No abstract

No abstract

Typhoid fever is estimated to cause between 11.9-26.9 million infections globally each year with 129,000-216,510 deaths. Access to improved water sources have reduced disease incidence in parts of the world but the use of efficacious vaccines is seen as an important public health tool for countries with a high disease burden. A new generation of Vi typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs), licensed for use in young children and expected to provide longer lasting protection than previous vaccines, are now available. The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has convened a working group to review the evidence on TCVs and produce an updated WHO position paper for all typhoid vaccines in 2018 that will inform Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance's future vaccine investment strategies for TCVs. The Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium (TyVAC) has been formed through a $36.9 million funding program from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the introduction of TCVs into Gavi-eligible countries. In October 2016, a meeting was held to initiate planning of TCV effectiveness studies that will provide the data required by policy makers and stakeholders to support decisions on TCV use in countries with a high typhoid burden. Discussion topics included (1) the latest evidence and data gaps in typhoid epidemiology; (2) WHO and Gavi methods and data requirements; (3) data on TCV efficacy; (4) cost effectiveness analysis for TCVs from mathematical models; (5) TCV delivery and effectiveness study design. Specifically, participants were asked to comment on study design in 3 sites for which population-based typhoid surveillance is underway. The conclusion of the meeting was that country-level decision making would best be informed by the respective selected sites in Africa and Asia vaccinating children aged from 9-months to 15-years-old, employing either an individual or cluster randomized design with design influenced by population characteristics, transmission dynamics, and statistical considerations.

No abstract

Dengue is a rapidly growing public health threat with approximately 2.5 billion people estimated to be at risk. Several vaccine candidates are at various stages of pre-clinical and clinical development. Thus far, live dengue vaccine candidates have been administered to several thousands of volunteers and were well-tolerated, with minimal short-term safety effects reported in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. Based on the natural history of dengue, a theoretical possibility of an increased risk of severe dengue as a consequence of vaccination has been hypothesized but not yet observed. In October 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a consultation of experts in dengue, vaccine regulation and vaccine safety to review the current scientific evidence regarding safety concerns associated with live attenuated dengue vaccines and, in particular, to consider methodological approaches for their long-term evaluation. In this paper we summarize the scientific background and methodological considerations relevant to the safety assessment of these vaccines. Careful planning and a coordinated approach to safety assessment are recommended to ensure adequate long-term evaluation of dengue vaccines that will support their introduction and continued use.