Measles Mumps And Rubella Vaccine Research Articles

Świnka w Polsce w 2022 roku

BackgroundMumps, also known as Sudden parotitis, is a viral disease whose main source of infection is the sick/infected person. It posed a serious public health threat in Poland before the introduction of mandatory vaccination. In 2003, Poland introduced the Immunization Program, which included a two-dose vaccination against mumps as part of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine for all children.ObjectiveThe study aimed to assess the epidemiological situation of mumps in Poland in 2022 compared to previous years, including an analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.Material and methodsThe analysis of the epidemiological situation of mumps in Poland in 2022 was based on the interpretation of data published in the annual bulletin: "Infectious Diseases and Poisonings in Poland in 2022" and "Vaccinations in Poland in 2022".ResultsIn 2022, 922 cases of mumps were registered in Poland. This was a 90.5% increase compared to 2021 when 484 cases were recorded. The total incidence was 2.4 per 100,000 residents, 84.6% higher than in 2021. The highest incidence of 3.4 per 100 000 residents was registered in the Mazowieckie voivodeship, and the lowest, as in the previous year, was 1.0/100 000 residents in the Dolnośląskie voivodeship. The highest incidence (12.9/100 000) was recorded in children aged 0-4 and 5-9 (16.1/100 000). The incidence in men (3.0/100 000) was higher than in women (1.9/100 000). In 2022, the number of hospitalizations for mumps in Poland was 20, an increase of 122.2% compared to 2021, when 9 people were hospitalized.ConclusionsThe year 2022 showed an overall upward trend in registered mumps cases. The decrease in the number of mumps cases in 2021 was a result of the ongoing pandemic. The restrictions implemented during the pandemic period contributed to a decrease in the number of cases of various droplet-transmitted diseases, including mumps. Still, the observed number of mumps cases in 2022 remains below levels observed during the pre-pandemic COVID-19 period (2019).

Analysis of adult vaccination in Shandong Province from 2018 to 2022

Objective: To analyze the utilization of adult vaccination among people aged 18 and above in Shandong Province from 2018 to 2022. Methods: Data on vaccination units in 2022 and individual cases of vaccination information for people aged 18 and above were extracted from the Shandong Immunization Information System. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the distribution of adult vaccination units and adult vaccination varieties. The total vaccination amount and vaccination rate were calculated. Results: By the end of 2022, there were 3 948 vaccination units providing adult vaccination in Shandong Province, with 0.36 adult vaccination clinics per 10 000 people. Adult vaccination including RabV(rabies vaccine for human use), InfV(influenza vaccine), HPV(human papillomavirus), HepB(hepatitis B vaccine), PPV23(23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine), MenACYW135(meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine group ACYW135), MMR(measles, mumps and rubella combined attenuated live vaccine), HEV(hepatitise E vaccine), RZV(recombinant zoster vaccine), TV(tetanus vaccine) and HF(haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome vaccine) vaccines were administered, with a cumulative dose of 40.056 9 million and an average of 0.1 doses per person per year from 2018 to 2022. The top three vaccines were RabV, InfV and HPV, accounting for 31.48%, 22.57%, and 15.93% of the total vaccination amount, respectively. The annual vaccination dose for adults increased from 3.477 3 million in 2018 to 13.308 6 million in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of 56.55%. The cumulative 5-year doses of RabV and TV were 15.90 doses per 100 people and 0.21 doses per 100 people. The average annual vaccination rate of InfV was 2.28%. The cumulative full vaccination rates of HPV, HepB, PPV23 and RZV were 12.44%, 1.61%, 0.52% and 0.17%, respectively. The cumulative 5-year doses of RabV and TV were 29.19 doses per 100 people and 0.43 doses per 100 people in the age group of 20 to<30 years old. The vaccination rates of InfV and PPV23 were 9.08% and 1.27% in the age group of 70 to<80 years old. The vaccination rate of RZV was 0.11% in the age group of 50 to<60 years old. The HPV vaccination rate was 18.09% in the age group of 20 to<30 years old, and the HepB, MenACYW135, MMR and HEV vaccination rates were 6.21%, 9.55%, 2.65%, and 2.83% in the 18-19 age group, respectively. Conclusion: There are relatively few types of adult vaccination in Shandong Province, with narrow coverage and low vaccination rates.

