inform on protection efficacies following booster vaccination. In this study, neutralizing breadth and antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses were analyzed in both infection-naïve and infection-experienced individuals following administration of a booster bivalent Wuhan-Hu-1+BA.4/5 Comirnaty® mRNA vaccine. Significantly higher neutralizing titers were found after this vaccination compared to the pre-third booster vaccination time point...

During pregnancy, physiological changes in the immune response make pregnant women more susceptible to serious infection, increasing the risk for the mother as well as the foetus, newborn and infant. All women should be correctly and fully vaccinated as they enter their reproductive years, especially against diseases such as tetanus, hepatitis B, measles, rubella and varicella. In addition to the recommended vaccines, in risk situations, inactivated vaccines could be administered to women who were not correctly vaccinated before, while attenuated vaccines are contraindicated...

The conventional inactivated split seasonal influenza vaccine offers low efficacy, particularly in the elderly and against antigenic variants. Here, to improve the efficacy of seasonal vaccination for the elderly population, we tested whether supplementing seasonal bivalent (H1N1 + H3N2) split (S) vaccine with M2 ectodomain repeat and multi-subtype consensus neuraminidase (NA) proteins (N1 NA + N2 NA + flu B NA) on a virus-like particle (NA-M2e) would induce enhanced cross-protection against different influenza viruses in aged mice...

Background The global impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted the activities of medical and health profession education institutions. This study aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on medical and health profession education students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward preventive measures and their commitment to precautionary measures before, during, and after the pandemic. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was carried out from January to March 2023 using an online, structured, validated questionnaire survey to gather information from medical and health sciences students from three universities, encompassing five colleges in Madinah, Saudi Arabia...

The flu, often known as influenza, is a dangerous public health hazard for the pediatric population. Immunization is essential for decreasing the burden of the disease and avoiding complications related to influenza. However, the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of different influenza vaccines in children warrant careful evaluation. The purpose of this narrative review is to give a summary of the existing literature on the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of several vaccinations against influenza viruses in children...

VACCINATION OF SENIORS. In France, the vaccination schedule for seniors (people aged 65 and over) recommends 4 vaccinations (Covid-19, flu, DTP [diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis] and shingles), plus 3 others in the event of a particular risk (pneumococcus, whooping cough, hepatitis A). Nevertheless, vaccination coverage for these infectious diseases remains insufficient, making an increasingly heavy medical and economic burden in an aging population. Vaccination of seniors must become a priority public health objective and involve all health professionals, first and foremost treating physicians...

INTRODUCTION: The authors of this study sought to (1) describe the prevalence of social needs and (2) determine whether social needs were associated with closure of care gaps among patients aged ≥65 years seeking dental care. METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the authors identified 754 Kaiser Permanente Northwest patients aged ≥65 years who completed an index dental visit; had at least 1 of 23 preventive care gaps (e.g., flu vaccination) or disease management care gaps (e...

This study aimed to understand Poles' attitudes and beliefs towards influenza vaccinations in the flu season of 2022-2023, especially among individuals at risk of flu complications. The cross-sectional survey-based study was carried out on a sample of 810 respondents. The questionnaire was disseminated electronically using social media and e-mail. The majority of respondents (71%) could identify "high-risk groups" recommended for influenza vaccination, and 52.01% of respondents reported receiving influenza vaccination at some point in the past, with 32...

Influenza is a significant public health concern, with Italy being profoundly impacted annually. Despite extensive vaccination campaigns and cooperative initiatives between the Public Health Departments of Local Healthcare Authorities and family physicians, low vaccine uptake rates persist. This study builds upon the OBVIOUS project, providing an updated picture of influenza vaccine uptake in Italy through a representative sample. A cross-sectional computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) survey of 10,001 Italian citizens was conducted between 31 March and 5 June 2023...

There is a critical need to understand vaccine decision-making in high-risk groups. This study explored flu vaccine acceptance among Jordanian parents of diabetic children. Employing a cross-sectional approach, 405 parents from multiple healthcare centers across Jordan were recruited through stratified sampling, ensuring a broad representation of socioeconomic backgrounds. A structured questionnaire, distributed both in-person and online, evaluated their knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance of the flu vaccine for their diabetic children...

