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Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among the Pakistani population

Chaudhary FA, Ahmad B, Khalid MD, Fazal A, Javaid MM, Butt DQ

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 Oct 03;17(10):3365-3370.
PMID: 34236952 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1944743

This study examined the factors associated with acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine compared to hesitance in the Pakistani population and specifically focusing on the perceived beliefs, knowledge, concerns, risk, and safety perception relating to the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 423 subjects were recruited from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan. A 27-item valid and reliable questionnaire was used to assess socio-demographic characteristics, acceptance, and hesitance toward COVID-19 vaccine, perceived beliefs, knowledge, perceived concerns, risk, and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and its source of information. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used for analysis. About 53% of the participants were planning to get vaccinated and a significantly greater proportion of better educated, higher income, and healthier participants in the vaccine acceptance group (p
Fulltext Positive aspects of the mRNA platform for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

Hajissa K, Mussa A

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 Aug 03;17(8):2445-2447.
PMID: 33830862 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1900713

The unprecedented need to acquire a safe and effective vaccine for the long-term control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global imperative. Researchers have been working urgently and collaboratively to develop vaccines against the causative agent of COVID-19. The use of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine platform offers new opportunities for the development of effective vaccines. The first use of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for individuals outside the clinical trials raised concerns over their safety and future efficacy. In social media, particularly in developing countries, widely shared false claims allege that the current mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines potentially integrate into the host genome and thus may genetically modify humans. These vaccines are also assumed to lack efficacy due to the emergence of new strains. Such misinformation cause people to hesitate about receiving vaccination against COVID-19. This commentary aimed to outline the structure, mechanism of action and the major motive for the use of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, with a focus on scientifically addressing challenges associated with conspiracy theories and dispelling misinformation around vaccination.
Fulltext Response to Wu et al. - Cost-effectiveness analysis of infant pneumococcal vaccination in Malaysia and Hong Kong

Varghese L, Mungall B, Zhang XH, Hoet B

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2016 10 02;12(10):2675-2680.
PMID: 27459265 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2016.1192738

A recently published paper that assessed the comparative cost-effectiveness of the 2 pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in Malaysia and Hong Kong reported that the 13-valent PCV vaccine (PCV13) is a better choice compared to the 10-valent pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV or PCV10) from both a payer and societal perspective as well as under various scenarios. However, the analysis relied on a large number of assumptions that were either erroneous or did not take into account the most recent body of evidence available. A rigorous evaluation of the underlying assumptions is necessary to present a fair and balanced analysis for decision-making.
A 6-year safety surveillance of 10-valent pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) in South Korea

Lee SM, Lee JH, Song ES, Kim SJ, Kim JH, Jakes RW, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2018 Aug 07.
PMID: 30084702 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1502525

In 2010, Korea introduced 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years against invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 1, 4, 5, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, 23F and cross-reactive 19A. The aim of this 6-year real-world study of 646 healthy Korean children from 16 centers vaccinated in routine practice is to monitor vaccine safety, as per Ministry of Food and Drug Safety regulations. Around 50% had a past or existing medical condition, 19.3% an existing condition and 7.6% received concomitant medication). Total of 489 recorded adverse events (AEs) were reported in 274 infants; 86% were mild and the rest moderate, only three were reported as serious. Most AEs (97.8%) were not related to vaccination; one case of injection-site swelling and of fever was related, two cases of fever were probably related, five cases of fever and one case each of diarrhea and coughing were possibly related. None of the serious AEs were related to vaccination. Of 11 adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in 10 subjects, none were serious. Overall, 263 subjects (40.7%) received medication (mainly antibiotics or antipyretics) for the treatment of an AE, of which 6 subjects were treated for an ADR. There was no difference in the incidence of AEs according to age, sex or concomitant vaccination. Subjects with an existing medical condition had significantly more AEs than those without any conditions (p = 0.03), but no differences regarding ADRs. Four-dose vaccination with PHiD-CV appears to have a clinically-acceptable safety profile for Korean children. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01248988.
Fulltext Knowledge, understanding, attitude, perception and views on HPV infection and vaccination among health care students and professionals in Malaysia

Badgujar VB, Ahmad Fadzil FS, Balbir Singh HK, Sami F, Badgujar S, Ansari MT

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2019;15(1):156-162.
PMID: 30199299 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1518843