Is It Not The Right Time To Consider Trivalent Mumps Vaccine (MMR) In The National Immunization Programme of Nepal? If Not Now, Then When?

Vaccination is the process of administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease resulting in reduction of child mortality, morbidity and disability in vaccine preventable diseases. Nepal started its pilot vaccination program in 1979 (2034 B.S) and after a decade (1989), the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) was followed to the whole country with the aim of universal vaccination in children. National immunization programme (NIP) provides vaccination services free of cost to the children living in marginalized communities and geographical regions difficult to reach through outreach sessions. Although many more vaccines have been added to the NIP of Nepal since then, vaccination against mumps is still missing. Nepalese children are being vaccinated with MR vaccine (measles and rubella) at 9 completed months and a booster at 15 months in spite of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. The time to re-think and consider mumps vaccine (MMR) in the immunization schedule of Nepal by the government of Nepal has arrived now. Including MMR vaccine in the national immunization schedule would ultimately result in the reduction of the outbreaks and associated morbidity that occur annually along with the economic benefits.

The silent shot: An analysis of the origin, sustenance and implications of the MMR vaccine – autism rumour in the Somali diaspora in Sweden and beyond

ABSTRACT This article traces the origin, sustenance and implications of a persistent rumour that is responsible for low measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination uptake in the Somali diaspora in a number of countries across the globe. The rumour stipulates that the MMR vaccine – the silent shot – causes autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although the association between MMR and ASD is non-causal, and various public health initiatives have promoted health information campaigns, the rumour continues to circulate in the Somali diaspora in many countries, including Sweden. This paper shows that there are valid reasons for this. The findings from this paper draw on a systematic scoping review and qualitative interview data from Sweden. The results show that the Somali community experiences higher than average rates of ASD compared to the general population. Moreover, ASD does not exist in the Somali language or their home country, is considered a Western disease that only affects Somali children in the diaspora, and is a highly stigmatised disease. Also, the Somali diaspora has had negative experiences with ASD diagnosis and care. The rumour has been sustained by the absence of an answer to their ASD fear and through active diaspora networks on social media. The network that surrounds the rumour has arguably further helped to create an epistemic community for a community whose concerns have been silenced.

Modeling the dynamics of rubella disease with vertical transmission

Rubella is a highly contagious and serious human disease caused by the rubella virus. It affects everyone around the world, but it is especially common in pregnant women and children. In particular, when pregnant women are infected with the rubella virus, it causes Congenital Rubella Syndrome (it transmit vertically from mother to fetus, which causes that the new born baby to inherit birth defect disease). In order to prevent this viral disease, children must receive an MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine twice. If children receive two doses of the vaccine, then they develop long life immunity (protected against rubella). Based on the biological behavior of rubella disease, the SVPEIRS (susceptible, vaccinated, protected, exposed, infected, recovered) deterministic mathematical model of rubella disease dynamics is proposed. From the perspective of the qualitative behavior of the model, it is bounded in the invariant region and all the solutions of the compartment are positive. In addition, the equilibrium points and the stability of the equilibrium points (local and global) are also analyzed. The basic reproductive number is determined using a next-generation matrix. The results of the sensitivity analysis show that rubella is spread in a community if the values of contact rate, vertical transmission (neonatal infection) rate, exposure rate and rate of waning out of the first vaccinating dose are increase by keeping other parameters constant. On the other hand, increasing the first and second vaccination rate and treatment rate can help to control rubella in the community. Numerical simulation results show that due to the lack of protection for women before pregnancy, the number of infections increases with the birth of infected children, and the two doses of vaccine play a significant role in reducing and eliminating rubella. Therefore, to eliminate rubella in the community, healthcare and policymakers must pay attention to these parameters.

‘Fuzzy and context dependent’: a critical discourse analysis of manipulation in online vaccine information

ABSTRACT In health decision-making, the distinctions between manipulation, persuasion and coercion are easily blurred. Manipulation, viewed through a bioethics lens is problematic only when it affects a person’s ability to make autonomous decisions. In contrast, in critical discourse analysis (CDA), manipulation usually has negative connotations. This article uses childhood MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine information as a case study in manipulative discourse. Online vaccine information across three organisations was analysed using CDA methodology. Each organisation used manipulative discourse in their vaccine information but with varying degrees of transparency. The less transparent an organisation’s motivations are, the less compatible it is with autonomous decision-making. This paper argues for adding further nuance to how discursive manipulation is defined within CDA, particularly in the field of public health. In this setting, manipulation is not necessarily immoral or unfair, but it may be, depending on whether it controls a person’s ability to make an autonomous, informed decision.

