My journey: learning to blog

Today, I would like to write on my own and take you through memory lane of blogging experience in science. Let me try to connect you to a recent event. A week back, i attended a course on vaccinology, which was a great learning experience for me. There were about 100 participants from Africa and Asia - Pacific regions. Apart from talks on serious science related to immunology and conduct of clinical trials in developing countries, I enjoyed the talks on the role of communication, vaccine hesitancy and social media. I also agree, the component of communication is either neglected or not in the picture in majority of project that i am aware of. Even if this important component that relates directly with how we communicate or inform community on essential key information comes to managers only when something error or events come to the notice of public purview through local newspapers. I did not realize that vaccine hesitancy is to such extent that it is a global public health problem. I also came to understand that the confidence level for vaccine is eroded due to various reasons.

The reason, i am sharing this experience is simply because it made me think, what is my real intent of blogging? Actually, i started blogging in Nepal since 2009. I came to know of blogging for the first time from a visitor to a organization that i was working with. Being a surveillance medical officer, i was assigned to accompany a CDC expert, whose role was to assess the surveillance ongoing in Nepal. We traveled, i guess, for  a whole two weeks in hilly districts of Eastern Developmental Region. It was a great learning experience. We enjoyed as well as worked hard to perform what we were assigned for. After returning back to KTM, we shared our experiences and our expert shared his experience in a blog as a story with pictures taken during our visit. That was the first time i came across the idea of blogging. This opened me world of writing and sharing story. For a couple of months, i could post some pictures or short post, but I was not in a habit of writing regularly. Even now, i struggle a lot especially to write on some theme with story or message.

As years rolled passed, i tried  hard to blog regularly. However, i was not able to perform well in terms of blogging effectively. Now, i realize that it was due to simply not planning well or writing regularly as I was supposed to do. Also, i was not telling my stories with message or sharing important public health events of public interest. After, I joined IVI in the year 2011, i started to regain the lost or little interest of active blogging. It was only after getting in touch with colleagues from communication or even serious writers, i came to realize that in order to survive in a world of academic i need to religiously start writing in whatever capacity i should. Over the months, the only problem with me was that idea was overwhelming that i need to write but in reality, i was not delivering in terms of original write ups to share. This is bad, as always, only thinking but not doing what i am supposed to be in deed.

I was struggling to be a blogger. Somewhere in the mid of 2013, there was a workshop on writing science organized by Communication & Advocacy team. The trainer was a senior science writer from BMJ. He was one guy who kindled the value of any thing written if you have story to tell in whatever form and size you are able to. This was a turning point that i started to seriously blog and became a bit regular posting anything i was able to. Over months, i came to realize out of complacency, i was just posting in a copy and paste fashion. This was not any original writing with story except some videos or events from other websites. I asked to myself, it is like plagiarism or something of sort like laziness? Deep down, i was not satisfied. However, one good thing that was on track was the number of visitors or number of flags suggesting there were visitors from various countries. One the other hand, i thought, am i doing justice to visitor, who spend few second of their time to explore what my blog has to offer !! It is also important that " First impression is the last impression". Now, I seriously understand the value of originality and story to tell that has message.

Finally, these days, i am enjoying writing and I am happy, i have managed to come to this stage to realize the value of writing and sharing stories of whatever event or accident or outbreak anywhere in my country.

Mantra:

1. Write Write & Write
2. Read Read & Read
3. Collaborate Coordinate and Communicate

What is Viral Hepatitis?

Online Q&A

Updated June 2013

Q: What is hepatitis?

A: Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a viral infection. There are five main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. These five types are of greatest concern because of the burden of illness and death they cause and the potential for outbreaks and epidemic spread. In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and, together, are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Hepatitis A and E are typically caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Hepatitis B, C and D usually occur as a result of parenteral contact with infected body fluids. Common modes of transmission for these viruses include receipt of contaminated blood or blood products, invasive medical procedures using contaminated equipment and for hepatitis B transmission from mother to baby at birth, from family member to child, and also by sexual contact.

Acute infection may occur with limited or no symptoms, or may include symptoms such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Q: What are the different hepatitis viruses?