The human papilloma virus (HPV) is known to be a major causative agent of cervical cancers and warts, limited study has been conducted on its associated factors among health care students and professionals in Malaysia. The present study was carried to explore the knowledge, understanding, attitude, perception and views about HPV infection and vaccination. A total of 576 respondents were recruited to complete a self-administered questionnaire through convenience sampling across Malaysia. 80.% and of the females respondents exhibited a positive attitude towards knowledge and understanding and 60% exhibited a positive towards attitude, perception and views. Almost 65% of the population were in agreement that HPV can be transmitted sexually, and 56.7% felt strongly that sexually active persons should essentially be vaccinated. The corresponding values were somewhat lower among the male respondents. Regression analysis suggested that knowledge and understanding were strong associated with gender, age, and occupation. Attitude, perception and views were also evidently associated with gender and age. The Ministry of Health should take steps to improve awareness among the citizens. Efforts should be made to educate people on the risk of HPV as a sexually transmitted diseases associated with HPV, and on the availability of discounted and safe HPV vaccines in government hospitals to increase the uptake rate of HPV vaccines among the Malaysian population.
Fulltext In vitro evaluation of dual-antigenic PV1 peptide vaccine in head and neck cancer patients

Chai SJ, Fong SCY, Gan CP, Pua KC, Lim PVH, Lau SH, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2019;15(1):167-178.
PMID: 30193086 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1520584

Peptide vaccines derived from tumour-associated antigens have been used as an immunotherapeutic approach to induce specific cytotoxic immune response against tumour. We previously identified that MAGED4B and FJX1 proteins are overexpressed in HNSCC patients; and further demonstrated that two HLA-A2-restricted 9-11 amino acid peptides derived from these proteins were able to induce anti-tumour immune responses in vitro independently using PBMCs isolated from these patients. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of a dual-antigenic peptide vaccine (PV1), comprised of MAGED4B and FJX1 peptides in HNSCC patients. We first demonstrated that 94.8% of HNSCC patients expressed MAGED4B and/or FJX1 by immunohistochemistry, suggesting that PV1 could benefit the majority of HNSCC patients. The presence of pre-existing MAGED4B and FJX1-specific T-cells was detected using a HLA-A2 dimer assay and efficacy of PV1 to induce T-cell to secrete cytotoxic cytokine was evaluated using ELISPOT assay. Pre-existing PV1-specific T-cells were detected in all patients. Notably, we demonstrated that patients' T-cells were able to secrete cytotoxic cytokines upon exposure to target cells expressing the respective antigen post PV1 stimulation. Furthermore, patients with high expression of MAGED4B and FJX1 in their tumours were more responsive to PV1 stimulation, demonstrating the specificity of the PV1 peptide vaccine. Additionally, we also demonstrated the expression of MAGED4B and FJX1 in breast, lung, colon, prostate and rectal cancer suggesting the potential use of PV1 in these cancers. In summary, PV1 could be a good vaccine candidate for the treatment of HNSCC patients and other cancers expressing these antigens.
The potential applications of T cell receptor (TCR)-like antibody in cervical cancer immunotherapy

Dass SA, Selva Rajan R, Tye GJ, Balakrishnan V

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 09 02;17(9):2981-2994.
PMID: 33989511 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1913960

Cervical cancer is ranked as the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Monoclonal antibody has created a new dimension in the immunotherapy of many diseases, including cervical cancer. The antibody's ability to target various aspects of cervical cancer (oncoviruses, oncoproteins, and signaling pathways) delivers a promising future for efficient immunotherapy. Besides, technologies such as hybridoma and phage display provide a fundamental platform for monoclonal antibody generation and create the opportunity to generate novel antibody classes including, T cell receptor (TCR)-like antibody. In this review, the current immunotherapy strategies for cervical cancer are presented. We have also proposed a novel concept of T cell receptor (TCR)-like antibody and its potential applications for enhancing cervical cancer therapeutics. Finally, the possible challenges in TCR-like antibody application for cervical cancer therapeutics have been addressed, and strategies to overcome the challenges have been highlighted to maximize the therapeutic benefits.
Fulltext Facing the challenges of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: progress and prospects in the vaccine development

Mat Rahim N, Lee H, Strych U, AbuBakar S

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 10 03;17(10):3784-3794.
PMID: 34106809 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1927412

