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Epidemiology, prevention and treatment of HPV infections and related pathologies in Italy: a comparison with the international context. Preface
No full textInfluenza vaccination of elderly: relaunch time
No full textInfluenza can be a serious disease and constitutes a threat to the population. Every year, seasonal influenza epidemics affect about 5-15% of the world's population. Some frail categories (such as the elderly) can develop complications, request hospitalization, and may die. In order to reduce the medical, social and economic burden of influenza, vaccination is recommended by many health authorities worldwide. Italy has a national programme of influenza vaccination which targets specific categories, such as subjects with chronic conditions, pregnant women, healthcare workers and those over 65 years old. Despite this opportunity for prevention, however, vaccination coverage in Italy does not reach the minimum recommended threshold of 75%. This paper reports some interventions that can improve coverage rates of the elderly, such as "tailor-made" information campaigns, healthcare workers training and the adoption of innovative communication strategies in order to implement vaccination strategies that take into account the needs of the elderly population, the involvement of elderly people's associations in awareness-raising activities and strengthening the role of general practitioners in promoting influenza vaccination
The summer colonies: ‘custodians’ of the health of the young. Prophylaxis of infectious diseases and educational purposes in the reports of the school medical inspector Benedetto Barni (1893-1970) in the 1950s
No full textStarting from the 1950s, climatic-prophylactic colonies for children took on characteristics that were partly different from those of their predecessors. From their origins until the years immediately following the Second World War, these facilities had the stated aims of education, prevention and cure for poor and malnourished children. In the mid-20th century, however, a change took place; the colonies no longer catered exclusively for the less privileged and most fragile, but rather for an economically and culturally heterogeneous population, while still maintaining the purpose of health prevention and promotion in childhood and adolescence. The number of agencies involved in organizing the colonies increased, and large companies also participated. Similarly, the annual number of children who spent a period of time in the colonies grew steadily, owing to intense migration towards the cities, increased female employment and holiday closures of large factories during the month of August. The authors recount this historical transition on the basis of the experience of the Sienese doctor Benedetto Barni (1893-1970) and the unpublished reports that he produced during his time as a school medical inspector. Against the backdrop of the teaching of the great hygienist and initiator of preventive medicine Achille Sclavo, who was Benedetto Barni's mentor, these reports testify to an everyday activity made up of real contacts with the people and with the territory; this enabled Barni to understand the social and healthcare problems facing the country and to try to work out a solution to them from the standpoint of preventative medicine
Overview of the impact of Typhoid and Paratyphoid fever. Utility of Ty21a vaccine (Vivotif®)
No full textCases of diarrhoeal disease number from 1.7 to 5 billion per year worldwide. One of the main causes of diarrhoeal disease is typhoid fever, which is a potentially life-threatening multi-systemic illness. According to the most recent estimates, a total of 26.9 million typhoid fever episodes occurred in 2010. The geographical distribution of the disease differs widely; in developed countries, the incidence rate per 100,000 per year varies from < 0.1 to 0.3, and the disease mainly affects people who travel to endemic areas located in low- and middle-income countries. Low- and middle-income countries are mainly affected owing to the lack of clean water and proper sanitation. In the fight against this plague, prevention is fundamental, and vaccination against typhoid is an effective measure. Vivotif® is an oral live attenuated vaccine which contains a mutated strain of Salmonella (Ty21a) and reproduces the natural infection. The vaccine was first licensed in Europe in 1983 and in the US in 1989, and over the years it has proved efficacious and safe. It is indicated for adults and children from 5 years of age upwards. Specifically, in the most developed countries, vaccination is suggested for highrisk population groups and particularly for international travellers to destinations where the risk of contracting typhoid fever is high. It must also be borne in mind that international travel is increasing. Indeed, international tourist arrivals totalled 1,184 million in 2015 and, on the basis of current trends, international travel is expected to grow by 3-4% in 2017. Vivotif® appears to be a powerful means of disease prevention, the importance of which is highlighted by the spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella typhy (S. typhi)
Vaccination against Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) in Italy: Still a Long Way to Go
No full textTick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is endemic in several European countries, and its incidence has recently increased. Various factors may explain this phenomenon: social factors (changes in human behavior, duration and type of leisure activities and increased tourism in European high-risk areas), ecological factors (e.g., effects of climate change on the tick population and reservoir animals), and technological factors (improved diagnostics, increased medical awareness). Furthermore, the real burden of TBE is not completely known, as the performance of surveillance systems is suboptimal and cases of disease are under-reported in several areas. Given the potentially severe clinical course of the disease, the absence of any antiviral therapy, and the impossibility of interrupting the transmission of the virus in nature, vaccination is the mainstay of prevention and control. TBE vaccines are effective (protective effect of approximately 95% after completion of the basic vaccination—three doses) and well tolerated. However, their uptake in endemic areas is suboptimal. In the main endemic countries where vaccination is included in the national/regional immunization program (with reimbursed vaccination programs), this decision was driven by a cost-effectiveness assessment (CEA), which is a helpful tool in the decision-making process. All CEA studies conducted have demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of TBE vaccination. Unfortunately, CEA is still lacking in many endemic countries, including Italy. In the future, it will be necessary to fill this gap in order to introduce an effective vaccination strategy in endemic areas. Finally, raising awareness of TBE, its consequences and the benefit of vaccination is critical in order to increase vaccination coverage and reduce the burden of the disease
Influenza vaccination coverage in the elderly and socio-economic inequalities in Italy
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Overview of Japanese encephalitis disease and its prevention. Focus on IC51 vaccine (Ixiaro®)
Full text linkJapanese encephalitis is a vector-borne disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). JEV is transmitted by mosquitoes to a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including birds and mammals. Domestic animals, especially pigs, are generally implicated as reservoirs of the virus, while humans are not part of the natural transmission cycle and cannot pass the virus to other hosts.Although JEV infection is very common in endemic areas (many countries in Asia), less than 1% of people affected develop clinical disease, and severe disease affects about 1 case per 250 JEV infections. Although rare, severe disease can be devastating; among the 30,000-50,000 global cases per year, approximately 20-30% of patients die and 30-50% of survivors develop significant neurological sequelae.JE is a significant public health problem for residents in endemic areas and may constitute a substantial risk for travelers to these areas. The epidemiology of JE and its risk to travelers have changed, and continue to evolve. The rapid economic growth of Asian countries has led to a surge in both inbound and outbound travel, making Asia the second most-visited region in the world after Europe, with 279 million international travelers in 2015. The top destination is China, followed by Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan, and the number of travelers is forecast to reach 535 million by 2030 (+4.9% per year).Because of the lack of treatment and the infeasibility of eliminating the vector, vaccination is recognized as the most efficacious means of preventing JE.The IC51 vaccine (Ixiaro®) is a purified, inactivated, whole virus vaccine against JE. It is safe, well tolerated, efficacious and can be administered to children, adults and the elderly. The vaccination schedule involves administering 2 doses four weeks apart. For adults, a rapid schedule (0-7 days) is available, which could greatly enhance the feasibility of its use.Healthcare workers should inform both short- and long-term travelers of the risk of JE in each period of the year and recommend vaccination. Indeed, it has been shown that short-term travelers are also at risk, not only in rural environments, but also in cities and coastal towns, especially in tourist localities where excursions to country areas are organized
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