In 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) challenged the world with a global outbreak that led to millions of deaths worldwide. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the symptomatic manifestation of this virus, which can range from flu-like symptoms to utter clinical complications and even death. Since there was no clear medicine that could tackle this infection or lower its complications with minimal adverse effects on the patients' health, the world health organization (WHO) developed awareness programs to lower the infection rate and limit the fast spread of this virus...

Numerous studies have indicated a link between vaccines and the exacerbation of autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, there is no consensus in clinical practice regarding the optimal timing of immunization. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of the 3Fluart influenza vaccine on the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced chronic arthritis rat model and to identify new biomarkers with clinical utility. CFA was injected into the plantar surface of one hind paw and the root of the tail on day 0, and the tail root injection was repeated on day 1...

The various strains of influenza virus cause respiratory symptoms in humans every year and annual vaccinations are recommended. Due to its RNA-type genes and segmented state, it belongs to a virus that mutates frequently with antigenic drift and shift, giving rise to various strains. Each year, the World Health Organization identifies the epidemic strains and operates a global surveillance system to suggest the viral composition for the influenza vaccine. Influenza viruses, which have multiple viral strains, are produced in the format of multivalent vaccine...

The safety of simultaneous vaccination for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and influenza in vulnerable high-risk heart failure (HF) patients remains unclear. In an open-label, prospective study, 105 patients received concurrent influenza (Vaxigrip Tetra, season 2023/2024, Sanofi) and RSV (Arexvy, GSK) vaccinations from September 15th to November 17th, 2023. Adverse events were collected on the fourth-day post-vaccination. Overall, the vaccination was well tolerated, with the most common reaction being injection site pain (63 %)...

INTRODUCTION: Vaccinations represent an extremely effective tool for the prevention of certain infectious diseases - such as influenza and COVID-19 -, particularly for those categories at risk due to both their frail condition or professional exposure, such as healthcare workers. The aim of this study is to describe the course of the anti-influenza and anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign at two Research Hospitals in Milan, Italy. STUDY DESIGN: Multicentre, cross-sectional study...

Monkeypox (MPOX) is a viral zoonotic disease affecting endemically the Central and Western regions of Africa. The ongoing outbreak in non-endemic countries has made this disease a global concern. While no cases have been reported in Algeria, it is important to raise awareness about the disease to prepare for a potential outbreak, especially in light of the cases reported in neighboring Middle East and North African (MENA) countries. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of Algerian Health and Life Sciences students toward MPOX and its vaccine through an anonymous online survey...

BACKGROUND: Up-to-date (UTD) of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series has been low despite 2016 recommendations for 2 doses among initiators <15 years of age and 3 doses for 15+ year olds. This study examined how age at initiation affected the association between race/ethnicity and UTD among adolescent HPV vaccine initiators. We also examined how administration of other adolescent vaccines affected UTD. METHODS: A secondary analysis of The National Immunization Survey - Teen data between 2016 and 2020 was conducted...

Influenza virus continuously evolves to escape human adaptive immunity and generates seasonal epidemics. Therefore, influenza vaccine strains need to be updated annually for the upcoming flu season to ensure vaccine effectiveness. We develop a computational approach, beth-1, to forecast virus evolution and select representative virus for influenza vaccine. The method involves modelling site-wise mutation fitness. Informed by virus genome and population sero-positivity, we calibrate transition time of mutations and project the fitness landscape to future time, based on which beth-1 selects the optimal vaccine strain...

The development of an effective combined vaccine represents a crucial strategy for preventing outbreaks of infectious diseases and reducing the burden on healthcare resources. Developing a combined vaccine against both influenza and the coronavirus is a promising approach, but it is still in the early stages of development. This paper reports on a novel combined pentavalent candidate vaccine that has shown promising results in mice, with statistically significant differences in mean antibody titer against the coronavirus and the influenza antigens compared to placebo...

BACKGROUND: Influenza viruses are etiological agents which cause contagious respiratory, seasonal epidemics and, for Influenza A subtypes, pandemics. The clinical picture of Influenza has undergone continuous change over the years, due to intrinsic viral evolution as well as "reassortment" of its genomic segments. The history of Influenza highlights its ability to adapt and to rapidly evolve, without specific circumstances. This reflects the complexity of this pathology and poses the fundamental question about its assumption as a "common illness" and its impact on public health...