Shadow of Measles and COVID-19 Outbreak; two related diseases: Opportunity Situation?

According to existing studies, evidence suggests the preventive effects of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine on severity and infection of COVID-19, therefore paying attention to children’s vaccination at the time of determination is very important. This vaccination should not be prevented because of fear of developing COVID-19 in health care centers.

Application of a fast and cost-effective 'three-in-one' MMR ELISA as a tool for surveying anti-MMR humoral immunity: the Hungarian experience.

In Hungary, between February 2017 and July 2019, 70 confirmed measles cases were reported, raising questions about the adequacy of population-level immunity. Although the assumed vaccination coverage is ≥99%, in a recent study, we detected potential gaps in the anti-measles humoral immunity. In Hungary, according to a decree by the Ministry of Public Welfare, beginning from 2021, the healthcare provider should conduct a serosurvey of anti-measles protection levels of healthcare professionals. To facilitate the compliance with this requirement, we developed a quick 'three-in-one' or 'triple' MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) indirect ELISA (IgG); an assay format that is currently not available commercially. High throughput applicability of the 'three-in-one' ELISA was verified using 1736 sera from routine laboratory residual samples, using an automated platform (Siemens BEP 2000 Advance). Assay verification was performed by comparing the full antigen repertoire-based 'target' assay with in-house 'control' assays using recombinant viral antigen coatings, and by validated commercially available kits. Indirect immunofluorescence was used as an independent reference method. Data were analysed using OriginLab, IBM SPSS, RStudio and MedCalc. In case of measles, we combined our current results with previously published data (Ntotal measles = 3523). Evaluation of anti-mumps and anti-rubella humoral antibody levels was based on the measurement of 1736 samples. The lowest anti-measles seropositivity (79.3%) was detected in sera of individuals vaccinated between 1978 and 1987. Considering the antigen-specific seropositivity ratios of all samples measured, anti-measles, -mumps and -rubella IgG antibody titres were adequate in 89.84%, 91.82% and 92.28%, respectively. Based on the virus-specific herd immunity threshold (HIT) values (HITMeasles = 92-95%, HITMumps = 75-86%, HITRubella = 83-86), it can be stated that regarding anti-measles immunity, certain age clusters of the population may have inadequate levels of humoral immunity. Despite the potential gaps in herd immunity, the use of MMR vaccine remains an effective and low-cost approach for the prevention of measles, mumps and rubella infections.

PIN141 SOCIAL MEDIA AND VACCINE HESITANCY: FOCUS ON MMR

Vaccine hesitancy was listed as the number seven threat to global health by the World Health Organization in 2019 – a point exemplified by ongoing, preventable measles outbreaks. Today, it is easier than ever for anti-vaccination groups to share ‘fake news’ due to global internet and social media access. We investigated the impact of social media on vaccine uptake/awareness – using the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as an example. A structured literature search using Embase, Medline, PsycInfo and EBM reviews, utilising terms relating to MMR vaccination and social media/internet was conducted (limits: English language; 2009–2019). Supplementary online searches using no predefined search terms were conducted. Eighteen relevant studies were identified: the negative impact of social media was highlighted in eight whilst the remaining also highlighted a positive impact. Impact on vaccine uptake as a percentage was not identified – however, coverage was inversely correlated to internet search activity, Tweets and Facebook posts in one study and being influenced by the internet in another. Other negative factors included: inaccurate/false information being easier to access than accurate information when researching risks and anti-vaccination groups being more active than pro-vaccination – e.g. although a minority of social media posts/comments focused on anti-vaccination, they received more likes and were disproportionally represented on online forums. Websites with minimal user restriction (e.g. YouTube/Google versus Wikipedia/PubMed) correlated with a dominance of views linking MMR to autism. Positive impact was highlighted by: paediatrician bloggers accurately and frequently addressing vaccination myths; data accessed on social media often not being trusted and utilisation of social media in positive ways by pro-vaccination groups/governments. The potential positive and negative impact of social media on MMR uptake should not be underestimated. Efforts to reduce hesitancy and improve uptake should focus on leveraging social media to deliver scientifically accurate pro-vaccination messages.