A: Scientists have identified five unique hepatitis viruses, identified by the letters A, B, C, D, and E. While all cause liver disease, they vary in important ways.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is present in the faeces of infected persons and is most often transmitted through consumption of contaminated water or food. Certain sex practices can also spread HAV. Infections are in many cases mild, with most people making a full recovery and remaining immune from further HAV infections. However, HAV infections can also be severe and life threatening. Most people in areas of the world with poor sanitation have been infected with this virus. Safe and effective vaccines are available to prevent HAV.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is transmitted through exposure to infective blood, semen, and other body fluids. HBV can be transmitted from infected mothers to infants at the time of birth or from family member to infant in early childhood. Transmission may also occur through transfusions of HBV-contaminated blood and blood products, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injection drug use. HBV also poses a risk to healthcare workers who sustain accidental needle stick injuries while caring for infected-HBV patients. A safe and effective vaccine is available to prevent HBV.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is mostly also transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This may happen through transfusions of HCV-contaminated blood and blood products, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injection drug use. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common. There is no vaccine for HCV.

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infections occur only in those who are infected with HBV. The dual infection of HDV and HBV can result in a more serious disease and worse outcome. Safe and effective hepatitis B vaccines provide protection from HDV infection.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), like HAV, is mostly transmitted through consumption of contaminated water or food. HEV is a common cause of hepatitis outbreaks in developing parts of the world and is increasingly recognized as an important cause of disease in developed countries. Safe and effective vaccines to prevent HEV infection have been developed but are not widely available.

Source: http://www.who.int/features/qa/76/en/

This is how you turn an idea into a product that saves lives. pic.twitter.com/2mj9u7E3Hg

— Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) April 23, 2014

I couldn’t agree more: Vaccines are one of the cheapest ways to save lives. via @UNICEF pic.twitter.com/akyq5adLco

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) April 22, 2014

@DCTang12 nasal spray holds hope in FIGHTINH Flue epidemic http://t.co/UtMjgvow4c

— Anuj Bhattachan (@Yeti4mNepal) April 20, 2014

World Health Day 2014

World TB Day: Reach the 3 million_ LIVESTREAM from LSTMH, London

Watch live streaming video from lshtm at livestream.com

Key Facts: Tuberculosis

• Tuberculosis (TB) is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent.
• In 2012, 8.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.3 million died from TB.
• Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and it is among the top three causes of death for women aged 15 to 44.
• In 2012, an estimated 530 000 children became ill with TB and 74 000 HIV-negative children died of TB.
• TB is a leading killer of people living with HIV causing one fifth of all deaths.
• Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) is present in virtually all countries surveyed.
• The estimated number of people falling ill with tuberculosis each year is declining, although very slowly, which means that the world is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal to reverse the spread of TB by 2015.
• The TB death rate dropped 45% between 1990 and 2012.
• An estimated 22 million lives saved through use of DOTS and the Stop TB Strategy recommended by WHO

Source for further details: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs104/en/

TB profile of Nepal: http://www.who.int/tb/country/data/profiles/en/

CDC Grand Rounds: Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

Measles

Key facts

• Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available.
• In 2012, there were 122 000 measles deaths globally – about 330 deaths every day or 14 deaths every hour.
• Measles vaccination resulted in a 78% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2012 worldwide.
• In 2012, about 84% of the world's children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services – up from 72% in 2000.
• Since 2000, more than 1 billion children in high risk countries were vaccinated against the disease through mass vaccination campaigns ― about 145 million of them in 2012.

---

Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a virus. In 1980, before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.

It remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. Approximately 122 000 people died from measles in 2012 – mostly children under the age of five.

Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. The measles virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and lungs. Measles is a human disease and is not known to occur in animals.

Accelerated immunization activities have had a major impact on reducing measles deaths. Since 2000, more than one billion children in high risk countries were vaccinated against the disease through mass vaccination campaigns ― about 145 million of them in 2012. Global measles deaths have decreased by 78% from an estimated 562 400 to 122 000.

Signs and symptoms

The first sign of measles is usually a high fever, which begins about 10 to 12 days after exposure to the virus, and lasts four to seven days. A runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks can develop in the initial stage. After several days, a rash erupts, usually on the face and upper neck. Over about three days, the rash spreads, eventually reaching the hands and feet. The rash lasts for 5 to 6 days, and then fades. On average, the rash occurs 14 days after exposure to the virus (within a range of seven to 18 days).

Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children, especially those with insufficient vitamin A, or whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases.

Most measles-related deaths are caused by complications associated with the disease. Complications are more common in children under the age of five, or adults over the age of 20. The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, ear infections, or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. As high as 10% of measles cases result in death among populations with high levels of malnutrition and a lack of adequate health care. Women infected while pregnant are also at risk of severe complications and the pregnancy may end in miscarriage or preterm delivery. People who recover from measles are immune for the rest of their lives.

Who is at risk?

Unvaccinated young children are at highest risk of measles and its complications, including death. Unvaccinated pregnant women are also at risk. Any non-immune person (who has not been vaccinated or was vaccinated but did not develop immunity) can become infected.

Measles is still common in many developing countries – particularly in parts of Africa and Asia. More than 20 million people are affected by measles each year. The overwhelming majority (more than 95%) of measles deaths occur in countries with low per capita incomes and weak health infrastructures.

Measles outbreaks can be particularly deadly in countries experiencing or recovering from a natural disaster or conflict. Damage to health infrastructure and health services interrupts routine immunization, and overcrowding in residential camps greatly increases the risk of infection.

Transmission

The highly contagious virus is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions.

The virus remains active and contagious in the air or on infected surfaces for up to two hours. It can be transmitted by an infected person from four days prior to the onset of the rash to four days after the rash erupts.

Measles outbreaks can result in epidemics that cause many deaths, especially among young, malnourished children. In countries where measles has been largely eliminated, cases imported from other countries remain an important source of infection.

Treatment

No specific antiviral treatment exists for measles virus.

Severe complications from measles can be avoided though supportive care that ensures good nutrition, adequate fluid intake and treatment of dehydration with WHO-recommended oral rehydration solution. This solution replaces fluids and other essential elements that are lost through diarrhoea or vomiting. Antibiotics should be prescribed to treat eye and ear infections, and pneumonia.

All children in developing countries diagnosed with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements, given 24 hours apart. This treatment restores low vitamin A levels during measles that occur even in well-nourished children and can help prevent eye damage and blindness. Vitamin A supplements have been shown to reduce the number of deaths from measles by 50%.

Prevention

Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with high case and death rates, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths. The measles vaccine has been in use for 50 years. It is safe, effective and inexpensive. It costs less than one US dollar to immunize a child against measles.

The measles vaccine is often incorporated with rubella and/or mumps vaccines in countries where these illnesses are problems. It is equally effective in the single or combined form.

In 2012, about 84% of the world's children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services – up from 72% in 2000. Two doses of the vaccine are recommended to ensure immunity and prevent outbreaks, as about 15% of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose.

WHO response

The fourth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 4) aims to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. Recognizing the potential of measles vaccination to reduce child mortality, and given that measles vaccination coverage can be considered a marker of access to child health services, routine measles vaccination coverage has been selected as an indicator of progress towards achieving MDG 4.

Overwhelming evidence demonstrates the benefit of providing universal access to measles and rubella-containing vaccines. Globally, an estimated 562 400 children died of measles in 2000. By 2012, the global push to improve vaccine coverage resulted in a 78% reduction in deaths. Since 2000, with support from the Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&R Initiative) over 1 billion children have been reached through mass vaccination campaigns ― about 145 million of them in 2012.

The M&R Initiative is a collaborative effort of WHO, UNICEF, the American Red Cross, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United Nations Foundation to support countries to achieve measles and rubella control goals.

In 2012, the MR Initiative launched a new Global Measles and Rubella Strategic Plan which covers the period 2012-2020. The Plan includes new global goals for 2015 and 2020:

By the end of 2015

• To reduce global measles deaths by at least 95% compared with 2000 levels.
• To achieve regional measles and rubella/congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) elimination goals.

By the end of 2020

• To achieve measles and rubella elimination in at least five WHO regions.

The strategy focuses on the implementation of five core components:

• achieve and maintain high vaccination coverage with two doses of measles- and rubella-containing vaccines;
• monitor the disease using effective surveillance, and evaluate programmatic efforts to ensure progress and the positive impact of vaccination activities;
• develop and maintain outbreak preparedness, rapid response to outbreaks and the effective treatment of cases;
• communicate and engage to build public confidence and demand for immunization;
• perform the research and development needed to support cost-effective action and improve vaccination and diagnostic tools.

