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Martin LJ, Galanis I, Lepp T, Lindstrand A. Estimated number of reported vaccine-preventable disease cases averted following the introduction of routine vaccination programs in Sweden, 1910-2019. Eur J Public Health 2023; 33:1188-1193. [PMID: 37883058 PMCID: PMC10710358 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckad169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Routine childhood vaccination programs have had enormous positive public health impacts worldwide. However, in some areas, these benefits may be impeded by vaccine hesitancy and undervaccination. We estimated the number of reported cases of measles, pertussis, mumps and poliomyelitis averted in Sweden after the introduction of routine childhood vaccination programs. METHODS We used annual national data on population size and the number of reported cases of measles (1911-2019), pertussis (1911-2019), mumps (1914-2019) and poliomyelitis (1910-2019) for Sweden. For each disease, we calculated the median and 95% confidence interval of the annual pre-vaccination incidence to estimate the number of counterfactual cases; that is, the estimated number of cases that would have been observed in the post-vaccination period had no vaccine been introduced (median incidence × average annual population). For the post-vaccination periods, we calculated reported cases averted and assumed all decreases were due to vaccines. RESULTS In total, for all four diseases combined, over 2.1 million cases were reported over the respective surveillance periods. Since the introduction of vaccinations, we estimate that over 1.5 million reported cases of these four diseases combined have been averted: measles (633 091), pertussis (608 670), mumps (262 951) and poliomyelitis (58 240). However, due to underreporting, especially during pre-vaccination years, these are likely underestimates. CONCLUSIONS Since the introduction of these routine childhood vaccination programs in Sweden, a substantial number of reported cases of vaccine-preventable diseases have been averted. Vigilance against both failure to vaccinate and undervaccination is necessary to prevent future increases of these vaccine-preventable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tiia Lepp
- Public Health Agency of Sweden, Solna, Sweden
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McDonald SA, van Wijhe M, de Melker H, van Meijeren D, Wallinga J. Regional differences in historical diphtheria and scarlet fever notification rates in The Netherlands, 1905-1925: a spatial-temporal analysis. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230966. [PMID: 38034127 PMCID: PMC10685107 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We describe how rates of two frequently occurring notifiable diseases-diphtheria and scarlet fever-varied between regions of The Netherlands in the early twentieth century, and identify potential factors underlying this variation. METHODS Digitized weekly mandatory notification data for 1905-1925, municipality level, were aggregated into 27 'spatial units' defined by unique combinations of province and population density category (high: more than 4500; mid : 1250-4500; low: less than 1250 inhabitants km-2). Generalized additive regression models were fitted to estimate the associations between notification rates and population density, infant mortality rate and household income, while adjusting for temporal trends per spatial unit. RESULTS Annual per capita notification rates for both diphtheria and scarlet fever tended to rise from the beginning of the period 1905-1925 until peaking around 1918/1919. Adjusted diphtheria notification rates were higher for high- and mid- compared with low-density municipalities (by 71.6 cases per 100 000, 95% confidence interval (CI) : 52.7-90.5; 39.0/100 k, 95% CI : 24.7-53.3, respectively). Scarlet fever showed similar associations with population density (35.7 cases per 100 000, 95% CI : 9.4-62.0; 21.4/100 k, 95% CI: 1.5-41.3). CONCLUSIONS There was considerable spatial variation in notification rates for both diseases in early twentieth century Netherlands, which could partly be explained by factors capturing variation in living conditions and socio-economic circumstances. These findings aid understanding of contemporary respiratory infection transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A. McDonald
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten van Wijhe
- PandemiX Center, Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Hester de Melker
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Dimphey van Meijeren
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Jacco Wallinga
