1. “Estimated number of lives saved by COVID-19 vaccination programmes in the WHO European region from December 2020, to March 2023: a retrospective surveillance study”
Published: Lancet Respir Med. August 7, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(24)00179-6.
Editorial comment: In this retrospective study, in overly 2.5 years, COVID-19 vaccines reduced deaths by 59% overall representing approximately 1·6 million lives saved (range 1·5–1·7 million) in those aged 25 years or older: 96% of lives saved were aged 60 years or older and 52% were aged 80 years or older; first boosters saved 51% of lives, and 60% were saved during the Omicron period. Both vaccine priming and boosting had a significant impact on lives saved by COVID-19, however, a better mathematical model would further evaluate the indirect effects of immunization vs SARS-CoV-2. This is another serious publication in favor of COVID-19 widespread vaccination.
2. “The impact of infant Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination on the immunogenicity of other vaccines: a randomized exploratory study”
Published: Pediatr Infect Dis J. August 2024. https://doi.org/10.1097/INF.0000000000004373
Editorial comment: This study provides additional evidence of the benefits of Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination in infants, beyond its moderate protection against tuberculosis. By promoting a stronger T-cell mediated immune response, BCG enhances the immunogenicity of various vaccines, including protein-conjugate polysaccharide vaccines such as meningococcal and pneumococcal.
3. “Global seroprevalence of tick-borne encephalitis antibodies in humans, 2956-2022: a literature review and meta-analysis”
Published: Vaccines. July 30, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12080854.
Editorial comment: A thorough and detailed meta-analysis of tick-borne encephalitis and how (and why) its incidence is increasing. Additionally, this global summary explores how serological methods can be used to assess TBE vaccination coverage and potential exposure to TBEV or measure TBE burden and highlights the need for standardized methodology when conducting TBE seroprevalence studies to compare across populations.
4. “Interchangeability of different COVID-19 vaccine platforms as booster doses: a phase 3 study mimicking real-world practice”
Published: Vaccine. July 25, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.009
Editorial comment: In this excellent phase-3 study, three different vaccine platforms against SARS-CoV-2 (adenovirus-vector, mRNA and recombinant protein). Their findings were that all three vaccine platforms were equally well tolerated and immunogenic against ancestor SARS-CoV-2 and Omicron sub-lineages in fully primed adults with 0–2 prior boosters, however, though BNT162b induced the highest immune responses, also developed the most rapid waning of antibodies 3 months after vaccination.
5. “Preliminary evaluation of safety and immunogenicity of a novel protein-based pneumococcal vaccine in healthy adults aged 18-49. A phase Ia randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, clinical study”
Published: Vaccines. July 23, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12080827
Editorial comment: Protein-conjugate pneumococcal vaccines encounter reduced immunogenicity as more serotypes are added to higher valence formulations. A protein-based approach, though challenging to develop, could potentially address this issue.
6. “The problem with delaying measles elimination”
Published: Vaccines. July 22, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12070813
Editorial comment: A compelling analysis that examines all factors contributing to the global inability to eliminate measles.
7. “Adaptive immune response to Bordetella pertussis during vaccination and infection: emerging perspectives and unanswered questions”
Published: Expert Rev Vaccines. July 17, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/14760584.2024.2383745
Editorial comment: An intriguing publication that explores the history of Pertussis vaccination, the reasons behind the introduction of acellular Pertussis (aP) vaccines, and the immunological factors explaining the lack of mucosal and indirect immunity provided by aP vaccines.
8. “COVID-19 infection and vaccination during first trimester and risk of congenital anomalies. Nordik registry based study”
Published: BMJ. July 17, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2024-079364.
Editorial comment: COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is well known to be associated with significantly higher morbidity and mortality for both the mother and the offspring. Nonetheless, concerns have been raised about whether vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 during the first trimester of pregnancy might be associated with congenital anomalies. However, by implementing logistic regression, in this Scandinavian study, the evaluation of over 17,700 newborns with congenital anomalies found no association between congenital anomalies and either SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination during the first trimester.
9. “Burden of vaccine-preventable diseases in people living with HIV”
Published: Vaccines. July 16, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12070780
Editorial comment: People living with HIV face numerous vaccination-related challenges, including limited access to vaccines in developing countries, poor knowledge about vaccine safety and effectiveness, and a lack of information.
10. “SARS-CoV-2-Vaccines: the importance of mucosal vaccine delivery and local immunity”.
Published: Vaccines. July 15, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12070795
Editorial comment: SARS-CoV-2 enters the body through the respiratory tract. Administering a vaccine via inhalation could hypothetically strengthen mucosal immunity and potentially provide a better herd effect compared to intramuscular vaccines. This paper reviews this issue and presents interesting mucosal vaccine candidates.
11. “Characterization of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates obtained from the middle ear of US children, 2011-2021”
Published: Front Pediatr. July 14, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2024.1383748.
Editorial comment: This study is part of the US-SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program established in 1997. Among the 199 S. pneumoniae isolates that were identified in the participant hospitals between 2011-2021, 56.8% were from children aged <2 years. Six serotypes accounted for around 60% of isolates: 35B (16.6%), 15B (14.6%), 15A (7.5%), 19A (7.5%), 19F (7.5%), and 3 (7.0%). Serotypes included in PCV13, PCV15, and PCV20 accounted for 23.1%, 30.2%, and 54.8% of isolates, respectively. Overall, 45.2% of isolates were penicillin non-susceptible, and 13.6% were multidrug resistant (MDR), of which 48% were serotype 19A. Seven serotypes (19A, 15A, 15B, 15C, 23A, 33F, and 35B) accounted for the majority of non-susceptible isolates.PCVs, particularly PCV20, may prevent a substantial fraction of S. pneumoniae otitis media (OM), including OM due to non-susceptible serotypes. The addition of serotypes 15A, 23A, and 35B would improve coverage against susceptible and non-susceptible pneumococcal OM.
12. “Nirsevimab and hospitalization for RSV bronchiolitis”
Published: N Eng J Med. July 11, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2314885
Editorial comment: An excellent real-life study demonstrating the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies against RSV (Nirsevimab) in preventing hospitalized bronchiolitis in infants in France. This study adds significant value to existing research from Chile, Spain, and other forthcoming studies, including one from the same authors proving effectiveness of Nirsevimab on diminishing RSV-related ambulatory bronchiolitis. It is essential for all countries to adopt this immunization strategy, as it will lead to a substantial reduction in infant mortality and save millions of dollars.
13. “Dengue versus COVID-19: comparing the incidence of cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric and autoimmune complications”
Published: J Travel Med. July 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taae081.
Editorial comment: A retrospective study in Singapore based on claims databases comparing 11,707 patients with Dengue and almost 2.5 million contemporaneous cases of COVID-19. A higher proportion of post-acute cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric complications was observed in Dengue survivors, when contrasted with COVID-19 patients.
14. “Prior respiratory syncytial viral infection contributes to COVID-19 illness: a nationwide cohort study”
Published: Allergy. April 5, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.16118.
Editorial comment: This is a United States, population-based nationwide cohort study that investigated the association between prior RSV infection and COVID-19 severity. In total, 18,535 of 8,644,520 individuals in the National Health Insurance Service cohort database had a record of RSV infection in the previous 3 years (2017–2019). Their findings were that individuals who had an RSV infection within 3 years of COVID-19 development were at an increased risk of severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection, hence, suggesting that recent RSV infection contributes to the burden of COVID-19. This is imperative since vaccination vs RSV in subjects 50 years of age and older, as well as COVID-19 immunization are routinely recommended in the US.
