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The following reflects new findings and outcomes in medical research as presented at major medical meetings and published peer-reviewed medical journals. In this section members can view reports from important congresses as well as summaries of some recently published journal articles. Please let us know if you have a particular area of interest you would like to see covered. RESOURCE LINE VACCINEJuly-September 2010 Quadrivalent HPV vaccine: strong, sustained protection against low-grade lesions
PRIORITY PRESS - 26th International Papillomavirus Conference Reducing the Burden of HPV-related Disease in Men and WomenMontreal, Quebec / July 3-8, 2010 Montreal - Genital warts are the earliest manifestation of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. A rapid decline in their incidence with widespread uptake of the quadrivalent vaccine in Australia is the first concrete proof of its efficacy. Trial data discussed here this week during the scientific sessions continue to confirm exceptional efficacy rates in women and men. This was demonstrated against not only genital warts but also other manifestations of HPV infection, including low- and (...) Read more... RESOURCE LINE VACCINEApril-June 2010 NACI recommendations for herpes zoster vaccination
PRIORITY PRESS - 28th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) Countering Increased Vulnerability to Meningococcal DiseaseNice, France / May 4-8, 2010 Nice - The incidence of invasive meningococcal disease has dropped dramatically in Canada and most Western countries as a result of mass immunization campaigns in the 1990s. However, declining immunological protection is occurring as children age and the potential for disease transmission increases as protective antibody levels decline. Meningococcal disease caused by historically unimportant serogroups is also becoming more prevalent. To counteract waning antibody levels against (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 28th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) Broadening Protection Against Pneumococcal Disease with Multivalent VaccinesNice, France / May 4-8, 2010 Nice - Streptococcus pneumoniae remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death worldwide, with an annual mortality of up to 1 million in young children and up to 1.6 million including the elderly. Children under 5 years of age are at greatest risk for contracting invasive pneumococcal disease and infection, which is accompanied by high morbidity, cost and familial distress. Mass immunization campaigns against pneumococcal disease using the 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) have (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 20th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) Broadening Vaccine Serotype Coverage Against Emerging Antibiotic ResistanceVienna, Austria / April 10-13, 2010 Vienna - The burden of pneumococcal diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae is particularly high among young children and those aged over 65 years. In 2000, the 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) was approved for use in infants and the consequent reduction in pneumococcal disease was notable. There was also evidence that antibiotic resistance of this pathogen also decreased as the vaccine reduced the frequency of some of the most important drug-resistant serotypes. However, (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 14th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID) Prevention of Meningococcal DiseaseMiami, Florida / March 9-12, 2010 Miami - Invasive meningococcal disease, although rare in Canada at between 300 and 400 cases a year, causes enormous parental distress and is still associated with a high fatality rate. Almost all meningococcal disease is caused by the five serogroups A, B, C, W-135 and Y, but their distribution differs geographically and over time. It has been documented that conjugate meningococcal vaccines are immunologically more efficacious than their polysaccharide counterparts. As discussed by (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - EUROGIN 2010 9th International Multidisciplinary Congress Vaccination Against HPV Reduces Burden of Disease in Its Earliest ManifestationsMonte Carlo, Monaco / February 17-20, 2010 Monte Carlo - Many theoretical arguments have been raised in support of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). Now, for the first time, compelling evidence that vaccination does reduce the earliest manifestations of infection in the form of genital warts was reported here this week. End-of-study results continue to support the efficacy of the quadrivalent vaccine against high-grade cervical lesions in older women, which has important implications for the prevention of cervical (...) Read more... RESOURCE LINE VACCINEJanuary-March 2010 Vaccination services for adolescents, adults vary considerably
RESOURCE LINE VACCINENovember / December 2009 Significant decline in rotavirus activity following introduction of pentavalent vaccine
PHYSICIANS PERSPECTIVE - Viewpoint based on the following article: Clin Infect Dis 2009;49(1):e1-10 Vaccines Against Invasive Meningococcal Disease: Weighing the OptionsOctober 2009 INTRODUCTION
RESOURCE LINE VACCINESeptember/October 2009 Protecting Canadian adults from vaccine-preventable diseases: NACI recommendations
PRIORITY PRESS - 49th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) Addressing Emerging Pneumococcal Serotypes with a 13-Valent VaccineSan Francisco, California / September 12-15, 2009 San Francisco - The reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) is expected to be extended substantially with the advent of a new conjugate vaccine that targets six additional pneumococcal serotypes. By some estimates, the 13-valent PCV (PCV13) will reduce invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence by an additional 50%. The introduction of the PCV13 is one of several steps being taken to reduce IPD where it persists. Among other (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 5th International Conference on Vaccines for Enteric Diseases Global Health Implications of the Rotavirus VaccineMálaga, Spain / September 9-11, 2009 Málaga - Two rotavirus (RV) vaccines are currently available worldwide. In clinical trials using European, North American and South American populations, both have demonstrated 90% to 100% efficacy in preventing severe RV gastroenteritis and 74% to 85% efficacy in preventing RV infection of any severity. Clinical trial data have shown both vaccines to have acceptable safety profiles, with no increased risk of intussusception. However, continuous monitoring of vaccine impact and safety is (...) Read more... RESOURCE LINE VACCINEJuly/August 2009 Vaccination against high-risk HPV types to reduce lesions and cervical cancer
RESOURCE LINE VACCINEMay/June 2009 Avian flu vaccine shown to be safe, immunogenic in phase II study
PRIORITY PRESS - 27th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases Extended Duration of Protection Against Rotavirus Gastroenteritis and VaricellaBrussels, Belgium / June 9-13, 2009 Brussels - Vaccines for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis have been available for use in children in Canada since 2006. Since showing safety, immunogenicity and efficacy in clinical trials, their ability to provide early or long-term protection has not been demonstrated. New data were presented here during the scientific sessions on an oral pentavalent human-bovine reassortant vaccine expressing human G1, G2, G3, G4 and P1A[8] antigens. When administered as three separate doses, (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 11th Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine Shielding International Travellers from the Resurgence of Neurologic InfectionsBudapest, Hungary / May 24-28, 2009 Budapest - The World Tourist Organization reports that despite the global economic crisis, international travel continues to increase, especially to the Middle East, (+11.3%) Southeast Asia (+4%) and Africa (+4.6%). Moreover, the trend is toward adventure, wildlife and occult tourism that may demand expeditions to remote regions which expose travellers to severe health hazards, including neurologic viral infections. Physicians should therefore be prepared to advise or treat patients for (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 25th International Papillomavirus Conference The Promise of the Human Papillomavirus VaccineMalmö, Sweden / May 8-14, 2009 Malmö - Evidence presented here during the scientific sessions indicates that within a year of introducing the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the incidence of HPV 6- and 11-related disease in Australia decreased dramatically, especially among young females to whom the vaccine was made freely available. Vaccine recipients similarly had fewer colposcopy referrals and cervical excision procedures in both of the pivotal trials evaluating the two vaccines, a reflection of (...) Read more... RESOURCE LINE VACCINEMarch/April 2009 Rotavirus gastroenteritis places a heavy burden on European hospitals
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