1) “Assessing the Feasibility of Drone-Mediated Vaccine Delivery: An Exploratory Study”
Published: Health Sci Rep 2025; 8: e70208. 10.1002/hsr2.70208.
Editorial comment: The findings of this study signify the potential for drone-based medical supply deliveries across confined and controlled environment conditions. It also provides the insights that there is no environmental impact such as humidity, temperature, wind etc. on the drone and no impact on vibrations on the physical integrity and leakage of the dummy vaccine vials.
2) “Landscape analysis of invasive non-typhoidal salmonella (iNTS) disease and iNTS vaccine use case and demand: Report of a WHO expert consultation”
Published: Vaccine 2025; 55: 127008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127008.
Editorial comment: This publication summarizes a report on the proceedings of an expert consultation held on 29 November – 1 December 2021 as part of an overall project to develop a Full Value of Vaccines Assessment (FVVA) for non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars (iNTS) vaccines and in addition to more recent iNTS vaccine developments. Experts at the consultation reviewed the current evidence on iNTS disease and discussed knowledge gaps to be addressed to accelerate vaccine development, licensure and introduction, as well as LMIC perspectives on potential iNTS vaccine use and demand.
3) “Implementation of school-based vaccination in French middle schools: Efficient or not?
Published: Vaccine 2025; 55: 127007.
Editorial comment: The Agence Régionale de Santé mandated vaccination centers in Normandy, France, to implement a school-based vaccination program in public middle schools. This study aimed to evaluate the program’s effectiveness over four academic years (2019–2023).
Before the intervention, the overall vaccination coverage (VC) was 10.7% (n = 585), which significantly increased to 65.7% (n = 3,585) after implementation (p < 0.0001).
- Meningococcal C vaccine: VC rose from 64.8% to 87.5% (p < 0.0001).
- Hepatitis B vaccine (HBV): VC increased from 67.6% to 85.6% (p < 0.0001).
- Human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV): VC surged from 14.6% (n = 675/4,614) to 79.9% (n = 3,685/4,614) (p < 0.0001).
The findings confirm that a school-based vaccination program effectively improves VC across all recommended vaccines. Therefore, such programs should not be limited to specific vaccines, such as HPV, but should be expanded to include other essential immunizations.
4) “Plant-Derived Immunomodulatory Nanoadjuvants for Cancer Vaccines: Current Status and Future Opportunities”
Published: Vaccines 2025, 13(4), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13040378.
Editorial comment: This review focuses on the application progress of plant adjuvants, including saponins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, and plant virus-like particles, and their combination with nano-delivery systems in cancer vaccines. At the same time, also discusses the immunomodulatory mechanisms of these adjuvants and their prospects for improving vaccine efficacy in the treatment of cancer in the future.
5) “Immunization Coverage, Equity, and Access for Children with Disabilities: A Scoping Review of Challenges, Strategies, and Lessons Learned to Reduce the Number of Zero-Dose Children”
Published: Vaccines 2025, 13(4), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13040377.
Editorial comment: This scoping review examines peer-reviewed, gray literature from 2010 to 2024. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and relevant organizational reports (WHO, UNICEF). Studies addressing children with disabilities and focusing on immunization barriers, interventions, or lessons learned were selected. Children with disabilities continue to experience significant gaps in immunization coverage, driven by intersecting barriers at the individual, health system, and societal levels. Scaling tailored interventions, inclusive policies, strengthened infrastructure, and ongoing research can help ensure these children receive equitable access to life-saving vaccinations.
6) “Global impact of ten-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on invasive pneumococcal disease in all ages (the PSERENADE project): a global surveillance analysis”
Published: Lancet Infect Dis 2025; 25: 457-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00665-0
Editorial comment: This study was performed by the multinational PSERENADE project. The analyses included 32 PCV13 sites (488758 cases) and 15 PCV10 sites (46 386 cases) in 30 countries, primarily high income (39 sites), using booster dose schedules (41 sites). PCV13 introduction were reversed at PCV13 sites (age <5 years: 61–79% decline relative to before any PCV; age ≥65 years: 7–26% decline) but increased at PCV10 sites (age <5 years: 1·6–2·3-fold; age ≥65 years: 3·6–4·9-fold). Serotype 3 IRRs had no consistent trends for either product or age group. Non-PCV13-type IPD increased similarly for both products (age <5 years: 2·3–3·3-fold; age ≥65 years: 1·7–2·3-fold). Despite different serotype 19A trends, all-serotype IPD declined similarly between products among children younger than 5 years (58–74%); among adults aged 65 years or older, declines were greater at PCV13 (25–29%) than PCV10 (4–14%) sites, but other differences between sites precluded attribution to product. Long-term use of PCV10 or PCV13 reduced IPD substantially in young children and more moderately in older ages. Non-vaccine-type serotypes increased approximately two-fold to three-fold by 6 years after introduction of PCV10 or PCV13. Continuing serotype 19A increases at PCV10 sites and declines at PCV13 sites suggest that PCV13 use would further reduce IPD at PCV10 sites.
7) SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: “Neonatal & Maternal Immunization Supplement Featuring the 6th International Neonatal & Maternal Immunization Symposium (INMIS): “Fostering Scientific Collaboration Across Nations”
Published: Pediatr Infect Dis J 2025; 4: February Supplement 2S.10.1097/INF.0000000000004695.
Editorial comment: This supplement includes the reports of the 2024 meeting and of the Latin American Symposium held in conjunction with the Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (SLIPE), and covers a range of current topics in the field of maternal and neonatal immunization based on work presented by leading international experts in the field and original work submitted by participants. This unique collection of articles will be of relevance and importance to specialists in immunizations, pediatric infectious diseases, obstetrics, midwifery and all those who care for pregnant women, newborns and infants worldwide.
Related Articles:
How Can We Accelerate Maternal Vaccination Globally?
Research Priorities for Maternal Immunization
Opportunities to Advance Maternal Immunization Research
Cytokine Levels in Mother-infant Pairs at Term and Preterm Delivery
Antibody in Breastmilk Following Pertussis Vaccination in Three-time Windows in Pregnancy
8) ”Postnatal Zika and Dengue Infection and their Effects on Neurodevelopment Among Children Living in Rural Guatemala”
Published: Pediatr Infect Dis J 2025; 44: 290-8. 10.1097/INF.0000000000004646.
Editorial comment: This is a prospective study that enrolled infants 0–3 months of age and their mothers, and children 1.5–3.5 years of age in rural Guatemala from 2017 and were followed for 12 months until 2019. In summary, postnatal ZIKV infection in children from rural Guatemala was not associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, dengue virus seropositivity was associated with a higher risk of microcephaly in infants and worse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.
9) “Global, regional and national trends in incidence and mortality of pertussis from 1990 to 2021 and the comparison before and during COVID-19: A modelling analysis”
Published: J. Infect. Public Health 2025; 18: 102696. 10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102696
Editorial comment: This study assesed the disease burden of pertussis worldwide from 1990 to 2021.Using the GBD 2021, the authors extracted age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) and death rates (ASDR) of pertussis and analyzed the trends of them through calculating the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) at global, regional and national levels from 1990 to 2021. Besides, they compared the EAPCs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore the difference. From 1990-2021, global burden of pertussis showed a downward trend, with significant drops during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, before the COVID-19, Southern Sub-Saharan Africa saw rising ASIR and ASDR, contrary to the majority. Besides, SDI was proved negatively correlated with ASR, indicating that low-SDI countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, faced high disease burden, which highlighted the need for improving immunization, surveillance, and healthcare resource allocation to control pertussis effectively.
10) “Safety and immunogenicity of mRNA-1345 RSV vaccine coadministered with an influenza or COVID-19 vaccine in adults aged 50 years or older: an observer-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised, phase 3 trial.”
Published: Lancet Infect Dis 2025; 25: 411-423. 10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00589-9.
Editorial comment: The authors conducted a two-part, phase 3, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial in medically stable adults aged 50 years or older in the USA. In part A, participants were randomly assigned in a 7:10:10 ratio to receive 50 μg mRNA-1345 plus placebo (0·9% sodium chloride) or coadministered with 60 μg of a standard-dose quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (SIIV4), or SIIV4 plus placebo. In part B, participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive 50 μg mRNA-1345 plus placebo or coadministered with 50 μg SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273.214 (bivalent [Wuhan-Hu-1 plus omicron BA.1]), or mRNA-1273.214 plus placebo. Coadministered mRNA-1345 plus SIIV4 or mRNA-1273.214 vaccines had acceptable safety profiles and elicited mostly non-inferior immune responses compared to individual vaccines in adults aged 50 years or older; only the seroresponse rate difference in nAbs against RSV-A in part A did not meet the non-inferiority criterion. Overall, these data support coadministration of mRNA-1345 with these vaccines in this population; longer-term evaluation continues in this study.
