vaccines-gynecologic-oncology-2018-posters

Page 87

Journal of Clinical Immunology and Allergy

ISSN: 2471-304X

E u r o p e a n C o n g r e s s o n

Vaccines & Vaccination

and Gynecologic Oncology

Vaccines & Vaccination and Gynecologic Oncology 2018

O c t o b e r 2 6 - 2 7 , 2 0 1 8

B u d a p e s t , H u n g a r y

easles remains one of the world’s largest public health problems especially in developing countries. Current guidelines in these

countries recommend vaccination at 9 months of age expecting infant protection through maternal (transplacental) antibodies till

then. More recently, second and third doses of measles containing vaccine have been introduced at 12-15 months and 4-6 years. How-

ever, clinical experience confirms occurring of measles even before 9months of age. Prospective cohort studies were conducted by my

research group in 2005 and 2015 (coinciding with 20 and 30 years of universal vaccination in India) to evaluatemeasles susceptibility in

infants and to identify the appropriate age for vaccination. In these studies, anti-measles IgG antibodies were measured by quantitative

ELISA in 60 and 130 infants at birth, 3months, 6months, and 9months (prior to vaccination). Susceptibility was determined by antibody

titre <200 mIU/ml. The first study (2005) showed that 0%, 12%, 51% and 100% infants were susceptible at birth, 3 months, 6 months

and 9 months respectively. The second study (2015) confirmed susceptibility in 0%, 23%, 84%, and 100% infants. Preterm infants were

more susceptible that term infants at 3 months and 6 months. More recently in 2018, we have concluded a larger study with over 200

infants and observed similar findings. Emerging data from China also suggest a similar situation. These data suggest that most Indian

and Chinese infants become susceptible to measles well before the age of vaccination. Further the two time series showed that more

infants were susceptible in recent years than 2005; this could be due to greater proportion of mothers having vaccine-induced immunity

than natural immunity. These data argue for earlier (rather than later) vaccination with measles vaccine in India, China and probably

other developing countries also. This necessitates an urgent, evidence-based change in the guidelines and the overall strategy.

Measles elimination in developing countries: high

time to change the strategy

Joseph L Mathew

APC-PGIMER, India

Journal of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Volume: 4

DOI: 10.21767/2471-304X-C2-006

Euro Vaccines 2018