In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) named A. baumannii as one of the three antibiotic-resistant bacterial species on its list of global priority pathogens in dire need of novel and effective treatment. With only polymyxin and tigecycline antibiotics left as last-resort treatments, the need for novel alternative approaches to the control of this bacterium becomes imperative. Vaccines against numerous bacteria have had impressive records in reducing the burden of the respective diseases and addressing antimicrobial resistance; as in the case of Haemophilus influenzae type b . A similar approach could be appropriate for A. baumannii. Toward this end, several potentially protective antigens against A. baumannii were identified and evaluated as vaccine antigen candidates. A licensed vaccine for the bacteria, however, is still not in sight. Here we explore and discuss challenges in vaccine development against A. baumannii and the promising approaches for improving the vaccine development process.
Development and validation of the knowledge and attitude regarding childhood vaccination (KACV) questionnaire among healthcare workers: the Malay version

Abdul Kadir A, Noor NM, Mukhtar AF

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 Oct 29.
PMID: 34714713 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1989915

Health care workers play an important role in supporting childhood vaccination as they are the most trusted source of vaccine-related information for parents. However, there is limited validated tools to measure their knowledge and attitude on childhood vaccination. This study aims to develop and validate knowledge and attitude regarding childhood vaccination (KACV) questionnaire among healthcare workers. The questionnaire was developed based on literature reviews and underwent a sequential validation process, including content, face validity and exploratory factor analysis. However, the attitude section is unidimensional and has undergone reliability analysis only. The preliminary knowledge questionnaire contains 33 items and the attitude questionnaire consists of 17 items. The preliminary KACV showed a high item Content Validity Index and Face Validity Index. The final questionnaire consists of 10 items for knowledge and 15 items for attitude. The Cronbach alpha for the knowledge and attitude section were 0.896 and 0.861, respectively. KACV is a valid and reliable tool to measure healthcare workers' knowledge and attitude on childhood vaccination.
The role of nurses as human papillomavirus vaccination advocates in China: perception from nursing students

Lin Y, Hu Z, Alias H, Wong LP

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2022 Feb 11.
PMID: 35148251 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2030169

This study aimed to investigate nursing students' perspectives regarding the role of nurses as HPV vaccine advocates and their perception of barriers to advocacy. A cross-sectional study using a Web-based survey was sent out to all undergraduate nursing students enrolled at the Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China. A total of 1,041 students responded to the survey. In total, 58.0% of students expressed an intent to advocate HPV vaccines as a counselor and 56.4% as an HPV information provider in their future practice. However, 33.4% stated that they do not intend to be HPV vaccine advocates. Grade 1 students, students from homes with higher annual household incomes and those with a higher level of knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccination expressed higher intentions to advocate for HPV vaccines as a counselor. Students who have a higher level of knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccination and have received HPV vaccines reported a higher advocacy intent in the provision of HPV information. The main perceived barriers in HPV vaccine advocacy include inadequate training (87.1%) and insufficient HPV-related knowledge (84.8%); also, anxious patients may not feel comfortable with nurses discussing HPV vaccination (52.8%). Nurses are uniquely positioned to nurture patient HPV vaccine acceptance and maybe the key strategy to increase HPV vaccination coverage in China. Institutional support is needed to train nurses as HPV vaccine advocates and should focus on enhancing HPV-related knowledge while destigmatising the embarrassment around discussing HPV-related issues with patients.
Fulltext Willingness-to-pay for a COVID-19 vaccine and its associated determinants in Indonesia

Harapan H, Wagner AL, Yufika A, Winardi W, Anwar S, Gan AK, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2020 12 01;16(12):3074-3080.
PMID: 32991230 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1819741

How countries, particularly low- and middle-income economies, should pay the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is an important and understudied issue. We undertook an online survey to measure the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a COVID-19 vaccine and its determinants in Indonesia. The WTP was assessed using a simple dichotomous contingent valuation approach and a linear regression model was used to assess its associated determinants. There were 1,359 respondents who completed the survey. In total, 78.3% (1,065) were willing to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine with a mean and median WTP of US$ 57.20 (95%CI: US$ 54.56, US$ 59.85) and US$ 30.94 (95%CI: US$ 30.94, US$ 30.94), respectively. Being a health-care worker, having a high income, and having high perceived risk were associated with higher WTP. These findings suggest that the WTP for a COVID-19 vaccine is relatively high in Indonesia. This WTP information can be used to construct a payment model for a COVID-19 vaccine in the country. Nevertheless, to attain higher vaccine coverage, it may be necessary to partially subsidize the vaccine for those who are less wealthy and to design health promotion materials to increase the perceived risk for COVID-19 in the country.
Fulltext Cell-based influenza vaccine: current production, halal status assessment, and recommendations towards Islamic-compliant manufacturing

