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Lucero-Prisno DE, Shomuyiwa DO, Vicente CR, Méndez MJG, Qaderi S, Lopez JC, Mogessie YG, Alacapa J, Chamlagai L, Ndayizeye R, Kinay P. Achieving herd immunity in South America. Glob Health Res Policy 2023; 8:2. [PMID: 36726143 PMCID: PMC9891655 DOI: 10.1186/s41256-023-00286-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
South America, once an epicenter of COVID-19, has stayed on the road of continued management of the pandemic. The region initially struggled to cope with the pandemic as it experienced spiraling numbers of infections and overwhelmed public health systems. South America has risen in its pandemic response to be the region with the highest global vaccination rate. The region posed a strong vaccination drive, with over 76% of its population fully vaccinated with the initial protocol. South America leveraged its deeply rooted vaccination culture and public health confidence among its population. Herd immunity is an integral concept in population infectious disease management. Attaining herd immunity is presently not feasible with available vaccines, but the high vaccination rate in the region depicts the acceptance of vaccination as a strategy for population protection. The availability of effective transmission-blocking vaccines, the continuous implementation of strategies that will enable the undisrupted supply of the vaccines, equity in access to the vaccines, improved vaccine acceptance, and trust in the vaccination and public health systems will help shepherd the region towards herd immunity. Local vaccine production backed with investment in infrastructure and international collaboration for research and knowledge development will also drive population safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno
- grid.8991.90000 0004 0425 469XDepartment of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK ,grid.449732.f0000 0001 0164 8851Faculty of Management and Development Studies, University of the Philippines Open University, Los Banos, Laguna Philippines ,grid.10223.320000 0004 1937 0490Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Creuza Rachel Vicente
- grid.412371.20000 0001 2167 4168Department of Social Medicine, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil ,grid.412371.20000 0001 2167 4168Postgraduate Program in Infectious Diseases, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
| | | | - Shohra Qaderi
- grid.2515.30000 0004 0378 8438Maternal Fetal Care Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Jaifred Christian Lopez
- grid.26009.3d0000 0004 1936 7961Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
| | - Yidnekachew Girma Mogessie
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA ,Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Jason Alacapa
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Lila Chamlagai
- grid.40263.330000 0004 1936 9094School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI USA
| | - Remy Ndayizeye
- grid.253615.60000 0004 1936 9510George Washington University, Washington, DC USA
| | - Pelin Kinay
- grid.139596.10000 0001 2167 8433School of Climate Change and Adaptation, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada
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Association between RNAm-Based COVID-19 Vaccines and Permanency of Menstrual Cycle Alterations in Spanish Women: A Cross-Sectional Study. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11111579. [PMID: 36358280 PMCID: PMC9687584 DOI: 10.3390/biology11111579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to delve more deeply into the medium and long-term relation between mRNA-based vaccines and changes in menstrual pain, cycle length, and amount of bleeding in Spanish women. Material and Methods: A total of 746 women (63% between 18−30 and 37% between 31−45 years old) participated in the study. A numerical rating scale was used for recording pain intensity, a pictorial chart for menstrual bleeding, and data from menstrual cycle duration, type of vaccine, number of doses and time from vaccination. Results: Sixty-five per cent of the women perceived changes in their menstrual cycle after receiving the vaccines, irrespective of type of vaccine or number of doses; all p values were >0.05. Most of them (n = 316 out of 484) reported more than one alteration in their menstrual cycle. Almost half of the participants had been vaccinated over 5 months (45%), 3−4 months (15%) 2−3 months (26%), and one month or less (13%) before. The percentage of women that reported alterations remained strongly constant across time, p > 0.05, ranging from 64 to 65%. Conclusions: Reported alterations in Spanish women after COVID vaccination remained more than 5 months after the last dose.
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