Category: Vaccine

In a recent study published in the journal Vaccine, a team of researchers evaluated whether the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine administered to children below the age of two after three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine provided any non-specific beneficial effects in reducing the overall number of antibiotic treatments.

Study: Is vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella associated with reduced rates of antibiotic treatments among children below the age of 2years? Nationwide register-based study from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Image Credit:Rohane Hamilton/ Shutterstock

The MMR vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella is a live vaccine, which generally consists of attenuated forms of the viruses causing the three diseases. This vaccine is administered to children as early as nine months and is known to provide non-specific protective effects against infections other than these three diseases. Studies from high-income countries have reported that the MMR vaccine has decreased the rate of hospitalizations due to infections not targeted by the vaccine.

Compared to non-live vaccines, such as the ones used to vaccinate against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, the MMR vaccine seems to be more effective at preventing hospitalizations due to non-target diseases. However, most studies investigating the non-specific benefits of the MMR vaccine have focused on diseases or infections severe enough to require hospitalization.

Given that common non-severe infections during childhood are often treated with antibiotics without the need for hospitalization, and lowering the non-vital use of antibiotics is beneficial in decreasing the risk of antibiotic resistance, it is vital to understand the efficacy of the MMR vaccine in decreasing antibiotic treatment rates associated with non-specific infections.

The present study investigated whether the administration of the MMR vaccine after three doses of the DTaP vaccine was more effective in lowering the antibiotic treatment rates among children below the age of two years as compared to administering just three doses of the DTaP vaccine. This study was conducted in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. It included birth cohorts with registered data on children up to the age of two, indicating the inclusion of pneumococcal conjugate and DTaP vaccine in the immunization programs.

The data was obtained from a project that covered sociodemographic and health data from nationwide registries of these Nordic countries. The vaccination data included the date of immunization and the type of vaccine. The information on antibiotic treatments was gathered from prescription records. Furthermore, factors such as birth weight, season of birth, delivery mode, whether the mother smoked during the pregnancy, maternal age, singleton birth, household income, education level of mother, and single parenthood were considered as covariates.

The study followed the children from the age of the recommended MMR vaccine to the age of two years. Furthermore, age was used as the underlying timescale, while vaccination status was considered the time-varying exposure in calculating the hazard ratios of antibiotic treatments.

The results showed that administration of the MMR vaccine after the third dose of the DTaP vaccine lowered the antibiotic treatment rate by 11% on average across the four Nordic countries. Norway showed the highest (16%) reduction in antibiotic use after the administration of the MMR vaccine in children below two years of age with three DTaP vaccine doses. Finland and Denmark reported a reduction of 8%, while Sweden saw a 13% reduction in antibiotic use.

The results did not vary according to the child's sex. However, the adjusted hazard ratios were found to vary significantly with time, with the non-specific beneficial effects of the MMR vaccine being higher towards the beginning of the follow-up and decreasing towards the end. The study also found that the third dose of the DTaP vaccine decreased the antibiotic treatment rates more than the second dose.

The researchers found that the difference in the results between Norway and Sweden, on the one hand, and Finland and Denmark, on the other hand, was because Norway and Sweden reported more timely and higher rates of MMR vaccinations than the other two countries.

The study also discussed potential mechanisms through which the MMR vaccine provided non-specific protection against non-severe infections. The researchers believe that the long-term reprogramming of functional immunity that occurs due to the stimulation of the innate immune system by the live viruses also triggers immune responses against other antigens or stimuli.

Overall, the findings reported that administration of the MMR vaccine in children below two years of age, after immunization with the third dose of the DTaP vaccine, significantly lowered antibiotic use by protecting against non-specific, non-severe infections. However, comparable results were observed in children who received three doses of the DTaP vaccine alone, indicating the need for further studies to better understand the non-specific effects of MMR vaccines.

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MMR vaccine slashes antibiotic use in toddlers: Nordic study shines light on broader benefits - News-Medical.Net

Earlier this week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that his 2024 running mate will not be Aaron Rodgers or Jesse Ventura, but Silicon Valley lawyer (and Sergey Brin ex) Nicole Shanahan. What is there to know about Kennedys VP pick? For starters: At a time when in vitro fertilization is under serious threat, shes a major critic of the procedure that has helped millions of people become parents.