Implementation of the Strategic Plan can protect and improve the lives of children and their mothers throughout the world, rapidly and sustainably. The Plan provides clear strategies for country immunization managers, working with domestic and international partners, to achieve the 2015 and 2020 measles and rubella control and elimination goals. It builds on years of experience in implementing immunization programmes and incorporates lessons from accelerated measles control and polio eradication initiatives.

Source: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/

Microscope at less than NRS 100 !!

 Source: http://www.ted.com/talks/manu_prakash_a_50_cent_microscope_that_folds_like_origami

ADV 2014 Seoul

Have you registered for IVI’s 2014 #AVC yet?: pic.twitter.com/endYNmUQUi

— IVI (@IVIHeadquarters) March 7, 2014

Popularity Stats of "anujinhimalays.blogspot.com"

Target for Dec, 2014 = 20,000 page views

Things to do :

• Increase networking with other bloggers / connect readers through social media (Twitter / FB ? Linkedin)
• Write more of original articles that focus on South Asian Countries
• Invite interested for guest articles
• Upgrade blog and look for prospective partnership

Principle:

1. Read Read and Read
2. Write Write and Write
3. Connect Connect and Connect 

Improving the reach of vaccines to the developing world with Nanopatches

Oral vaccines: making them work in children who need them

WHO DG Speech for Polio Event in India

WHO Director-General celebrates polio-free India

Dr Margaret Chan
Director-General of the World Health Organization

Address at the “India celebrates triumph over polio” event
New Delhi, India 
11 February 2014

His Excellency, the President of India, the honourable Prime Minister of India, honourable Minister of Health and Family Welfare, the President of Rotary International, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I am most pleased to join others in celebrating India’s triumph over polio. Everyone loves a success story, especially one of this magnitude. India has now gone three consecutive years without a single case of polio.

Confidence in this achievement is supported by a world-class surveillance system and a level of vigilance and preparedness ready to manage any imported case as a public health emergency.

In fact, the surveillance system in India not only meets all international standards for high-quality performance. It surpasses them.

After three years, we can say with certainty that the soil of this vast and densely populated country is now free of a virus that killed and crippled children for centuries.

Many critics believed that this day would never come, that the polio virus was too firmly entrenched in India, that India would never be polio free. In their view, India had limited means and unlimited challenges.

They could point to the country’s huge population, high birth rate, dense pockets of poverty, poor sanitation, widespread diarrhoea, difficult terrain, and resistance to vaccination among some groups.

These were real and daunting challenges, but the doubters missed one decisive factor: the power of India’s determination to achieve the impossible, to go from the world’s heaviest burden of polio cases to zero.

Viewed against the challenges, India’s achievement is an epic success story, a proof that any country that really wants to can defeat polio.

Government ownership of the eradication initiative, at union, state, and district levels, was decisive, as were the billions of dollars poured into the effort by the government.

India worked together seamlessly with its international partners, including Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, and WHO, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

A can-do attitude was another reason for success, as witnessed by the unwavering dedication of millions of front-line workers. Vaccinators and religious leaders: I thank you for your service to your own people.

Let me illustrate the magnitude of this achievement with just a few statistics. In the 1970s, India was home to as many as 200 000 polio cases each year. Each nation-wide polio campaign involved the vaccination of nearly 170 million children by an army of 2.3 million vaccinators.

The reporting of suspected polio cases relied on a network of more than 39 000 health facilities from the public, private, and non-traditional sectors.

The need to reach every child meant that every nook and cranny of this vast country was criss-crossed by tireless polio workers. It also meant reaching every child in marginalized and migrant populations.

India, arguably facing the toughest challenges of any polio-endemic country, met each problem with creativity and innovation. In so doing, this country pioneered key operational and technical strategies as lessons for other countries.

India quickly took advantage of new technologies and served as a proving ground for their effectiveness. When better systems to support high-quality performance were needed, India built them. With support from the WHO country office, India built its world-class surveillance system. An efficient and reliable network of laboratories was established to support poliovirus testing and the rapid confirmation of cases.

Millions and millions of vaccinators were supervised and motivated. India also made very good use of another unique asset: its Bollywood film-stars and celebrities.

