In this issue’s Coffee with the Expert, we are honored to welcome Prof. Susanna Esposito who is Full Professor of Pediatrics at the Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Italy, where she also serves as Director of the Specialization School in Pediatrics and Director of the Pediatric Clinic at the Pietro Barilla Children’s Hospital. She is a pediatrician and infectious diseases specialist whose scientific career has focused particularly on pediatric infectious diseases, vaccines and immunization, respiratory infections, antimicrobial therapy, and preventive pediatrics.
She is the founder and President of the World Association for Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders (WAidid) and has held several leadership positions in national and international scientific organizations, including the Italian Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and European infectious-disease and vaccine groups. She has also contributed to WHO initiatives, including work related to measles and rubella elimination and maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health.
Prof. Esposito has an extensive record in clinical and translational research, including major work on influenza, pneumococcal and meningococcal disease, RSV, maternal immunization, and vaccination of children with chronic or immunocompromising conditions. She has authored more than 750 peer-reviewed publications and has participated as principal investigator in more than 200 pediatric clinical studies.
In our conversation, we discussed her outstanding contributions to pediatric infectious diseases and vaccinology, with particular emphasis on RSV prevention, maternal immunization, and her vision for the future of protecting infants against respiratory viral diseases.
In our Editor’s Corner, we examine Vaccination Under Fire: Protecting Immunization During War, exploring how armed conflict disrupts immunization programs, increases the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, and threatens the health of already vulnerable populations.
In our Best Practice Section, we present Adult Pneumococcal Vaccination in the Era of PCV20 and PCV21: Broader Coverage, Simpler Recommendations, highlighting how higher-valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are expanding serotype coverage while helping simplify adult vaccination strategies.
In the Guest Contributor section, Dr. Osvaldo Aguilera Batista, MD, First-Degree Specialist in Family Medicine and Immunology and Professor at Vladimir I. Lenin University General Hospital in Holguín, Cuba, shares his expertise on New Vaccine Platforms Against Arboviral Diseases, exploring innovative technologies and emerging approaches that could shape the future of arbovirus prevention.
As always, this issue also features carefully curated summaries of the Latest Scientific Publications, together with the most relevant and timely News and Alerts from the world of vaccines and infectious diseases.
We hope you find this August 2026 Issue both informative and engaging. We look forward to continuing our shared commitment to advancing immunization, strengthening public health, and contributing to a healthier and more resilient world.
Sincerely,
Enrique Chacon-Cruz, M.D., MSc
Chief Editor, Vaccines Beat