Fifteen-minute consultation: Vaccine-hesitant parents

Vaccination is a proven, highly effective intervention to protect against potentially serious infectious diseases. UK vaccine uptake rates are high overall, but considerable variation exists within and between districts. The...

Identifying risk factors associated with acquiring measles in an outbreak among age-appropriately vaccinated school children: a cohort analysis.

A measles outbreak occurred in age-appropriately vaccinated children in a school in a town in the South East of Ireland in September-November 2013. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with catching measles during the outbreak. Ninety-five children (4-5years) in three classes, in the first year of primary school, were included in the study. Immunisation records on the South East Child Health Information System for first Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine for the 95 children were reviewed. Data collected included age at MMR, date of administration of MMR, MMR brand and batch number, and the General Practice at which MMR was administered. The risk factors analysed included age at vaccination, time of vaccination, class and the GP practice where MMR was administered. Statistical analysis was performed using Epi info 7 and SPSS v24. Thirteen children in the cohort developed measles during the outbreak. All children in the cohort were age-appropriately vaccinated, with one dose of MMR vaccine. Analysis demonstrated statistically significant differences in the relative risk of developing measles according to the class a child was in, and the General Practice at which they were vaccinated. The reason for intense measles activity in one class was not established. Although a concurrent investigation into cold chain and vaccine stock management did not identify a cause for the high relative risk of measles in children vaccinated, recommendations were made for improving cold chain and vaccine stock management in General Practices.

Vaccination and public trust: A model for the dissemination of vaccination behaviour with external intervention

Vaccination is widely recognized as the most effective way of immunization against many infectious diseases. However, unfounded claims about supposed side effects of some vaccines have contributed to spread concern and fear among people, thus inducing vaccination refusal. MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine coverage has undergone an important decrease in a large part of Europe and US as a consequence of erroneously alleged side effects, leading to recent measles outbreaks. There is evidence that clusterization of unvaccinated individuals may lead to epidemics way larger that the ones that might appear in the case that unvaccinated agents are distributed at random in the population. In this work we explore the emergence of those clusters as a consequence of the social interaction driven mainly by homophily, where vaccination behaviour is part of a process of cultural dissemination in the spirit of Axelrod’s model. The ingredients of this calculation encompass: (i) interacting agents which are to decide if they vaccinate or not their children, (ii) their interaction with a small subset of stubborn agents who believe that the MMR vaccine is not safe and (iii) government sponsored propaganda trying to convince people of the benefits of vaccination. We find that these clusters, which emerge as a dynamical outcome of the model, are the responsible of the increasing probability of the occurrence of measles outbreaks, even in scenarios where the WHO (World Health Organization) recommendation of 95% vaccine coverage is fulfilled. However, we also illustrate that the mitigating effect of a public health campaign, could effectively reduce the impact and size of outbreaks.

An Insight into the Immunization Coverage for Combined Vaccines in Albania

We aim to Provide facts about the vaccination coverage for combined vaccines such as MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) and DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) containing vaccines in use in Albania during the last 10 years, in order to confirm the stability of immunization program. One of the reasons for coverage improvement is the use of one or two-dose vials for the administration of MMR vaccine, enabling the vaccination of children at any time, without the need of gathering them on certain days when the multi-dose vaccine vials are opened. In the last three years, according to WHO recommendations, it was noted that vaccination coverage with three doses containing DTP is at sustainable levels, always above 95%, but for our country this value goes sometimes above 98%. As for the use of pentavalent vaccine, from 2008, DTP-HepB-Hib, also the coverage of Hepatitis b vaccine is always at upper levels due to its use on 5 in 1 combination. The application of this vaccine was associated with the use of one dose vial administration, therefore one vaccine to a child. Immunization coverage for vaccines with measles component remains at very high levels for both doses of vaccine, more then 95%. Immunization coverage for vaccines with DTP component exceeds 95% rate at country level, for each district it exceeds 95% and it reaches the value of 98.5% for the last two years. During the last years the vaccine coverage is increased significantly as a result of using combined vaccine of DTP-HepB -Hib. The use of one dose vials has played an important role on sustaininig and increasing vaccination coverage.