As the number of cases dwindled and the polio map began to shrink, independent monitoring of progress was introduced to provide a framework for accountability. Meticulous micro-plans were prepared to guide each and every vaccination team, on each and every day of an immunization campaign, ensuring logistical support down to the last detail.

Surveillance and monitoring generated high-quality data. Constant research produced the evidence for the fine-tuning of strategies, another strength of India’s polio programme.

Research improved understanding of the dynamics of transmission in different populations and environments, the effectiveness of different vaccines, and the reasons why some children were being missed. When research determined that vaccine efficacy was compromised in children with severe diarrhoea, social mobilization, led by UNICEF and supported by other partners, was used to educate households on diarrhoea prevention.

Pressure on the poliovirus increased each time a problem was uncovered and solved. In the end, it was the best of human creativity, ingenuity, determination, and perseverance that pushed the poliovirus out of India.

Ladies and gentlemen,

India has shown the world that there is no such thing as impossible. This is likely the greatest lesson, and the greatest inspiration for the rest of the world.

India’s leadership in polio eradication is widely appreciated and warmly welcomed, especially among the 194 Member States of WHO. The country has shared its experiences, best practices, lessons learned, and expert staff with the remaining endemic countries.

The defeat of polio in India paves the way for certification of the entire South-East Asia region as polio-free, possibly at the end of March. When this happens, nearly 80% of the world’s population will be living in countries that are certified polio-free.

The polio-free status of every country remains under threat as long as poliovirus is still circulating anywhere in the world. We still have some way to go. But India provides the decisive proof that eradication is feasible, technically and operationally.

India is fully aware of the need to safeguard its magnificent achievement. Immunization against polio remains high, and emergency preparedness and response plans are in place to respond urgently to any importations.

India will continue its role as a global leader as the Polio Endgame is implemented, including through the introduction of inactivated polio vaccine and the stepwise phasing out of oral polio vaccine.

Right now, the country is using the legacy of its polio success to intensify routine immunization, with a special emphasis on reaching underserved and marginalized populations. The elimination of measles will likely be the next permanent improvement for the health of India’s people.

The 13 January news that India had now gone 3 years without a polio case made headlines around the world. This is a monumental achievement that fully deserves today’s celebration.

Thank you.

Commentary: Science for the poor _ making Vaccines to combat poverty

Peter Hotez, M.D, Ph.D.
The Huffington Post | 11 February 2014

Is it possible to vaccinate against poverty?

According to the World Bank, an estimated 2.4 billion people live on less than $2 per day, while 1.2 billion live on less than $1.25 per day — a group often referred to as “the bottom billion”. We now know that almost all of the bottom billion and many of those living on less than $2 per day remain trapped in poverty because they are chronically debilitated by a group of afflictions known as the neglected tropical diseases, or ‘NTDs’.

NTDs are long-lasting parasitic and related infections such as ascariasis, trichuriasis, hookworm, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, trachoma, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis. The major point is that these NTDs can actually cause poverty either because they make people too sick to go to work and limit agricultural productivity, or because they strike children at vulnerable times, thereby stunting their physical and intellectual development.    NTDs also disproportionately affect pregnant women, making them ill and causing them to produce low birth weight or premature infants.

Beyond their staggering public health impact, the economic losses from NTDs are also impressive: our studies with collaborators at Johns Hopkins University show that Chagas disease results in more than $7 billion lost annually, mostly in the Western Hemisphere. There are similar data available for many other NTDs.

Remember, the NTDs are not rare conditions — virtually every single person living in extreme poverty is infected with at least one of these conditions.

Science can offer a lot to prevent these infections, thereby making poor people well enough to   go back to work, children healthy and intellectually vibrant, and improving pregnancy outcomes. One approach now underway is annual mass treatment with a package of essential medicines that targets several NTDs at once, and costs only 50 cents per person. Although not a true vaccine, the World Health Organization uses the term “preventive chemotherapy” to describe this approach because when used over a period of time, together with other supportive measures, it is actually leading to the elimination of lymphatic filariasis and trachoma, and in some cases even river blindness in dozens of impoverished countries. In collaboration with several international organizations we organized a Global Network for NTDs that is raising awareness about the opportunity for these low-cost preventive chemotherapy approaches.

