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IVAC’s Dr. Shaun Truelove to Co-Lead Infectious Disease Modeling and Analytics Center
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics recently established the Outbreak Analytics and Disease Modeling Network, a national network comprised of 13 centers around the country. Dr. Shaun Truelove, IVAC faculty and an assistant scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will be co-leading one of these centers, the Atlantic Coast Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics and Analytics (ACCIDDA), alongside colleagues from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Over the next five years, ACCIDDA will receive $22.5 million to develop innovative modeling and analytic technologies to support public health institutions in responding to disease outbreaks. These tools will help public health leaders make decisions about prevention and control measures in the face of an infectious disease outbreak, including decisions about vaccine allocation, distribution, and eligibility.
ACCIDDA will leverage the diverse expertise and experience of faculty from across Johns Hopkins University, including the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the School of Medicine, and the Whiting School of Engineering. Collaborators include individuals from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the University of Florida, and the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to creating new modeling tools and establishing new data resources for disease surveillance, ACCIDDA will also serve as the OADM Network Coordinator. |
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World Pneumonia Day 2023:The Latest Life-Saving Approaches
Despite global efforts to increase access to life-saving pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, pneumonia remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children under 5. In recognition of World Pneumonia Day 2023, IVAC is hosting a webinar that brings together experts from a range of disciplines to discuss novel tools and strategies to protect children everywhere against this deadly disease. |
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| IVAC Presents at 17th Vaccine Congress in Scotland
Last month, a team from IVAC presented their work at the 17th Vaccine Congress in Glasgow, Scotland. IVAC Research Associate Alvira Hasan presented a poster titled, “Assessing the Feasibility of School-based Vaccination Screening and Catch-up Vaccination in 2 Districts in Zambia.” Megan Powell presented on “Mapping Zero-dose Children and Missed Communities Identified Through School Vaccination Screening in Zambia.” Both posters presented results from a pilot project examining the feasibility of school-based vaccination checks, part of a larger IVAC project focused on more effectively targeting zero-dose children in Zambia.
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Evidence Brief Now Available on Impact of Climate Change
In addition to rising temperatures and increasingly frequent extreme weather events, climate change also contributes to higher prevalence of several vaccine-preventable diseases, such as malaria, cholera, and typhoid. IVAC’s Value of Immunization Compendium of Evidence (VoiCE) recently published an Evidence Brief synthesizing the link between climate change and vaccine-preventable diseases. As temperatures continue to rise, it will become increasingly important to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines for populations around the globe. |
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Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Factors Affecting Waning of Post-Vaccination Neutralizing Antibody Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 [npj Vaccines]
Authors include Melissa M. Higdon and Maria Deloria Knoll
The authors systematically reviewed waning of post-vaccination neutralizing antibody titers in different immunological settings. With the use of random effects meta-regression, they estimated fold-reduction from months 1 to 6 post last dose by primary versus booster regimen and infection-naïve versus hybrid-immune cohorts. Analysis revealed that neutralizing antibodies declined after COVID-19 vaccination ranging from 3.7-fold to 5.9-fold, with waning rates generally similar after primary or first booster regimens and between infection-naïve and previously infected cohorts. |
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Neonatal, Infant, and Child Mortality in India: Progress and Future Directions [Indian Journal of Pediatrics]
Authors include Brian Wahl, Daniel J. Erchick, and Molly Sauer
This paper provides a comprehensive review of the state of child health in India, examining key risk factors and causes of child mortality, assessing the coverage of child health interventions, and highlighting critical public health programs and policies. The authors also discuss future directions and recommendations for bolstering ongoing efforts to improve child health. The authors argue that reducing child mortality requires not only scaled-up interventions but also a comprehensive approach that addresses all dimensions of health, from social determinants to system strengthening |
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A Scoping Review on Integrated Health Campaigns for Immunization in Low- and Middle-income Countries [Health Policy and Planning]
Authors include Svea Closser
This scoping review synthesizes the evidence on integrated health campaigns in the field of immunization in LMICs. Key facilitators include an established rapport between communities and health workers and the utilization of pre-existing infrastructure, while common barriers include the cost of integration and human resource challenges. This review found that integrated health campaigns nearly always improve the coverage and effectiveness of health campaigns, though further implementation research is needed to fill existing evidence gaps. |
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