Abstract 845: The role of childhood immunizations and infections on the risk of pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma

Abstract Background: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare, highly malignant childhood cancer with an annual incidence of four cases per million and approximately 350 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. annually. Due to its rarity, relatively little is known about the etiology of this childhood malignancy. Early immunologic challenges such as immunizations and infections have been hypothesized to be protective in certain malignancies. To our knowledge, these associations have not been studied in relation to childhood RMS risk. The purpose of our study was to better characterize the association between childhood immunizations and infections and RMS risk using data from the largest case-control study of RMS to date. Materials and Methods: Cases (n = 322) were previously enrolled in the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study, which became a part of the Children's Oncology Group in 2000. Controls (n = 322) were selected by random-digit telephone dialing and pair-matched to cases on race, sex, and age. We evaluated RMS risk based on whether parents reported that their child was up-to-date on immunizations and had completed their DPT (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus), oral polio, and MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) series. In addition, we evaluated whether the child ever had previous infections including mumps, pneumonia, rubella, rubeola, pertussis, tuberculosis, meningitis, scarlet fever, and chickenpox. Conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each exposure, adjusted for age, race, and sex. Results: Having up-to-date immunizations had a protective effect on childhood RMS (aOR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.11-0.44). More specifically, children who did not receive the complete vaccination series of DPT (aOR = 1.70 95% CI: 1.18-2.50) or did not receive the MMR vaccine (aOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.04-2.44) had an increased risk of being diagnosed with childhood RMS. Most infectious conditions examined were negatively associated with childhood RMS; however, these findings were not statistically significant (p&amp;gt;0.05). Conclusions: This is the first study of its kind to provide evidence that receiving childhood immunizations may be protective against RMS risk. Although the effect estimates suggested a possible protective role of childhood infections against RMS risk, these findings were not statistically significant. Future studies will be needed to further evaluate the role of immunizations and childhood infections in the development of this tumor. Citation Format: Hari Sankaran, Heather Danysh, Michael E. Scheurer, M. Fatih Okcu, Philip J. Lupo. The role of childhood immunizations and infections on the risk of pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 845. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-845

A cluster randomised controlled trial of a web based decision aid to support parents’ decisions about their child's Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of a web based decision aid versus a leaflet versus, usual practice in reducing parents’ decisional conflict for the first dose MMR vaccination decision. The, impact on MMR vaccine uptake was also explored. DesignThree-arm cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting: Fifty GP practices in the north of, England. Participants: 220 first time parents making a first dose MMR decision. Interventions: Web, based MMR decision aid plus usual practice, MMR leaflet plus usual practice versus usual practice only, (control). Main outcome measures: Decisional conflict was the primary outcome and used as the, measure of parents’ levels of informed decision-making. MMR uptake was a secondary outcome. ResultsDecisional conflict decreased post-intervention for both intervention arms to a level where, parents could make an informed MMR decision (decision aid: effect estimate=1.09, 95% CI −1.36 to −0.82; information leaflet: effect estimate=−0.67, 95% CI −0.88 to −0.46). Trial arm was significantly, associated (p<0.001) with decisional conflict at post-intervention. Vaccination uptake was 100%, 91%, and 99% in the decision aid, leaflet and control arms, respectively (χ2 (1, N=203)=8.69; p=0.017). Post-hoc tests revealed a statistically significant difference in uptake between the information leaflet, and the usual practice arms (p=0.04), and a near statistically significant difference between the, decision aid and leaflet arms (p=0.05). ConclusionsParents’ decisional conflict was reduced in both, the decision aid and leaflet arms. The decision aid also prompted parents to act upon that decision and, vaccinate their child. Achieving both outcomes is fundamental to the integration of immunisation, decision aids within routine practice. Trial registration: ISRCTN72521372.