For other NTDs, however, we need new technologies. In 2011 the Sabin Vaccine Institute allied with Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine to expand its development portfolio of new and novel vaccines to combat NTDs. The result is the expansion of a unique non-profit product development partnership that is located in Houston’s Texas Medical Center — a medical city of 100,000 people — to transition discoveries from the bench to the clinic and produce the next generation ‘antipoverty vaccines’, i.e. vaccines that would not only improve health but simultaneously also lift people out of poverty. For example, hookworm infection affects more than 400 million people in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, where it is a leading cause of anemia and childhood malnutrition, and has been shown to reduce future wage earnings. Our product development partnership, through activities led by Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, has developed, transitioned, and produced a prototype hookworm vaccine undergoing clinical trials in Brazil, and will soon undergo additional testing in Gabon through a so-called HOOKVAC consortium of European and African partners. We are also working to evaluate and modify the vaccine so it targets additional parasitic infections such as ascariasis and trichuriasis.
Finally, a new schistosomiasis vaccine is under development and will soon begin clinical trials.

Nor is poverty exclusive to developing countries or failed nations. Today, almost two million families in the United States live on less than $2 per day and poverty is rampant in southern states such as Texas and others along the Gulf Coast. We found that NTDs are also widespread among these impoverished Americans. For example 300,000 people in the United States suffer from Chagas disease, a cause of heart disease transmitted by kissing bugs — our group, which includes a consortium of Mexican institutions, is now working to develop one of the first Chagas disease vaccines for clinical trials.

Dr. Albert Sabin, whose name and legacy our Institute honors once said, “A scientist who is a human being cannot rest while knowledge which might reduce suffering rests on the shelf.” Our Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development is one of six major international product development partnerships currently pioneering vaccine development in the non-profit sector. Together we are making the vaccines for diseases that affect millions if not billions but only those living in extreme poverty.

Almost thirty years ago I graduated from New York’s Rockefeller University, whose motto is Scientia pro bono humani generis – science for the benefit of humanity. Developing a new generation of antipoverty vaccines is a true expression of that concept.

Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. is president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and the founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also Professor of Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics. Prof. Hotez is also the Fellow on Disease and Poverty at the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. He is the author of Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases (ASM Press).

Source: 

http://centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.net/2014/02/15/commentary-science-for-the-poor-making-vaccines-to-combat-poverty/

New Oral Vaccines means No more needles

New oral vaccines are being developed to increase immunity against Tuberculosis (TB) and influenza, and prevent C. difficle, which will mean leaving needles behind, according to researchers from Royal Holloway, University of London. 

The new type of vaccinations were developed using probiotic spores by Professor Simon Cutting, lead researcher of the study, from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway.

The professor implemented trials to analyze the biology of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which caught the attention of microbiologists because it has the capability of making spores that live millions of years until they germinate in proper environmental conditions.

"The mechanisms by which this process occurs have fascinated microbiologists for decades making it one of the most intensively studied bacteria. Its simple life cycle and ease of use make it an ideal laboratory subject," said Cutting.Bacillus spores were found to be perfect for transporting antigens and boosting immune responses.

Cutting explained:

"Rather than requiring needle delivery, vaccines based on Bacillus spores can be delivered via a nasal spray, or as an oral liquid or capsule. Alternatively, they can be administered via a small soluble film placed under the tongue, in a similar way to modern breath fresheners. As spores are exceptionally stable, vaccines based on Bacillus do not require cold-chain storage alleviating a further issue with current vaccine approaches."

In addition to being less painful than vaccines given through jabs, oral vaccines also come with certain advantages, such as being safer to administer, particularly in nations where HIV is a major concern. Also, these types of vaccines will be more cost effective to make and easier to keep fresh, lowering the risk of adverse outcomes. 

Trials have been conducted, by Professor Cutting, to determine the effectiveness of Bacillus based vaccines for many different diseases, such as influenza, Tuberculosis, and tetanus. Now, he is is examining whether the vaccine can be used against Clostridium difficile, a disease extremely prevalent in the West.

C. difficile is a serious cause of diarrhea linked to antibiotics and can result in intense inflammation of the colon, or pseudomembranous colitis.

