Aug 2026· Epidemiology and Vaccinal Prevention· 0 citations· 12 references
TL;DR
To stabilize the situation, critical measures include: implementation of booster vaccination for school-aged children; mandatory maternal immunization to provide transplacental protection to newborns; and strict adherence to completion of vaccination series for children following pertussis infection.
Abstract
Relevance.
Vaccination remains the most effective measure for controlling pertussis spread; however, immunization strategies may require revision in light of changing disease patterns.
Aims
. To identify current trends in pertussis incidence in the Russian Federation and propose modifications to vaccination strategies.
Materials and methods
. The study was based on analysis of statistical forms "Data on infectious and parasitic diseases" (Form No. 2) and "Data on populations of children and adults vaccinated against infectious diseases" (Form No. 6) for 2013–2025, as well as medical records of 535 infants who experienced pertussis during their first year of life in Moscow in 2023–2025.
Results.
Pertussis incidence in the Russian Federation demonstrates a sustained upward trend (average annual growth rate: 9.79 %), with infants under one year remaining the most vulnerable group, accompanied by an increase in pertussis-related mortality. Against this background, a substantial proportion of cases occurs among population groups most frequently serving as sources of infection for infants: during the study period, children aged 7–14 years accounted for 33–44 % of cases, while the share of adult cases increased (17 % nationally and 31 % in Moscow in 2025), substantiating the need for national implementation of age-targeted booster vaccination. The unfavorable epidemiological situation is exacerbated by delays in infant immunization (coverage < 50 % by the end of the first year of life) and low adherence to series completion among children following natural infection (among children who experienced pertussis in 2023, only 11.2 % continued immunization; in 2024 — 50.7 %; in 2025 — 7.6 %).
Conclusions
. To stabilize the situation, critical measures include: implementation of booster vaccination for school-aged children; mandatory maternal immunization to provide transplacental protection to newborns; and strict adherence to completion of vaccination series for children following pertussis infection.
Childhood immunisation programs (CIP) have led to a substantial reduction in vaccine preventable diseases. However, simply monitoring a decline in disease incidence does not accurately reflect an individual's immunity to each disease. To identify the immune status in the Norwegian population, we measured the IgG levels against antigens of 7 vaccine preventable diseases (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP), measles, mumps, rubella and Hemophilus influenzae type b infection) in 3051 residual sera representative of the Norwegian population aged 2-95 years in 2012. We found that 39.8% of women and 25.0% of men born before the launch of the CIP in 1952 (i.e. ≥60 years) had IgG antibody levels below the protective threshold for diphtheria, and 76.5% and 41.7% for tetanus, respectively. Among children, 20.7% had low IgG levels against diphtheria and 25.0% had low levels against tetanus at age six years, prior to the DTP booster dose at age seven. When we applied a suggested cutoff for protection of 5 IU/ml for IgG antibodies against pertussis toxin, 76.4% of children aged 6 years fell below this level, as did about 53.3% of teenagers aged 16 years, and 32.3% of individuals aged 60 year or older. For measles and rubella, we found adequate levels of IgG in all age groups, whereas IgG levels against mumps were close to a suggested threshold for protection. The highest IgG levels for measles, mumps and rubella were observed in adults from the age of 40 years, most of whom have likely experienced the diseases and have probably never been vaccinated. In conclusion, we demonstrate low IgG levels against diphtheria and tetanus both in children and in individuals over 60 years of age. Our findings may be an argument for rescheduling of the DTP booster in the CIP and for including DTP vaccines in the adult vaccination program.
Audun Aase, T. Herstad, M. Greve-Isdahl et al.· Vaccine· 0 citations
INTRODUCTION
With still high circulation of pertussis and risk for severe disease in young children, insight into vaccine effectiveness (VE) of infant pertussis vaccination is important. In the Netherlands, NIP period 1 corresponds to the period during which the DT3aP-IPV-Hib-HBV vaccine and the 3 + 1 dose schedule were used, and NIP period 2 to the period during which the DT5aP-IPV-Hib-HBV vaccine was used, maternal Tdap vaccination was implemented, and both the 3 + 1 and 2 + 1 dose schedules were used. We estimated the VE of full infant vaccination against pertussis.
METHODS
We conducted a case-control study including all laboratory-confirmed pertussis cases aged 12-35 months, notified between 2013 and 2024, each matched to four controls by year and month of birth. Conditional logistic regression including age group and NIP period as interaction terms was used to estimate stratum-specific odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We compared these estimates to those obtained by the screening method, applying logistic regression with the log-odds of the national vaccination coverage in the corresponding birth cohorts of cases as an offset. VE was calculated as (1-OR)*100 for both methods.
RESULTS
We included 1156 cases and 4624 controls. Among cases, 27% were fully vaccinated, 4% partly vaccinated and 69% unvaccinated; among controls these percentages were 89%, 6% and 5% respectively. Overall VE of the case-control study was 98.2% (95% CI: 97.6-98.6). VE decreased with increasing time since vaccination (p < 0.001) and this was slightly more pronounced for NIP period 1 compared to period 2 (p < 0.001). Estimates using the screening method were slightly lower, with overall VE being 96.4% (95% CI: 95.9-96.8), but similar trends were observed.