Politico reports that Shanahan has for years denounced IVF. In February, she told the Australian Financial Review that IVF is one of the biggest lies thats being told about womens health today. In a 2023 interview with The New Yorker, she told the outlet, Many of the I.V.F. clinics are financially incentivized to offer you egg freezing and I.V.F. and not incentivized to offer you other fertility services. In an essay for People published in 2022, she wrote I believe IVF is sold irresponsibly, and in my own experience with natural childbirth has led me to understand that the fertility industry is deeply flawed. While criticizing IVF, Shanahan has also called for research into things like sunlight exposure to help women have children. Im not sure that there has been a really thorough mitochondrial respiration study on the effects of two hours of morning sunlight on reproductive health. I would love to fund something like that, she said during a 2023 panel with the National Academy of Medicine, a group she had given $100 million. The statement was met with laughs, to which she responded: Yeah, lets do it...I just have an intuition that could be interesting and maybe work.

Elsewhere, it will perhaps not come as a surprise that Kennedys running mate has questions about vaccines, and takes umbrage with the term anti-vaxxer. Speaking to The New York Times earlier this year, she said I do wonder about vaccine injuries. While insisting she is not an anti-vaxxer, she told the outlet I think there needs to be a space to have these conversations. In an interview with Newsweek, she boldly suggested Kennedy is not anti-vaccine, despite the fact that, as CNN notes, Kennedy is among the most prominent vaccine skeptics in the country and, through his role as the head of Childrens Health Defense, has helped spread falsehoods about vaccines, including the claim that they can lead to injuries. In her interview with Newsweek, Shanahan said that she received a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and a booster and later suffered from significant health issues. I dont know if theyre related, she said, but Id love to know.

Before Shanahan was officially added to the ticket, she was a major source of fundingand creative inputfor the Kennedy campaign ad that ran during the Super Bowl and was condemned by more than one member of the Kennedy family. Tony Lyons, a cochairman of the Kennedy-aligned super PAC that produced the commercialwhich recreated a vintage JFK political ad from 1960told the Times Shanahan was the driving force behind the decision to remake the spot.

Also, this is the one he can make money off of

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Vaccines, IVF, That Super Bowl Ad: What to Know About Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.'s Running Mate - Vanity Fair

ASCO Updates Vaccination Guidelines for Patients With Cancer

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) published an updated guideline, which recommends certain vaccinations for patients with cancerboth solid and hematologic malignanciesto address their increased infection risks.1

For adult patients of all ages, the guideline recommends:

For patients aged 60 or older, the guideline recommends:

We want to document vaccination status at the first patient visit and provide recommended vaccines that might be needed as quickly as possible within the parameters of optimal oncology carerecognizing that we do not want to impede or impinge upon care, said Elise C. Kohn, MD, of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the National Cancer Institute, and guideline cochair, in a press release.2These vaccinations have very limited if no potential harm, but the potential benefits are significant.

Further, patients aged 19 to 26 are eligible for 3 doses of the HPV vaccine. The guidelines advise shared decision making for patients 27 to 45 when considering the HPV vaccine.1

For patients undergoing chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal treatment, radiation, or surgery, ASCO notes that vaccinations should precede planned cancer treatment by 2 to 4 weeks; however, it is safe for these patients to receive inactivated vaccines during or after treatment.

ASCO has additional recommendations for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, or B-cell depleting therapy.

According to ASCO, patients receiving HSCT should undergo complete revaccination 6 to 12 months following HSCT, and live attenuated vaccines should be delayed for at least 2 years. Patients should only receive live attenuated vaccines if there is no presence of graft-vs-host disease or immunosuppression. COVID-19, influenza, and pneumococcal vaccines can be administered by 3 months posttransplant.

Patients undergoing CAR T-cell therapy can receive influenza and COVID-19 vaccines as early as 3 months after therapy is complete, and inactivated vaccines can be administered 6 months after treatment. However, ASCO notes that the evidence quality for this recommendation is very low, and the recommendation is weak.

Notably, COVID-19 is the only revaccination required for patients undergoing B-cell depletion therapy. It can be administered as early as 6 months after treatment.

ASCO adds that all household members who have close contact with patients with cancer should be fully up to date on vaccinations when feasible.