The professor said: "C. difficile, is a gastrointestinal infection that is commonly picked up following hospital stays and causes around 50,000 infections and 4,000 deaths per year in the UK, mostly in elderly patients. Currently, there is no vaccine against the disease, and although several approaches are currently undergoing clinical trials, none are expected to provide full protection, and new solutions are urgently needed."

Bacillus based vaccines offer distinct advantages as unlike other approaches, oral delivery can cause a more specific immune response in the gastrointestinal tract to fully eliminate C. difficile."

Cutting has been given private seed investment to continue his research and develop the new vaccine for Tuberculosis, C. difficile , and influenza.

Written by Christine Kearney

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251884.php

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without the permission of Medical News Today.

Medical Cartoon

Impact of climate change and other factors on emerging arboviral diseases

Summary

While some sceptics remain unconvinced that global climate change is a reality, there is no doubt that during the past 50 years or so, patterns of emerging arbovirus diseases have changed significantly. Can this be attributed to climate change? Climate is a major factor in determining: (1) the geographic and temporal distribution of arthropods; (2) characteristics of arthropod life cycles; (3) dispersal patterns of associated arboviruses; (4) the evolution of arboviruses; and (5) the efficiency with which they are transmitted from arthropods to vertebrate hosts. Thus, under the influence of increasing temperatures and rainfall through warming of the oceans, and alteration of the natural cycles that stabilise climate, one is inevitably drawn to the conclusion that arboviruses will continue to emerge in new regions. For example, we cannot ignore the unexpected but successful establishment of chikungunya fever in northern Italy, the sudden appearance of West Nile virus in North America, the increasing frequency of Rift Valley fever epidemics in the Arabian Peninsula, and very recently, the emergence of Bluetongue virus in northern Europe. In this brief review we ask the question, are these diseases emerging because of climate change or do other factors play an equal or even more important role in their emergence?

Keywords

Climate change; 

Emerging diseases; 

Arboviruses; 

Chikungunya; 

Rift Valley fever; 

Bluetongue

Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0035920308003325

Benefits of Nanopatch

The inherent features of the Nanopatch™ delivery technology provide some key benefits that include:

Improved immunogenicity

By direct delivery of the vaccine to key immune cells, the Nanopatch™ can potentially either enhance the immune response generated by a vaccine, or allow the generation of an effective immune response with fraction of a full vaccine dose. Indeed, the Nanopatch™ has been shown in preclinical studies to result in a protective immunogenic response using as little as one hundredth of the dose required by conventional needle and syringe.

Comment: Need to study published literature & verify the statement

No cold chain
The coating formulations used to coat the patches can provide for ambient temperature stability of the vaccine. As a result, vaccine distribution would not need to rely on costly cold distribution chain that is otherwise required to prevent temperature damage which can render conventional vaccines ineffective or potentially harmful. Temperature stability also introduces the option of distributing vaccines to parts of the world where cold chain infrastructure is unreliable or non-existent.

Comment: Need to study published literature & verify the statement

Needle free

The array of Nanopatch™ microprojections rely on the use of an applicator to allow them to penetrate through the protective outer layer of the skin to deliver a vaccine. This contrasts the traditional needle and syringe where needle stick injuries are common and can lead to serious consequences due to the transmission of infectious diseases as a result. The Nanopatch™ projections are invisible to the naked eye and therefore are not anticipated to cause distress to people that dislike needles (around 10% of the population are considered to have a phobia against needles); this is expected to help improve patient compliance.

Comment: I agree

Pain free
The microprojection array of the Nanopatch™ has been designed to deliver vaccine directly to the key immune cells just below the skin surface. These projections do not reach a depth where they meet nerve endings, and so the Nanopatch™ delivery device is anticipated to be pain free.

Comment: I agree

Cost effective
The Nanopatch™ vaccine delivery system is being developed with high volume, low cost manufacture in mind, using well established manufacturing techniques. As a result of some of the other benefits listed above, there may be further cost savings due to using less vaccine to achieve an effective immunisation, elimination of cold chain costs and a significant reduction in the costs associated with needle stick injuries.

With its strong and unique benefits, we envisage this platform technology may be suitable for delivering a vast majority of vaccines.

Comment: I hope WHO / GAVI / UNICEF are in the same board

Source: http://www.vaxxas.com/nanopatch-technology/benefits