Zulkarnain NN, Anuar N, Abd Rahman N, Sheikh Abdullah SR, Alias MN, Yaacob M, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 07 03;17(7):2158-2168.
PMID: 33539195 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1865044

Influenza virus is a life-threatening pathogen that infects millions of people every year, with annual mortality in the hundreds of thousands. The scenario for controlling infection has worsened with increasing numbers of vaccine hesitancy cases reported worldwide due to objections on safety, religious and other grounds. Uses of haram (impermissible) and mashbooh (doubtful) ingredients in vaccine production has raised doubts among Muslim consumers and consequently stimulated serious vaccine hesitancy. To address this major problem, we have reviewed and recommended some alternatives appropriate for manufacturing cell-based influenza vaccine which comply with Islamic laws and consumers' needs. Intensive assessments of current influenza vaccine production in both scientific and Islamic views have led to the identification of four main ingredients deemed impermissible in novel sharia-compliant (approved by Islamic laws) vaccine manufacturing. Only some of these impermissible components could be replaced with halal (permissible) alternatives, while others remain impermissible due to unavailability and unsuitability.
Fulltext Global economic evaluation of oral cholera vaccine: A systematic review

Teoh SL, Kotirum S, Hutubessy RCW, Chaiyakunapruk N

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2018 02 01;14(2):420-429.
PMID: 29099647 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1392422

World Health Organization recommends oral cholera vaccine (OCV) to prevent and control cholera, but requires cost-effectiveness evidence. This review aimed to provide a critical appraisal and summary of global economic evaluation (EE) studies involving OCV to guide future EE study. Full EE studies, published from inception to December 2015, evaluating OCV against cholera disease were included. The included studies were appraised using WHO guide for standardization of EE of immunization programs. Out of 14 included studies, almost all (13/14) were in low- and middle-income countries. Most studies (11/14) evaluated mass vaccination program. Most of the studies (9/14) incorporated herd protective effect. The most common influential parameters were cholera incidence, OCV coverage, herd protection and OCV price. OCV vaccination is likely to be cost-effective when targeted at the population with high-risk of cholera and poor access to health care facilities when herd protection effect is incorporated and OCV price is low.
Fulltext Burden of hospitalized childhood community-acquired pneumonia: A retrospective cross-sectional study in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea

Tan KK, Dang DA, Kim KH, Kartasasmita C, Kim HM, Zhang XH, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2018 01 02;14(1):95-105.
PMID: 29125809 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1375073

BACKGROUND: Few studies describe the community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) burden in children in Asia. We estimated the proportion of all CAP hospitalizations in children from nine hospitals across the Republic of Korea (high-income), Indonesia, Malaysia (middle-income), and Vietnam (low/middle-income).
METHODS: Over a one or two-year period, children <5 years hospitalized with CAP were identified using ICD-10 discharge codes. Cases were matched to standardized definitions of suspected (S-CAP), confirmed (C-CAP), or bacterial CAP (B-CAP) used in a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine efficacy study (COMPAS). Median total direct medical costs of CAP-related hospitalizations were calculated.
RESULTS: Vietnam (three centers): 7591 CAP episodes were identified with 4.3% (95% confidence interval 4.2;4.4) S-CAP, 3.3% (3.2;3.4) C-CAP and 1.4% (1.3;1.4) B-CAP episodes of all-cause hospitalization in children aged <5 years. The B-CAP case fatality rate (CFR) was 1.3%. Malaysia (two centers): 1027 CAP episodes were identified with 2.7% (2.6;2.9); 2.6% (2.4;2.8); 0.04% (0.04;0.1) due to S-CAP, C-CAP, and B-CAP, respectively. One child with B-CAP died. Indonesia (one center): 960 CAP episodes identified with 18.0% (17.0;19.1); 16.8% (15.8;17.9); 0.3% (0.2;0.4) due to S-CAP, C-CAP, and B-CAP, respectively. The B-CAP CFR was 20%. Korea (three centers): 3151 CAP episodes were identified with 21.1% (20.4;21.7); 11.8% (11.2;12.3); 2.4% (2.1;2.7) due to S-CAP, C-CAP, and B-CAP, respectively. There were no deaths.
COSTS: CAP-related hospitalization costs were highest for B-CAP episodes: 145.00 (Vietnam) to 1013.3 USD (Korea) per episode.
CONCLUSION: CAP hospitalization causes an important health and cost burden in all four countries studied (NMRR-12-50-10793).
Parents' attitude, awareness and behaviour towards influenza vaccination in Pakistan

