Varicella vaccine is highly effective as used in clinical practice.

Among women with HIV infection, pregnancy is a time when maintenance of maternal health and reduction of vertical HIV transmission are primary concerns. Few studies have examined adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) during pregnancy and in the postpartum period when the demands of childcare may significantly interfere with women's self-care behaviors. This study examined ART use and adherence in HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women participating in the Women and Infants Transmission Study (WITS-IV) in the US. Adherence was assessed through a self-report interview during the third trimester of pregnancy and six-month postpartum. Data were also collected on demographics, biomedical markers and health related symptoms. During the third trimester visit, 77% (309/399) of women completed the self-report adherence measure; 61% (188/309) reported complete adherence. Factors associated with non-adherence included advanced HIV disease status, higher HIV-RNA viral load, more health-related symptoms and alcohol and tobacco use. At six-month postpartum, 55% (220/399) completed the measure; 44% (97/220) of these women reported complete adherence. Factors associated with non-adherence during the postpartum period were ethnicity, more health-related symptoms and WITS clinical site. Results of multivariate analyses using Generalized Estimated Equation analyses across the two visits revealed that more health-related symptoms, higher HIV-RNA viral load, increased alcohol use and clinical site were independently associated with ART non-adherence. These analyses indicate that medication adherence is more likely during pregnancy than postpartum in HIV-infected women, perhaps provoked by motivation to reduce vertical transmission and/or intensive antepartum surveillance. Further investigation is warranted to clarify factors implicated in women's decision-making process regarding ART medication adherence.

An 11-year-old girl presented with a papulovesicular rash and severe respiratory distress 5 weeks after receiving varicella vaccine. Restriction fragment length-polymorphism analysis of virus isolated from an endotracheal-tube aspirate and from bronchoalveolar lavage revealed that this patient's illness was due to the Oka vaccine strain of varicella. An extensive immunologic analysis failed to identify a known diagnostic entity to explain her susceptibility to this attenuated vaccine strain. Analysis of her lymphocytes on separate occasions, months after recovery from her illness, revealed a profound deficiency of natural killer T (NKT) cells and of NKT-cell activity, suggesting that NKT cells contribute to host defense against varicella virus.

ABSTRACT. The Food and Drug Administration licensed a live-virus varicella vaccine (Varivax In March 1995, the Food and Drug Administration approved a live-attenuated varicella vaccine for use in healthy individuals 12 months of age and older. The vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in healthy children and adults, 1,2 as well as in children with leukemia. [3][4][5] The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend routine screening of children for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection before vaccination. In addition, routine administration of varicella vaccine is not recommended for all HIV-infected children. 6 Significant morbidity and mortality is caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in immunocompromised individuals, including those infected with HIV. 7-9 Postexposure varicella-zoster immune globulin prophylaxis decreases the likelihood and severity of varicella in high-risk individuals, but the breakthrough rate can be as high as 26%. 4,5 Exposures to varicella are often not recognized, further limiting the utility of postexposure prophylaxis. Immunization, on the other hand, has the potential of establishing permanent immunity. After primary infection in HIV-infected adults, the risk of reactivation remains low well into the progression of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. These individuals are at risk of developing zoster, but have a relatively low risk of dissemination. 8 This suggests that the immunization of HIV-infected children could prevent primary (wild-type) infection, thereby eliminating viral entry into dorsal root ganglia 3 and subsequent reactivation.Immunization of immunocompromised patients has been limited to children with leukemia and solid tumors following strict guidelines to limit the potential for serious adverse events. 5 Routine immunization of all healthy children carries the potential risk that unrecognized immunocompromised children could be inadvertently vaccinated. Reported here is a 16-month-old, previously undiagnosed, HIV-infected boy who developed dissemination of the vaccine strain of varicella zoster virus after routine immunization. CASE REPORTA previously healthy 16-month-old boy who was admitted to the University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital with a 5-day history of increasing respiratory distress, fever (101°F), cough, emesis, and lower extremity weakness. In addition, he had a 1-month history of a progressive erythematous papular rash, which began in the groin and upper right thigh progressing to involve the trunk, axilla, and right knee and foot. The rash was associated with a low-grade fever and the patient had recently been refusing to walk for several days. On admission, he had a pulse of 173 beats/min, and a respiratory rate of 24 breaths/min. Weight (9 kg), height (74 cm), and head circumference (45 cm) were all below the fifth percentile. Physical examination was remarkable for oral thrush, diffuse rhonchi, and scattered wheezes, and a confluent macular rash over the trunk and arms. There was also an erythematous zosteriform patc...

BackgroundPublic health facilities are usually the first to receive interventions compared to private facilities, yet majority of health seeking care is first done with the latter. This study compared the capacity to manage acute febrile illnesses in children below 5 years in private vs public health facilities in order to design interventions to improve quality of care.MethodsA survey was conducted within 57 geographical areas (parishes), from August to October 2014 in Mukono district, central Uganda. The survey comprised both facility and health worker assessment. Data were collected on drug stocks, availability of treatment guidelines, diagnostic equipment, and knowledge in management of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea, using a structured questionnaire.ResultsA total of 53 public and 241 private health facilities participated in the study. While similar proportions of private and public health facilities stocked Coartem, the first-line anti-malarial drug, (98 vs 95%, p = 0.22), significantly more private than public health facilities stocked quinine (85 vs 53%, p < 0.01). Stocks of obsolete anti-malarial drugs, such as chloroquine, were reported in few public and private facilities (3.7 vs 12.5%, p = 0.06). Stocks of antibiotics-amoxycillin and gentamycin were similar in both sectors (≥90% for amoxicillin; ≥50 for gentamycin). Training in malaria was reported by 65% of public health facilities vs 56% in the private sector, p = 0.25), while, only 21% in the public facility and 12% in the private facilities, p = 0.11, reported receiving training in pneumonia. Only 55% of public facilities had microscopes. Malaria treatment guidelines were significantly lacking in the private sector, p = 0.01. Knowledge about first-line management of uncomplicated malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea was significantly better in the public facilities compared to the private ones, though still sub-optimal.ConclusionDeficiencies of equipment, supplies and training exist even in public health facilities. In order to significantly improve the capacity to handle acute febrile illness among children under five, training in proper case management, availability of supplies and diagnostics need to be addressed in both sectors.

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Background We studied whether severely immunocompromised, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected children who were beginning highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) or changing HAART regimens could spontaneously respond to a recall antigen (tetanus toxoid [TT] vaccine) or respond to a recall antigen and neoantigen (hepatitis A virus [HAV] vaccine) after 3 vaccinations. Methods A total of 46 children who had CD4 cell percentages <15% and who demonstrated a >0.75-log reduction in plasma HIV RNA levels within 4 weeks of starting HAART were randomized to receive vaccinations with either TT or HAV vaccines during the first 6 months of HAART. Study subjects then received the alternate vaccine during the next 6 months of HAART. Results Despite the early decline in viremia and the later increase in the percentage of CD4 T cells, spontaneous recovery of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) was not seen for TT. Serologic responses to TT required 3 vaccinations and were comparable in both groups. Serologic responses to HAV were infrequent and of low titer, although the group that received HAV vaccine after receiving TT vaccine performed somewhat better. CMI to HAV was virtually absent. Conclusions Severely immunocompromised children who are receiving HAART develop CMI and antibody to a recall antigen independent of the timing of vaccination, but they require a primary series of vaccinations. Antibodies to a neoantigen, HAV, developed when vaccination was delayed after initiation of HAART. CMI to a neoantigen was difficult to establish. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00004735/PACTG P1006.

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