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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van Lier A, de Gier B, McDonald SA, Mangen MJJ, van Wijhe M, Sanders EAM, Kretzschmar ME, van Vliet H, de Melker HE. Disease burden of varicella versus other vaccine-preventable diseases before introduction of vaccination into the national immunisation programme in the Netherlands. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 24. [PMID: 31064637 PMCID: PMC6505181 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2019.24.18.1800363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Estimating burden of disease (BoD) is an essential first step in the decision-making process on introducing new vaccines into national immunisation programmes (NIPs). For varicella, a common vaccine-preventable disease, BoD in the Netherlands was unknown. Aim To assess national varicella BoD and compare it to BoD of other vaccine-preventable diseases before their introduction in the NIP. Methods In this health estimates reporting study, BoD was expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) using methodology from the Burden of Communicable Diseases in Europe (BCoDE)-project. As no parameters/disease model for varicella (including herpes zoster) were available in the BCoDE toolkit, incidence, disease progression model and parameters were derived from seroprevalence, healthcare registries and published data. For most other diseases, BoD was estimated with existing BCoDE-parameters, adapted to the Netherlands if needed. Results In 2017, the estimated BoD of varicella in the Netherlands was 1,800 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 1,800–1,900) DALYs. Herpes zoster mainly contributed to this BoD (1,600 DALYs; 91%), which was generally lower than the BoD of most current NIP diseases in the year before their introduction into the NIP. However, BoD for varicella was higher than for rotavirus gastroenteritis (1,100; 95%UI: 440–2,200 DALYs) and meningococcal B disease (620; 95%UI: 490–770 DALYs), two other potential NIP candidates. Conclusions When considering the introduction of a new vaccine in the NIP, BoD is usually estimated in isolation. The current approach assesses BoD in relation to other vaccine-preventable diseases’ BoD, which may help national advisory committees on immunisation and policymakers to set vaccination priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alies van Lier
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Brechje de Gier
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Scott A McDonald
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Marie-Josée J Mangen
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Maarten van Wijhe
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.,Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Elisabeth A M Sanders
- Department of Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, Netherlands.,Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Mirjam E Kretzschmar
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Hans van Vliet
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Hester E de Melker
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
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Sharma NC, Efstratiou A, Mokrousov I, Mutreja A, Das B, Ramamurthy T. Diphtheria. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2019; 5:81. [PMID: 31804499 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-019-0131-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Diphtheria is a potentially fatal infection mostly caused by toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains and occasionally by toxigenic C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis strains. Diphtheria is generally an acute respiratory infection, characterized by the formation of a pseudomembrane in the throat, but cutaneous infections are possible. Systemic effects, such as myocarditis and neuropathy, which are associated with increased fatality risk, are due to diphtheria toxin, an exotoxin produced by the pathogen that inhibits protein synthesis and causes cell death. Clinical diagnosis is confirmed by the isolation and identification of the causative Corynebacterium spp., usually by bacterial culture followed by enzymatic and toxin detection tests. Diphtheria can be treated with the timely administration of diphtheria antitoxin and antimicrobial therapy. Although effective vaccines are available, this disease has the potential to re-emerge in countries where the recommended vaccination programmes are not sustained, and increasing proportions of adults are becoming susceptible to diphtheria. Thousands of diphtheria cases are still reported annually from several countries in Asia and Africa, along with many outbreaks. Changes in the epidemiology of diphtheria have been reported worldwide. The prevalence of toxigenic Corynebacterium spp. highlights the need for proper clinical and epidemiological investigations to quickly identify and treat affected individuals, along with public health measures to prevent and contain the spread of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naresh Chand Sharma
- Laboratory Department, Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital, Delhi, India
| | - Androulla Efstratiou
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Diphtheria and Streptococcal Infections, Reference Microbiology Division, Public Health England, London, UK
| | - Igor Mokrousov
- Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Ankur Mutreja
- Global Health-Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bhabatosh Das
- Infection and Immunology Division, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India
| | - Thandavarayan Ramamurthy
- Infection and Immunology Division, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India.