Bukhsh A, Rehman H, Mallhi TH, Ata H, Rehman IU, Lee LH, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2018 04 03;14(4):952-957.
PMID: 29333939 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1415686

National immunization program of Pakistan does not include Influenza vaccines. The low rate of immunization might be attributed to the poor knowledge of influenza vaccination in Pakistan. Current study was aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of influenza vaccination among parents. A questionnaire-based cross sectional study was conducted among randomly selected parents with at least one child aged >6 months. The responses were recorded against 27 items questionnaire assessing knowledge, perception, attitude and behaviours of parents. Data were analysed by using appropriate statistical methods. A total 532 responses were recorded with male gender preponderance (65%). Most of the parents (61.1%) reported that their children had received or planned to receive all recommended vaccines in Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) of Pakistan. Only one third of the parents (24.4%) were aware of the availability of influenza vaccines in Pakistan, and very few (6.6%) reported vaccinating their child against influenza. Exploring the parents' attitudes regarding children vaccination, the top motivator was 'immunization is important to keep my children healthy' (relative index = 0.93, p < 0.000). However, substantial number of parents believed that influenza is not a serious disease (18.5%) and vaccines are accompanied by several side effects (24.6%). A positive attitude was reflected among parents who were aware of influenza vaccines in Pakistan. About 35% participants believed that influenza vaccines are not required for healthy children. Current study demonstrated very low vaccination rate against influenza. Awareness and health literacy regarding influenza vaccine is poor among parents. These findings necessitate the need to appropriately structured awareness programs regarding influenza vaccination among parents.
Purification and immunogenicity of hemagglutinin from highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana

Pua TL, Chan XY, Loh HS, Omar AR, Yusibov V, Musiychuk K, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2017 Feb;13(2):306-313.
PMID: 27929750 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1264783

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 is an ongoing global health concern due to its severe sporadic outbreaks in Asia, Africa and Europe, which poses a potential pandemic threat. The development of safe and cost-effective vaccine candidates for HPAI is considered the best strategy for managing the disease and addressing the pandemic preparedness. The most potential vaccine candidate is the antigenic determinant of influenza A virus, hemagglutinin (HA). The present research was aimed at developing optimized expression in Nicotiana benthamiana and protein purification process for HA from the Malaysian isolate of H5N1 as a vaccine antigen for HPAI H5N1. Expression of HA from the Malaysian isolate of HPAI in N. benthamiana was confirmed, and more soluble protein was expressed as truncated HA, the HA1 domain over the entire ectodomain of HA. Two different purification processes were evaluated for efficiency in terms of purity and yield. Due to the reduced yield, protein degradation and length of the 3-column purification process, the 2-column method was chosen for target purification. Purified HA1 was found immunogenic in mice inducing H5 HA-specific IgG and a hemagglutination inhibition antibody. This paper offers an alternative production system of a vaccine candidate against a locally circulating HPAI, which has a regional significance.
Fulltext Chinese parents' intentions to vaccinate their children against SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine preferences

Lin Y, Hu Z, Zhao Q, Alias H, Danaee M, Wong LP

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 Dec 02;17(12):4806-4815.
PMID: 34892992 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1999143

This study aims to determine the intention of Chinese parents to vaccinate their children against SARS-CoV-2. Secondly, preferences for foreign- or domestically made COVID-19 vaccines were also explored. A nationwide, cross-sectional, self-administered online survey based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) and new vaccine concerns was used. Participants were eligible if they were residents of China with children aged 12 years old or younger. A total of 2,026 parents responded to the survey. Half reported a probable intent (50.7%) and 26.9% reported a definite intent. The results of the data analysis of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) found that perceived cost barriers (B = -0.210, p
Fulltext Multi-dimensional psychosocial factors influencing the willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster: A survey among the public in Mainland China