CONCLUSION
Full infant pertussis vaccination is highly effective up to 36 months of age. These findings, consistent across both methods, emphasize importance of high infant pertussis vaccination uptake.
D. van Meijeren, A. V. van Roon, B. de Gier et al.· Vaccine· 0 citations
Multiple socioeconomic, structural and operational factors were associated with unvaccinated rates, highlighting the relevance of healthcare service organization even in favorable social contexts and classifying municipalities into risk profiles may help guide interventions to improve coverage.
I. N. Schrarstzhaupt, F. A. Diaz-Quijano, F. Fontana Sutile Tardetti Fantinato et al.· medRxiv· 0 citations
Introduction: Vaccination remains one of the most effective and cost‑efficient public health interventions, dramatically reducing childhood morbidity and mortality from vaccine‑preventable diseases. However, the global immunization landscape has recently been challenged by pandemic disruptions, misinformation, inequities in access, and resurgent outbreaks.
The Aim is to synthesize current evidence on the health and societal impact of pediatric vaccination, examine determinants of vaccine hesitancy, and highlight future perspectives for immunization programs.
Methods; A narrative review was conducted, integrating epidemiological data, modelling studies, and recent reports from WHO, UNICEF, and peer‑reviewed literature. Particular attention was given to trends in coverage, disease resurgence, and behavioral determinants of vaccine confidence.
Results: Routine immunization has averted an estimated 154 million deaths since 1974, predominantly in children under five. Yet, in 2024, 14.3 million infants received no vaccine doses, and measles re‑emerged in multiple countries, threatening elimination status. Vaccine hesitancy was strongly influenced by misinformation, sociocultural factors, and trust in health systems. Evidence underscores that resilient health infrastructure, equitable access, and credible communication by frontline providers are essential to sustain progress.
Conclusions: Scientific advances alone cannot secure immunization gains. Strengthening public trust, addressing behavioral determinants, and ensuring equitable delivery are critical for the future of pediatric vaccination.
Ferizate Dika-Haxhirexha, Ledia Qatipi, Blinera Ballanca et al.· Albanian Journal of Trauma a...· 0 citations
PURPOSE
Infants too young for primary vaccination face the highest risk of severe pertussis and death. While maternal vaccination is the primary protective strategy, the real-world vaccine effectiveness (VE) of acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines in Thailand (including recombinant aP (aPgen)) remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the VE of the aP vaccine in protecting infants under 3 months of age against symptomatic pertussis.
METHODS
This case-control study was conducted in the Narathiwat Province, Thailand, during a pertussis outbreak between September 2023 and October 2024. Participants included 33 symptomatic, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed cases, 330 asymptomatic, community-matched controls (for primary comparison), and 41 symptomatic, test-negative controls (for sensitivity simulation). Maternal vaccination with aP vaccine during pregnancy was evaluated against no pertussis vaccination. The main outcome measures were symptomatic PCR-confirmed pertussis. VEs were estimated using a logistic regression model with inverse probability of treatment weighting.
RESULTS
All vaccinated mothers (98 of 404) received aPgen (94% for standalone aPgen). The VE of the maternal aPgen vaccination against symptomatic-PCR confirmed pertussis was 95.3% (95% CI: 64.7%, 99.4%; p = 0.003). A post-hoc E-value sensitivity analysis indicated that it was unlikely that any residual or unmeasured confounders could explain away the statistically significant VE suggesting a robustness of the observed VE.
CONCLUSION
Maternal aPgen vaccination during pregnancy was highly likely to provide robust VE against symptomatic-PCR confirmed pertussis in infants during the first three months of life. These findings support the maternal pertussis vaccination with recombinant aP vaccines as effective strategy in Thailand and could be considered for other regions.
Farooq Phiriyasart, V. Chongsuvivatwong, Ponlagrit Kumwichar· Infection· 1 citation
Mumps remains a public health challenge worldwide despite being a vaccine-preventable disease. This review outlines the historical development and contrasting mumps vaccination policies in the United States and Japan and their epidemiological consequences. In the United States, where the two-dose measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is routinely administered, the incidence of mumps has markedly decreased. Recently, however, sporadic outbreaks have emerged, driven by breakthrough infections among vaccinated individuals. These resurgences are driven largely by waning immunity, coupled with antigenic divergence between the vaccine strain and circulating wild-type viruses. In contrast, Japan vaccination the MMR vaccine was licensed in 2026 after being suspended in 1993 owing to concerns over aseptic meningitis as an adverse event following immunization but mumps vaccination remains voluntary. This has resulted in low vaccination coverage, a lack of herd immunity, and recurrent epidemics. This review also highlights the disease-modifying effect of mumps vaccination, including a reduced risk of complications such as meningitis and orchitis, even in cases of breakthrough infection. In Japan, irreversible sensorineural hearing loss (mumps deafness), continues to occur even following subclinical infection. To prevent these complications, continuous molecular surveillance, improved vaccine safety, and reintroduction of routine two-dose mumps vaccination in Japan are essential.