학술논문

Epidemiology of Meningococcal Disease in Four South American Countries and Rationale of Vaccination in Adolescents from the Region: Position Paper of the Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (SLIPE).
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Villena R; Department of Pediatrics, Hospital de Niños Exequiel González Cortés, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8900085, Chile.; Safadi MA; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medical Sciences, Santa Casa de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 01224-001, Brazil.; Gentile Á; Department of Epidemiology, Hospital de Niños Ricardo Gutierrez, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1121, Argentina.; Pujadas M; Department of Epidemiology and Pediatrics Infectious Diseases, Hospital Pereira Rossell, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay.; De la Maza V; Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Dr. Luis Calvo Mackenna, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7500539, Chile.; George S; Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Dr. Luis Calvo Mackenna, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7500539, Chile.; Torres JP; Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Dr. Luis Calvo Mackenna, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7500539, Chile.
Source
Publisher: MDPI AG Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101629355 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2076-393X (Print) Linking ISSN: 2076393X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Vaccines (Basel) Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2076-393X
Abstract
Surveillance of meningococcal disease (MD) is crucial after the implementation of vaccination strategies to monitor their impact on disease burden. Adolescent vaccination could provide direct and indirect protection. Argentina, Brazil, and Chile have introduced meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MCV) into their National Immunization Programs (NIP), while Uruguay has not. Here, we analyze the epidemiology of MD and vaccination experience from these four South American countries to identify needs and plans to improve the current vaccination programs.
Methodology: Descriptive study of MD incidence rates, serogroup distribution, case fatality rates (CFR), and MCV uptakes during the period 2010-2021 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. Data were extracted from national surveillance programs, reference laboratories, NIPs, and Pubmed.
Results: MD overall incidence from 2010 to 2021 have a decreasing trend in Argentina (0.37 [IQR = 0.20-0.61]), Brazil (0.59 [IQR = 0.54-1.22]), and Chile (0.45 [IQR = 0.40-0.77]), while a significant increase in Uruguay (0.47 [IQR = 0.33-0.69]) was found from 2016 to 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all countries sharply reduced their MD incidence. The highest incidence rates were observed among infants, followed by children 1-4 years of age. No second peak was evident in adolescents. A reduction in serogroup C, W, and Y cases has occurred in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile after introduction of MCV, serogroup B becoming predominant in all four countries. Median CFR was 9.0%, 21%, 19.9%, and 17.9% in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, respectively. Median uptake of MCV for Argentina and Brazil were 66.6% and 91.0% for priming in infants; 54.7% and 84.5% for booster in toddlers; and 47.5% and 53% for adolescents; while for Chile, 95.6% for toddlers.
Conclusions: Experience after the implementation of MCV programs in South America was successful, reducing the burden of MD due to the vaccine serogroups. High vaccine uptake and the inclusion of adolescents will be crucial in the post-pandemic period to maintain the protection of the population. The increase in the proportion of serogroup B cases emphasizes the importance of continuous surveillance to guide future vaccination strategies.