ASCO recommends that patients who are traveling outside the US follow the CDC standard recommendations for the destination. The organization notes that hepatitis A, intramuscular typhoid, inactivated polio, hepatitis B, rabies, meningococcal, and inactivated Japanese encephalitis vaccines are safe to receive.

Long-term survivors of hematologic malignancies with or without active disease who have B-cell dysfunction, hypogammaglobulinemia, or B-cell lineage malignancies, should still receive the recommended inactivated vaccines; however, ASCO notes that patients responses may be attenuated.

References

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ASCO Updates Vaccination Guidelines for Patients With Cancer - http://www.oncnursingnews.com/

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Peg-IFN combined with hepatitis B vaccination contributes to HBsAg seroconversion and improved immune function ... - Virology Journal

Published 03-29-24

Submitted by Merck & Co., Inc.

Vaccines are one of the most significant public health achievements in modern history, playing a vital role in helping to prevent certain infectious diseases and protect communities across the globe.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic brought forth a new set of challenges in sustaining vaccination efforts for other preventable diseases highlighting existing disparities and inequalities in access to health care and underscoring the urgent need for action.

In two op-eds for Devex, an independent news organization covering global development, Drew Otoo, Pharm.D., president of global vaccines, Merck, and Alfred Saah, M.D., executive director of scientific affairs, Merck, highlighted some of the ways the company is working to address these challenges at the global, national and local levels.

Collaborating to help increase health equity

Otoo said collaboration across sectors is key to building trust, enabling equity and establishing stronger, more resilient vaccination programs.

Now more than ever, we have an opportunity to evaluate and strengthen our approach Together, we can help create a more equitable future where vaccines are available to and accepted by all who can benefit from them.

Drew Otoo, Pharm.D. President of global vaccines, Merck

Otoo shared examples of Merck's work with local and global stakeholders to develop tailored approaches to improve vaccine confidence and supply vaccines for communities that might otherwise be without them:

Combating vaccine hesitancy and building trust

Saah emphasized Merck's commitment to addressing vaccine hesitancy (the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines) and building confidence at local, national and global levels.

By understanding the knowledge gaps and prioritizing strategies that strengthen how we communicatewe can potentially combat vaccine hesitancy, improve vaccine confidence and make a difference in global public health.

Alfred Saah, M.D. Executive director of scientific affairs, Merck

Despite the well-documented benefits of vaccines, hesitancy is a longstanding public health issue that can result in under-vaccination and global disease outbreaks. The reasons behind vaccine hesitancy are often connected to the 3Cs Model, defined by a World Health Organization strategic advisory group:

Saah shared some of Merck's efforts to improve vaccine confidence, which include:

Continuing to improve vaccine access

Despite the challenges ahead, both Saah and Otoo are optimistic about the future.

Combating vaccine hesitancy is not an easy feat and has been a challenge our global society has faced for centuries, wrote Saah. However, these challenges bring new opportunities to improve our approach and be better advocates for ourselves, our families and our communities.

By going where the need exists and continuing to invest in innovative, strategic and diverse collaborations, I'm confident we'll find new ways to solve complex public health problems.

Drew Otoo

Learn more about how collaborations can help yield stronger vaccination programs.

View original content here.

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visitwww.merck.comand connect with us onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,YouTubeandLinkedIn.

More from Merck & Co., Inc.

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CSRWire - How We Can Strengthen Vaccination Programs and Build Vaccine Confidence Together - CSRwire.com

W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice vetoes vaccine exemption bill

Organizations who put forth a petition for the veto that garnered more than 3,600 signatures. (WCHS){p}{/p}

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS)

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said it was the "overwhelming" opposition from medical professionals that convinced him to veto the controversial vaccine exemption bill Wednesday.

House Bill 5105, a bill passed both the House and Senate in the 2024 regular session, would have allowed private and parochial schools to create their own vaccine policies. It also would have exempted public virtual school students from state requirements for childhood immunizations.

Hours before the midnight deadline on Wednesday, Justice announced his veto.

"The overwhelming majority that have voiced their opinion believe that this legislation will do irreparable harm by crippling childhood immunity to diseases such as mumps and measles," Justice said in a statement. "West Virginia historically has seen very few instances of these diseases, specifically because the vaccination requirements in this state are so strong."