Lin Y, Huang Z, Xu X, Du W, Alias H, Hu Z, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2022 Nov 30;18(6):2126667.
PMID: 36165498 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2126667

This study aimed to investigate multi-dimensional psychological and social factors that influence the willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster in China. A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted between March and April 2022. A total of 6375 complete responses were received. The majority were of age 18 to 40 years old (80.0%) and college-educated (49.2%). In total, 79% responded extremely willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. By demographics, younger age, females, higher education, and participants with the lowest income reported higher willingness. Having a very good health status (odds ratio [OR] 3.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.92-4.34) and a higher score of vaccine confidence (OR 3.50, 95% CI 2.98-4.11) were associated with an increased willingness to receive a booster shot. Experiencing no side effects with primary COVID-19 vaccination (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.89-3.20) and higher perceived susceptibility of COVID-19 infection (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.92-2.95) were also associated with an increased willingness to receive a booster shot. A variety of psychosocial factors, namely having no chronic diseases, lower perceived concern over the safety of a booster shot, higher perceived severity of COVID-19 infection, and a higher level of institutional trust, were also significantly associated with greater willingness to get a booster shot. In conclusion, the present study adds evidence to the significant role of psychosocial factors in predicting COVID-19 vaccine booster acceptance and provides insights to design interventions to increase booster uptake in certain targeted demographic groups.
Fulltext Invasive meningococcal disease in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam: An Asia-Pacific expert group perspective on current epidemiology and vaccination policies

Thisyakorn U, Carlos J, Chotpitayasunondh T, Dien TM, Gonzales MLAM, Huong NTL, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2022 Nov 30;18(6):2110759.
PMID: 36084311 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2110759

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) imposes a significant burden on the global community due to its high case fatality rate (4-20%) and the risk of long-term sequelae for one in five survivors. An expert group meeting was held to discuss the epidemiology of IMD and immunization policies in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Most of these countries do not include meningococcal immunization in their routine vaccination programs, except for high-risk groups such as immunocompromised people and pilgrims. It is difficult to estimate the epidemiology of IMD in the highly diverse Asia-Pacific region, but available evidence indicate serogroup B is increasingly dominant. Disease surveillance systems differ by country. IMD is not a notifiable disease in some of them. Without an adequate surveillance system in the region, the risk and the burden of IMD might well be underestimated. With the availability of new combined meningococcal vaccines and the World Health Organization roadmap to defeat bacterial meningitis by 2030, a better understanding of the epidemiology of IMD in the Asia-Pacific region is needed.
Fulltext ASVAC2022 : 8th Asian Vaccine Conference

Galagoda GCS, Perera J, de Silva R, Wickramasinghe HT, Dasanayake D, Bravo L, et al.

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2023 Dec 31;19(1):2165360.
PMID: 36655357 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2165360

Aiming to further the Immunization Partners in Asia Pacific (IPAP)'s vision of a world where no one suffers from a vaccine preventable disease, the 8th Asian Vaccine Conference (ASVAC 2022) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka and virtually from 15 to 18, September 2022 (www.asianvaccine.com). This conference followed those held in Siem Reap, Cambodia (2009), Manila, Philippines (2010), Jakarta, Indonesia (2011), Cebu, Philippines (2013), Hanoi, Vietnam (2015), Singapore (2017) and Naypyidaw and Yangon, Myanmar (2019). The ASVAC2022 themed "Immunization: in Era of Pandemics," commenced with the EPI Managers' Workshop, followed by pre-conference workshops and Vaccinology Masterclass, followed by the main conference featuring 5 plenary lectures, 6 partner-led symposia, free paper and poster presentations, and industry-supported lunch and evening sessions. There were over 1830 registered participants, with 112 attending in person and 998 virtually from 63 countries. The conference was organized by IPAP and hosted by the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Forum of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka College of Pediatricians, Sri Lanka College of Microbiologists and College of General Practitioners of Sri Lanka, with the support of the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. The 9th ASVAC is scheduled to be held in Davao City, Philippines in late 2023.

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