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van Wijhe M, de Boer PT, de Jong HJ, van Vliet H, Wallinga J, Postma MJ. Trends in governmental expenditure on vaccination programmes in the Netherlands, a historical analysis. Vaccine 2019; 37:5698-5707. [PMID: 31420172 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.07.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health economic evaluations are often required before implementing a vaccination programme. Such evaluations rarely consider the historical context of a vaccination programme. We review the financial history of vaccination programmes in the Netherlands, and compare these to demographic and macroeconomic developments as well as avoided mortality burden. METHODS Previously uncatalogued historical expenditures on the Dutch National Immunisation Programme (NIP) and influenza vaccination were obtained from official reports. Costs were adjusted for inflation using Consumer Price Indices and expressed in Euro of 2016. Estimates on mortality burden averted were obtained from previous research and used to calculate the ratio of expenses to averted mortality burden for vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella for birth cohorts 1953-1992. RESULTS Developments towards a uniform government funded NIP started early 1950s with vaccinations against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, culminating in its official launch in 1957 together with polio vaccinations. Since the 1980s, expenditure increased nearly five-fold mostly due to the addition of new vaccines, while spending on already implemented vaccinations tended to decline. Overall, expenditure increased from € 5 million in 1957 to € 93 million in 2014. Relative to total healthcare expenditure, the NIP contributed little, ranging between 0.05% and 0.14%. Spending on influenza vaccination increased from € 37 million in 1996 to € 52 million in 2014, while relative to total healthcare expenditure it decreased from 0.069% to 0.055%. In 2014, 0.15% of healthcare expenditure and € 533 per birth was spent on vaccination programmes. Overall, for birth cohorts 1953-1992, € 5.4 thousand (95% confidence interval: 4.0-7.3) was expended per year-of-life-lost averted. CONCLUSION The actual costs per year-of-life gained are more favorable than estimated here since averted medical costs were not included. Although expenditure on vaccination programmes increased substantially, the contribution to overall healthcare expenditure remained small.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten van Wijhe
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Unit of PharmacoTherapy, -Epidemiology & -Economics, University of Groningen, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Science and the Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Pieter T de Boer
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Herman J de Jong
- Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hans van Vliet
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Jacco Wallinga
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Maarten J Postma
- Unit of PharmacoTherapy, -Epidemiology & -Economics, University of Groningen, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, Groningen, the Netherlands; Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Seth-Smith HMB, Egli A. Whole Genome Sequencing for Surveillance of Diphtheria in Low Incidence Settings. Front Public Health 2019; 7:235. [PMID: 31497588 PMCID: PMC6713046 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Corynebacterium diphtheriae (C. diphtheriae) is a relatively rare pathogen in most Western countries. While toxin producing strains can cause pharyngeal diphtheria with potentially fatal outcomes, the more common presentation is wound infections. The diphtheria toxin is encoded on a prophage and can also be carried by Corynebacterium ulcerans and Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. Currently, across Europe, infections are mainly diagnosed in travelers and refugees from regions where diphtheria is more endemic, patients from urban areas with poor hygiene, and intravenous drug users. About half of the cases are non-toxin producing isolates. Rapid identification of the bacterial pathogen and toxin production is a critical element of patient and outbreak management. Beside the immediate clinical management of the patient, public health agencies should be informed of toxigenic C. diphtheriae diagnoses as soon as possible. The collection of case-related epidemiological data from the patient is often challenging due to language barriers and social circumstances. However, information on patient contacts, vaccine status and travel/refugee route, where appropriate, is critical, and should be documented. In addition, isolates should be characterized using high resolution typing, in order to identify transmissions and outbreaks. In recent years, whole genome sequencing (WGS) has become the gold standard of high-resolution typing methods, allowing detailed investigations of pathogen transmissions. De-centralized sequencing strategies with redundancy in sequencing capacities, followed by data exchange may be a valuable future option, especially since WGS becomes more available and portable. In this context, the sharing of sequence data, using public available platforms, is essential. A close interaction between microbiology laboratories, treating physicians, refugee centers, social workers, and public health officials is a key element in successful management of suspected outbreaks. Analyzing bacterial isolates at reference centers may further help to provide more specialized microbiological techniques and to standardize information, but this is also more time consuming during an outbreak. Centralized communication strategies between public health agencies and laboratories helps considerably in establishing and coordinating effective surveillance and infection control. We review the current literature on high-resolution typing of C. diphtheriae and share our own experience with the coordination of a Swiss-German outbreak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena M. B. Seth-Smith
- Division of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Applied Microbiology Research, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Egli
- Division of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Applied Microbiology Research, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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