Justice received a wave of opposition to the bill including a petition that was delivered to him last week by several medical and educational groups that had more than 3,600 signatures.

Tiffany Gale heads the West Virginia Women's Alliance, which was one of the organizations who signed on.

"While yes, we absolutely support personal freedom, when that freedom can harm others especially young children, we really have to take into consideration the effect that it's going to have," Gale said.

Dr. Lisa Costello, a pediatrician in Morgantown and the immediate past president of the West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, praised the governor's veto Wednesday evening.

"As a pediatrician and a mother of a toddler who is going to be starting Catholic school this fall, I am so grateful that Gov. Justice vetoed House Bill 5105 because that means that our communities and children will be protected and we will able to remain a national leader in school immunization policies," Costello said.

Those who supported the bill, including the majority of senators and delegates and groups such as West Virginians for Health Freedom, argued that this was a matter of parental rights and freedom. West Virginians for Health Freedom sent in a letter to the governor to urge support.

In his release, Justice said he understood all opinions but must side with the medical experts on this.

West Virginia is way ahead of the pack in protecting our children from preventable diseases like the measles, and in this matter, I will defer to our licensed medical professionals who have come forward overwhelmingly to say this bill could and likely would result in reduced immunity and harm to West Virginias kids," he said.

The Legislature does have the power to override a veto, but House of Delegates spokesperson Ann Ali said once they adjourn the regular session, both bodies are limited on what they can do. Even if they are called back in for a special session, lawmakers would only be able to take up what is on the governor's call list.

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W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice vetoes vaccine exemption bill - WCHS

Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the first to need two doses to keep their jobs.

State and territory governments subsequently implemented employment and public space mandates which required people to show proof of vaccination to enter hospitality venues and events. A constellation of private companies also required vaccines for their workers or patrons.

Vaccine mandates receive considerable attention when theyre introduced. For COVID vaccine mandates, policymakers offered reasoning including protecting the vulnerable, safeguarding health systems, and making it possible to open state borders and lift internal restrictions. Experts and the public sometimes debated the merits of these policies, but the reasons behind them were relatively clear.

By contrast, the removal of vaccine mandates often appears haphazard. Less is known about how or why it happens, or how it should be done.

However, mandate removal may have just as much of an influence on peoples future attitudes and behaviour as mandate imposition. As New South Wales considers removing its COVID vaccine mandate for health-care workers, its pertinent to explore how to abolish a vaccine mandate in the right way.

Many COVID vaccine mandates terminated when state governments stopped classifying the pandemic as an emergency. The mandates which remained in place covered workers in high-risk settings, but even some of these have since ended.

Queensland and Western Australia removed their COVID vaccine requirements for health workers in 2023, and this week NSW announced its considering doing the same.

This is good news. Governments should treat vaccine mandates like other health policies and review them regularly in the context of changing evidence. Some criteria governments should think about when implementing or removing vaccine mandates include:

Disease burden in the community

Governments should consider the rate of severe illness and availability of treatment options and hospital resources. In the case of COVID, the general population has developed high levels of hybrid immunity from vaccination and infection.

Read more: Queensland ruling doesn't mean all COVID vaccine mandates were flawed. Here's why

Population vulnerability

Health-care workers are more likely to be exposed to disease, and they may transmit it to patients who are at high risk of serious outcomes. This is why NSW and some other states require staff in health or aged care to get flu vaccines each year.

Vaccine effectiveness

It matters how well the mandated vaccine prevents severe disease in people who are vaccinated, which COVID vaccines do well. But whether they reduce transmission to others is also relevant. Importantly, COVID vaccination reduces but does not prevent disease transmission. Outside an emergency situation, this weakens the argument for mandating vaccination.

Another good reason to revisit NSWs current two-dose mandate for health workers is the fact its obviously outdated. Although some other states and territories have required one booster, this did not have to be regular or recent.

Having received two or three doses of the vaccine, often much earlier in the pandemic, is unlikely to offer protection against infection today. Most people vaccinated or not have now also developed some immunity through infection.

Since these policies dont reflect current evidence or recommendations, leaving them in place could actually be damaging. It may erode trust and confidence in the health system and government, both for health-care workers and the public.