Type 1 diabetes and measles, mumps and rubella childhood infections within the Italian Insulin‐dependent Diabetes Registry

Several studies confirmed the growing rate of Type 1 diabetes mellitus in childhood coinciding with increasing diagnosis of viral infections. A study investigating the incidence of Type 1 diabetes during 1996-1997 showed a higher notification of viral infections in the Pavia District. The aim was to confirm these results. This study evaluated the relationship between new cases of Type 1 diabetes and those of measles, mumps and rubella in 1996-2001, analysing data of newly-diagnosed Type 1 diabetes children, aged 0-14 years and enrolled into the RIDI (Italian Insulin-dependent Diabetes Registry) during the same years. Measles, rubella and mumps rates were calculated using as denominator the estimated 'population at risk', represented by the number of 0- to 14 year-old subjects who did not undergo the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination. In order to investigate the association between Type 1 diabetes incidence and measles, rubella and mumps respectively, Spearman's rank correlation was used. The analysis of the whole Registries data did not at first show any statistical significance between age-standardized Type 1 diabetes incidence density and estimated rates of measles, mumps and rubella notifications. Excluding data from Sardinia Registry, a significant association was observed between Type 1 diabetes incidence and mumps (P = 0.034) and rubella (P = 0.014), respectively, while there was no statistical significance between the incidence of measles cases and diabetes rates (P = 0.269). According to our findings, mumps and rubella viral infections are associated with the onset of Type 1 diabetes. The statistical significance observed after exclusion of the Sardinian data suggests that other environmental factors may operate over populations with different genetic susceptibility.

Free to Choose but Liable for the Consequences: Should Non-Vaccinators Be Penalized for the Harm They Do?

Can parents who choose not to vaccinate their children be held legally liable for any harm that results? The state of laboratory and epidemiological understanding of a disease such as measles makes it likely that a persuasive causal link can be established between a decision to not vaccinate, a failure to take appropriate precautions to isolate a non-vaccinated child who may have been exposed to measles from highly vulnerable persons, and a death. This paper argues that, even if a parent chooses to not vaccinate a child under a state law permitting exemptions, that decision does not create complete protection against liability for the adverse consequences of that choice.

The establishment of a highly sensitive ELISA for detecting bovine serum albumin (BSA) based on a specific pair of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and its application in vaccine quality control

A highly sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantifying BSA was established, based on two mAbs that recognize different epitopes on a BSA molecule. Our ELISA system was used to detect BSA concentrations in several vaccines, such as the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, hepatitis A vaccine, and hepatitis B vaccine. Moreover, we compared the mAb ELISA and the present pAb ELISA by detecting BSA standards and bovine serum samples. The results showed that our ELISA system was in good accordance with the pAb ELISA system. A pair of mAbs (FMU-BSA NO.6 and FMU-BSA NO.11) from 11 murine hybridomas secreting BSA-specific mAbs was selected for the development of the sandwich ELISA. The detection limit of this quantitative assay reaches 0.38 μg/L, which is 10-fold more sensitive than those previously reported. The quantitative range of BSA concentration is from 0.5 to 40 μg/L, which is comparable to the currently used polyclonal antibody (pAb) ELISA. Intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient variations are both lower than 10% at the three concentrations used (10, 20, and 40 μg/L). Thus, the mAb sandwich ELISA developed herein may provide a stable, precise, and highly sensitive method for quantifying BSA, which is very useful in the quality control of some vaccines.

Use of the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register for vaccine safety data linkage

We linked the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) to South Australian (SA) hospital outcome data in order to evaluate the association between Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) and Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis (DTP) vaccines and convulsions. Linkage occurred using probabilistic matching and data was analysed using the self-controlled case series methodology. An increase in febrile convulsions 6–11 days post-MMR vaccination was demonstrated which equates to a vaccine-attributable risk of 1 convulsion per 6753 vaccines. This study confirms the known association between MMR vaccination and febrile convulsions and in doing so demonstrates the feasibility of using the ACIR for data linkage and vaccine safety surveillance.

Practice research

Measles mumps and rubella (MMR) are serious infectiousdiseases, which can be prevented by effective immunisation(MMR vaccine) of the young population. However, if immu-nisation coverage against MMR is less than the 95% recom- mended by World Health Organization, measles could become an epidemic, resulting in a high number of suscepti- ble children getting the disease.1In 2005, vaccine uptake in UK was 82%, 2 but in Libya, where the Wakefield study had not been publicised widely,3 the uptake was 97%.2 The aim of this research was to explore the factors that influenced the Libyan and the British parents’ decision to vaccinate their children with MMR, how they determined risk-taking and decision-making processes, and how these were shaped by different sociocultural context (having very dissimilar health systems, educational systems and socialstructure).