11) “Anti-Dengue Virus Antibody Avidity Correlates with Protection Against Symptomatic Dengue Virus Infection”
Published: J Infect Dis. 2025; 3: jiaf171. 10.1093/infdis/jiaf171.
Editorial comment: Antibody avidity reflects the maturation of antibody affinity following viral infection or vaccination. To investigate the correlation between preexisting anti-dengue virus (DENV) antibody avidity and outcomes of secondary DENV exposure, the authors measured antibody avidity—expressed as the avidity index (antibody response/dissociation rate)—in serum samples from participants in the Nicaraguan Pediatric Dengue Cohort Study prior to symptomatic or inapparent secondary DENV infections. The study found that the avidity index was significantly higher in individuals who later developed inapparent infections compared to those with symptomatic infections, suggesting a potential role of antibody avidity in protection against severe disease. These findings indicate that the antibody avidity index may serve as a valuable tool for characterizing protective immune responses against DENV.
12) “Rethinking the evidence on COVID-19 in Africa” – Review
Published: The Lancet Infectious Diseases, on-line first – Published April 4, 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00071-4
Editorial Comment: Due to the high prevalence of asymptomatic infection, low mortality, and evidence of reduced inflammatory responses, authors have hypothesized that some populations in Africa might have reduced susceptibility to symptomatic COVID-19. The reduced inflammatory responses might result from immunoregulation or cross-reactive, pre-pandemic cellular immunity, although the evidence is not definitive. Local data are essential to develop public health policies that align with the reality on the ground rather than external perceptions.
13) “Effect of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines on Viral Respiratory Infections: A Systematic Literature Review”
Published: The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 230, Issue 3, 15 September 2024, Pages e657–e667, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiae125
Editorial Comment: A new systematic review published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases highlights the broader benefits of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), including protection against certain viral respiratory infections such as influenza and seasonal coronaviruses.
Key findings include:
- Strongest evidence in children, particularly against influenza
- Consistent, though limited, evidence in adults
- Potential contribution to reducing all-cause pneumonia through prevention of bacterial-viral co-infections
These insights underscore the broader public health value of PCVs.
14) “Respiratory Virus Vaccines: Pathways to Recommendations and Enhanced Coverage for At-Risk Population”
Published: Infect Dis Ther (2025) 14 (Suppl 1):S99–S114 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-024-01082-2
Editorial Comment: VIRAL RESPIRATORY DISEASES PREVENTION: A MUST
– Potential strategies to overcome barriers and improve uptake include strengthening and harmonizing immunization guidelines, improving respiratory disease surveillance systems, and implementing vaccination-focused healthcare provider training and consumer education.
– Co-administration of vaccines and administration of combination vaccines against multiple respiratory viruses are additional strategies to enhance coverage by simplifying immunization schedules and improving access.
15) “Expansion of Oropouche virus in non-endemic Brazilian regions: analysis of genomic characterisation and ecological drivers”
Published: The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 25, Issue 4, 379 – 389. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00687-X
Editorial Comment: Epidemic data show that outside the Amazon region, OROV cases frequency was 3·9-times higher in small municipalities than in large municipalities. The planted areas of some agricultural products, such as banana plantations, were positively correlated (r=0·39, p<0·0001) with OROV cases. The linear mixed model revealed that, besides banana, cassava also has larger (p<0·05) planted areas in municipalities with OROV cases when compared with those with no cases. The phylogenetic analysis of 32 new OROV genomes reconstructed multiple exportation events of the newly identified reassortant lineage from the Amazon to other Brazilian regions between January and March 2024. At least three of the previously described OROV phylogenetic clades circulating in the Amazon were the source of viral introductions. Molecular clock analysis estimated that viral introductions happened from 50 days to 100 days before detecting the outbreaks in each state.
Interpretation: These results confirm that the novel OROV reassortant lineage spread from the Amazon to other regions in early 2024, successfully establishing local transmission. The fact that outbreaks were observed in small municipalities, instead of large urban centers, suggests that local ecological conditions that are ideal for OROV vector occurrence, such as the banana plantation environment, might be important factors driving its spread in Brazil.