While its important to review these policies in changing contexts, theres a risk vaccine or mandate opponents will use this opportunity to claim mandates were never necessary.

No COVID decisions were perfect, and we should evaluate pandemic decision-making across a range of measures. But the circumstances and justifications for introducing mandates were very different from today. This distinction should be kept in mind when communicating changes in mandate policy.

For NSW and any other jurisdictions considering removing mandates, first, they should consult meaningfully with the community to drive decision-making and communication. This includes engaging with those who are subject to the mandate and those indirectly affected by it.

We applaud NSW Health for consulting with health workforce stakeholders. However, they havent described consulting with patients or vulnerable groups, who may worry mandate removal exposes them to untenable risk from their health-care providers. Its important to prepare a communication strategy for this group, too.

Transparency is key to maintaining trust in public health officials. When a decision is made to alter or remove a mandate, we recommend transparently explaining the decision and the data that informed it. For communicating about mandate removal, spokespeople could provide clear, simple data that compares the burden of disease or immunity rates at the time of implementation versus now.

Its also crucial any announcement about mandate removal makes clear that vaccination is still recommended. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant framed the early messaging well, saying NSW Health would continue to strongly recommend employees stay up-to-date with their COVID vaccinations.

Finally, governments should provide clear and accessible legal and health guidance to private companies. These employers may still have mandatory vaccination policies in place, and need support on how best to consider or announce their removal.

Read more: Unintended consequences of NZ's COVID vaccine mandates must inform future pandemic policy new research

The abolition of COVID vaccine mandates is an important milestone in our journey out of the pandemic. At the same time, it means governments need to ensure high voluntary vaccine uptake.

This requires funding, efficient service delivery, support for health-care workers who administer vaccines, and persuasive public health campaigns. When governments manage mandate removal well, they make it easier for themselves to continue to protect the public against disease.

Continued here:

NSW may end its COVID vaccine mandate for health workers. That doesn't mean it was a bad idea in the first place - The Conversation

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Vaccination not only reduces the severity of TB in infected cattle, but reduces its spread in dairy herds by 89%, research finds. The research, led by the University of Cambridge and Penn State University, improves prospects for the elimination and control of bovine tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease of cattle that results in large economic costs and health impacts across the world. The study is published in the journal Science.

This is the first study to show that BCG-vaccinated cattle infected with TB are substantially less infectious to other cattle. This remarkable indirect effect of the vaccine beyond its direct protective effect has not been measured before.

The spillover of infection from livestock has been estimated to account for about 10% of human tuberculosis cases. While such zoonotic TB (zTB) infections are most commonly associated with gastrointestinal infections related to drinking contaminated milk, zTB can also cause chronic lung infections in humans. Lung disease caused by zTB can be indistinguishable from regular tuberculosis, but is more difficult to treat due to natural antibiotic resistance in the cattle bacteria.

TB remains endemic in many countries around the world, including in Europe and the Americas, where its control costs farmers and taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

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In the study, carried out in Ethiopia, researchers examined the ability of the vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Gurin (BCG), to directly protect cattle that receive it, as well as to indirectly protect both vaccinated and unvaccinated cattle by reducing TB transmission. Vaccinated and unvaccinated animals were put into enclosures with naturally infected animals, in a novel crossover design performed over two years.

"Our study found that BCG vaccination reduces TB transmission in cattle by almost 90%. Vaccinated cows also developed significantly fewer visible signs of TB than unvaccinated ones. This suggests that the vaccination not only reduces the progression of the disease, but that if vaccinated animals become infected, they are substantially less infectious to others," said Andrew Conlan, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge's Department of Veterinary Medicine and a corresponding author of the study.

Using livestock census and movement data from Ethiopia, the team developed a transmission model to explore the potential for routine vaccination to control bovine tuberculosis.

"Results of the model suggest that vaccinating calves within the dairy sector of Ethiopia could reduce the reproduction number of the bacteriumthe R0to below 1, arresting the projected increase in the burden of disease and putting herds on a pathway towards elimination of TB," Conlan said.

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The team focused their studies in Ethiopia, a country with the largest cattle herd in Africa and a rapidly growing dairy sector that has a growing burden of bovine tuberculosis and no current control program, as a representative of similarly situated transitional economies.

