First report on postvaccinal AM as a complication of rutine mumps immunization with L-Z strain came from Slovenia in 1989, where 115 patients with AM following primovaccination were described 4. ...Since this is a highly immunogenic and efficacious vaccine strain, and vaccines that contain it are significantly cheaper than competitor ones, further usage of this strain primarily depends on the political will of a particular country, i.e., on the local health-care authorities' estimate whether further use of L-Z vaccine is justifiable or not.
...the incidence of postvaccinal AM was calculated based on the number of vaccinees in Zagreb and its vicinity 2. ...in our recent prospective investigation performed for the Zagreb metropolitan ...area, postvaccinal AM was diagnosed by detection of the vaccine virus in cerebrospinal fluid and a well-defined denominator was used for calculating the incidence rate.
This prospective nationwide study in Croatia (March 1, 2020-December 31, 2021) embraced 121 children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Incidence rates, disease course and outcomes were similar ...to those reported from other European countries. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus Alpha strain appeared associated with a higher propensity to result in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children than the Delta strain but did not appear related to disease severity.
The aim of this study was to assess pregnant women's knowledge and attitudes regarding maternal COVID-19 immunization during pregnancy.
A cross-sectional study was performed in two teaching hospitals ...between May and October 2021 in Zagreb, Croatia. During antenatal clinic visit pregnant women were approached and asked to fill out a predesigned questionnaire about their knowledge and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Collected data was later analyzed.
A total of 430 women participated in the study. Only 16% of women expressed their willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if offered, despite that 71% of them believe that COVID-19 might be a serious illness in pregnant women. The most important obstacle in having better acceptance of the vaccines is in the assumption that the vaccines are not safe for pregnant women (73%) or the fetus (75%), or that the vaccines are not effective (41%). The relationship exists between acceptance of vaccination in general and willingness to get other vaccines in pregnancy and readiness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in pregnancy. Only one out of 55 women who were not adherent to the current vaccination recommendations in Croatia would accept the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy if offered. 21 (5%) women stated that vaccination against influenza and pertussis during pregnancy is necessary and 13 (62%) of them would get vaccinated against COVID-19 if offered.
This study showed that the crucial reasons for refusing vaccination against COVID-19 among pregnant women in Croatia are the concerns about the vaccines' effectiveness and safety. All healthcare providers should put more effort into education of pregnant women on risks of COVID-19, as well as on the benefits and safety of the vaccines.
Disease prevention and improving vaccination coverage in Europe are key elements contributing to resilient health systems and ensuring better health outcomes for all. The aim of this study was to ...describe the immunization funding landscape across all European Union 28 countries (EU28).
Data collected in a targeted literature review supported descriptive analysis on the different indicators that were looked at: vaccines included in the EU28 national immunization programs (NIP), national immunization funding, immunization funding per capita (2015-2019) and percentage of health-care budget allocated to immunization.
Immunization funding represents a small proportion of total healthcare spend in Europe (median 0.3%). In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, demographic changes, and the potential introduction of new vaccines; the need for adequate financing of immunization programs will be important, to establish resilient immunization systems and provide sustainable protection of the population against vaccine-preventable diseases.
As a leading viral cause of acute gastroenteritis in both humans and pigs, rotavirus A (RVA) poses a potential public health concern. Although zoonotic spillover of porcine RVA strains to humans is ...sporadic, it has been detected worldwide. The origin of chimeric human-animal strains of RVA is closely linked to the crucial role of mixed genotypes in driving reassortment and homologous recombination, which play a major role in shaping the genetic diversity of RVA. To better understand how genetically intertwined porcine and zoonotic human-derived G4P6 RVA strains are, the present study employed a spatiotemporal approach to whole-genome characterization of RVA strains collected during three consecutive RVA seasons in Croatia (2018-2021). Notably, sampled children under 2 years of age and weanling piglets with diarrhea were included in the study. In addition to samples tested by real-time RT-PCR, genotyping of VP7 and VP4 gene segments was conducted. The unusual genotype combinations detected in the initial screening, including three human and three porcine G4P6 strains, were subjected to next-generation sequencing, followed by phylogenetic analysis of all gene segments, and intragenic recombination analysis. Results showed a porcine or porcine-like origin for each of the eleven gene segments in all six RVA strains. The G4P6 RVA strains detected in children most likely resulted from porcine-to-human interspecies transmission. Furthermore, the genetic diversity of Croatian porcine and porcine-like human G4P6 strains was propelled by reassortment events between porcine and porcine-like human G4P6 RVA strains, along with homologous intragenotype and intergenotype recombinations in VP4, NSP1, and NSP3 segments. Described concurrent spatiotemporal approach in investigating autochthonous human and animal RVA strains is essential in drawing relevant conclusions about their phylogeographical relationship. Therefore, continuous surveillance of RVA, following the One Health principles, may provide relevant data for assessing the impact on the protectiveness of currently available vaccines.
Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of acute gastroenteritis, but central nervous system infections are rare manifestations of Campylobacter infection. Therefore, C. jejuni trauma-related subdural ...hygroma infection in children is poorly described in the literature. Subdural hygroma infection caused by C. jejuni is a rare clinical condition in children. Molecular methods represent an important tool for the detection of rare or unexpected pathogens. No standard recommendations for antimicrobial treatment of C. jejuni subdural space infection in children are available, but meropenem treatment combined with surgery seems to be an effective approach.
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