"Bovine tuberculosis is largely uncontrolled in low- and middle-income countries, including Ethiopia," said Abebe Fromsa, associate professor of agriculture and veterinary medicine at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and the study's co-lead author. "Vaccination of cattle has the potential to provide significant benefits in these regions."

"For over a hundred years, programs to eliminate bovine tuberculosis have relied on intensive testing and slaughtering of infected animals," said Vivek Kapur, professor of microbiology and infectious diseases and Huck Distinguished Chair in Global Health at Penn State and a corresponding author of the study.

He added, "This approach is unimplementable in many parts of the world for economic and social reasons, resulting in considerable animal suffering and economic losses from lost productivity, alongside an increased risk of spillover of infection to humans. By vaccinating cattle, we hope to be able to protect both cattle and humans from the consequences of this devastating disease."

Professor James Wood, Alborada Professor of Equine and Farm Animal Science in the University of Cambridge's Department of Veterinary Medicine, noted that despite TB being more prevalent in lower-income countries, the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand also experience considerable economic pressures from the disease which continues to persist despite intensive and costly control programs.

Wood said, "For over 20 years the UK government has pinned hopes on cattle vaccination for bovine tuberculosis as a solution to reduce the disease and the consequent costs of the controls. These results provide important support for the epidemiological benefit that cattle vaccination could have to reduce rates of transmission to and within herds."

More information: Abebe Fromsa et al, BCG vaccination reduces bovine tuberculosis transmission, improving prospects for elimination, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adl3962. http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl3962

Journal information: Science

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Tuberculosis vaccine may enable elimination of the disease in cattle by reducing its spread - Phys.org

Kentucky bill would ban mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for work, study, or healthcare

by Christian Hauser, WKRC

(CBS Newspath, CNN Newsource, file)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKRC)- Kentucky Senate Bill 295 states that the Covid-19 vaccine cannot be required for anyone to be a student or participate in any extra-curricular activities, you can't be required to get the vaccine for a job or to maintain a professional license, and that you can't be required to get it to receive health care services.

For example, a doctor couldn't refuse to treat you if you didn't get a vaccine.

(WKRC,%20CBS%20Newspath,%20CNN%20Newsource,%20KET)

State Sen. Lindsey Tichenor (R)-Smithfield sponsored the bill. Tichenor said that people shouldn't be forced to get vaccinated if they don't want to. She said that an employer, for instance, shouldn't be able to dictate your health decisions.

However, the CDC and FDA stated that what Tichenor claims is misleading.

Hamilton County Medical Director Dr. Steve Feagins said that the reporting system is used to see if there's any correlation between an adverse event and the vaccine.

"It's for everybody, not just for clinicians, or pharmacists. It's for everybody, for anything that happens, that may or may not be related to a vaccine. It may not even be related in time to receiving a vaccine," Hamilton County Medical Director Dr. Steve Feagins said.

The VAERS website clearly states that just because there's a report of a bad reaction or death, doesn't mean the vaccine caused the event.

This bill doesn't just prohibit requirements around the current vaccine, it would ban any future Covid vaccine requirements in the future.

"We have no understanding guys, of what this virus is going to look like two years from now, what it's going to look like 10 years from now, and to say under no circumstances can we require even healthcare professionals [to be vaccinated?] It's a danger to our patients if we go in there with communicable diseases," State Sen. Karen Berg (D)-Louisville said.

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Kentucky bill would ban mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for work, study, or healthcare - WKRC TV Cincinnati

This article has been reviewed according to ScienceX's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

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New research to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (2730 April) shows that even in men who receive two doses of mpox vaccine intradermally, their level of antibodies to the virus falls to low or zero within the first few months if they have not received a previous smallpox vaccine.

Previous smallpox vaccination contributes significantly to higher neutralizing antibodies following first MVA-BN dose.

The authors, who include Dr. Klara Sonden, deputy state epidemiologist of the of Public Health Agency of Sweden and affiliated to Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, says that their study shows that booster vaccination may be needed long-term for such individuals, and that scientific evidence is needed for the background to any decisions.

Since May 2022, an mpox outbreak has emerged globally, spreading mainly among men who have sex with men (MSM). It was classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

In Sweden, a vaccine against smallpox based on the live Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara (MVA-BN), has been offered intradermally to risk groups. Intradermal administration means 0.1 ml in the skin, one-fifth of the dose needed for subcutaneous administration. This was used as a dose-saving strategy as supplies were initially limited.

The vaccine has been shown to be efficacious in studies using real-world data from the 2022 and onward outbreak among MSM, with limited number of breakthrough infections and milder disease reported when breakthrough infections occur so far. The aim of this cohort study was to assess dynamics of, and factors affecting neutralizing antibodies against mpox virus (MPXV) following MVA-BN vaccination.

A total of 100 MSM attending the sexual health clinic "Venhlsan," Stockholm, Sweden, eligible to receive the vaccine MVA-BN were included in the study. Following the initial serum sample drawn before dose 1, serum samples were further collected before dose 2, and 28 days and three months after the second dose.

These samples were tested to establish titers (levels) of MPXV-neutralizing antibodies. Titers were compared in individuals with or without previous smallpox vaccination and patients with past natural infection were included as positive controls.

Ten individuals were of uncertain status regarding smallpox vaccination (due to being born in many different countries in the time period 1977-1980 when vaccination was de-escalated globally) and 23 individuals were previously smallpox vaccinated. The other 67 individuals had no history of smallpox vaccination.

A total of 312 samples from four time points from the 100 individuals included in the study were analyzed. In addition to the study population, anonymized age and sex matched controls from blood donors were included as negative controls (n=20) and previously MPXV-infected individuals as positive controls (n=20). The controls gave one blood sample each.

Within the study group, previous smallpox vaccination was associated with significantly higher antibody titers, and 15/23 of these individuals had pre-existing neutralizing antibodies (i.e., the B-cell memory was still present thanks to their previous smallpox vaccination).

Among those without prior smallpox vaccination, fewer than half of the group showed any detectable neutralizing antibodies at all 28 days after the second vaccination, with those who did exhibit responses having a median titer (standard unit of measurement of antibodies) of 20. In contrast, for previously vaccinated individuals, the median titer 28 days after a single dose of the MVA-BN vaccine was 40.

The authors say, "Our findings corroborate other studies showing that mpox vaccination results in neutralizing antibodies only in a proportion of vaccinees, and that a significant decline occurs already during the first month post-vaccination Immunity after previous MPXV infection mounts a higher and more robust neutralizing response. In conclusion, the findings merits the study of booster doses."

They continue: "Our results indicate a rapid decline in neutralizing antibodies after two doses and are in line with other recent studies. These results, together with the continued spread of mpox in MSM populations in Europe has prompted the consideration of a booster dose. Such a recommendation needs to be based on scientific evidence.

"However, as far as we know, no clinical trial has studied or is studying a 3rd MVA-BN dose (from an analysis of clinicaltrials.gov March 2024), but a booster dose is common practice for inactivated vaccines. The MVA-BN is a live, non-replicating vaccine and therefore likely equivalent to an inactivated vaccine.

"Studies are essential to inform public health policy, and the largest STI clinic in Sweden is planning to perform a randomized clinical trial of a booster dose with immunological parameters as the primary outcome in the comparison with those who have had the two doses of the regular full 0.5 subcutaneous dose (sc) (0.5ml), two doses of the dose-saving intradermal dose (id) (0.1ml), or one dose sc/one dose id, and those with no booster dose."

They add that despite this, the mpox cases in Sweden have been few and mostly imported during 2023 (12 cases) and 2024 (5 cases) and the vast majority have been among unvaccinated individuals.

Data collection is ongoing regarding the occurrence of breakthrough infections in Sweden. Breakthrough cases have been reported in the scientific literature among individuals that have received different vaccination strategies (i.e. sc/sc, id/sc, id/id).

Dr. Sonden concludes, "The results presented here indicate that long-term protective immunity might need a booster dose for its maintenance. Since the current situation regarding mpox in Sweden is stable with minimal transmission any change in policy should be backed by results from clinical trials.

"Currently we will focus on finding unvaccinated individuals who are at risk of getting mpox and offer them vaccination, and we believe that this as well as the previously administered vaccinations will contribute to lowering the risk for new outbreaks of mpox in Sweden in future."

Provided by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

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Swedish study indicates decline of neutralizing antibodies to mpox virus during the first month after vaccination - Medical Xpress