Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses in Children: Case of Lake Region Economic Bloc-Kenya

Introduction: Vaccination of children has experienced delays due to paucity of information regarding safety, effectiveness, immunogenicity, and reactogenicity. Age wise approval prioritized 12 - 17 years and later 5 - 11 years. Those below 5 years possess na?ve immunity and not considered. In Lake Region Economic Bloc children aged 12 - 17 variably received 1, 2, and 3 doses of vaccine. This analysis looks into effectiveness of the doses administered. Method: Data providers from 84 LREB facilities submitted patients’ vaccination data to Power BI supported dashboard between June 24, 2021 and July 30, 2022. Data of 12 - 17 years old was mined, analyzed and visualized. Sample sizes considered for analysis were 0 dose, n = 8132;1 dose, n = 271;2 doses, n = 402, and 3 doses, n = 90. Data used in the analysis was facility operational and not from experimental design. Relative risk analysis of children who received 0, 1, 2, and 3 doses was done using Odds Ratio run on R software. Results: The relative risk of infection to a child with one dose against unvaccinated counterpart is 0.92 (95% CI, 0.61 - 1.43). Likewise the relative risk of infection to a child aged 12 - 17 years with 2 doses against another who received no dose is 0.87 (95% CI, 0.63 - 1.24). A child with 3 doses is 46% (95% CI, 27% - 84%) less likely to get infected compared to another not vaccinated. Also, the relative risk between having 2 doses and 1 dose for a child aged 12 - 17 years is 0.95 (95% CI, 0.55 - 1.6). For the same age group the relative risk of having 3 doses of vaccines against 1 dose is 51% (95% CI, 26% - 100%). In addition, a child who receives 3 doses of vaccine is 53% (95% CI, 28% - 100%) less likely to experience breakthrough infection compared to another with 2 doses. Whereas 1st dose offers (5%) marginal protection advantage over the 2nd dose, the 3r dose offers 49% and 47% more protection over 1st and 2nd doses, respectively, because of incremental reduced risk of infection gained from previous doses. During the period, 15 children at risk were admitted with COVID-19 infections in various regional hospitals, one had 3 doses but confounded with severe comorbidity. Conclusion: We found that 2nd dose had marginal protection over the 1st dose. However, the 3rd dose offers extensive protection compared to 1st and 2nd doses, and protects more against hospitalization. Children at risk should receive 3 doses of vaccines.

Viruses and autism: A Bi-mutual cause and effect

Autism spectrum disorder(ASD)is a group of heterogeneous,multi-factorial,neurodevelopmental disorders resulting from genetic and environmental factors interplay.Infection is a significant trigger of autism,especially during the critical developmental period.There is a strong interplay between the viral infection as a trigger and a result of ASD.We aim to highlight the mutual relationship between autism and viruses.We performed a thorough literature review and included 158 research in this review.Most of the literature agreed on the possible effects of the viral infection during the critical period of development on the risk of developing autism,especially for specific viral infections such as Rubella,Cytomegalovirus,Herpes Simplex virus,Varicella Zoster Virus,Influenza virus,Zika virus,and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.Viral infection directly infects the brain,triggers immune activation,induces epigenetic changes,and raises the risks of having a child with autism.At the same time,there is some evidence of increased risk of infection,including viral infections in children with autism,due to lots of factors.There is an increased risk of developing autism with a specific viral infection during the early developmental period and an increased risk of viral infections in children with autism.In addition,children with autism are at increased risk of infection,including viruses.Every effort should be made to prevent maternal and early-life infections and reduce the risk of autism.Immune modulation of children with autism should be considered to reduce the risk of infection.

Parents＇ Perception and their Decision on their Children＇s Vaccination Against Seasonal Influenza in Guangzhou

Background： Seasonal influenza epidemic occurs every year in Guangzhou, which can affect all age groups. Young children are the most susceptible targets. Parents can decide whether to vaccinate their children or not based on their own consideration in China. The aim of this study was to identify factors that are important for parental decisions on vaccinating their children against seasonal influenza based on a modified health belief model （HBM）. Methods： A cross-sectional study was conducted in Guangzhou, China. A total of 335 parents who had at least on child aged between 6 months and 3 years were recruited from women and children＇s hospital in Guangzhou, China. Each eligible subject was invited for a face-to-face interview based on a standardized questionnaire. Results： Uptake of seasonal influenza within the preceding 12 months among the target children who aged between 6 months and 36 months was 47.7%. Around 62.4% parents indicated as being ＂likely/very likely＂ to take their children for seasonal influenza vaccination in the next 12 months. The hierarchical logistic regression model showed that children＇s age （odds ratio [OR] =2.59, 95% confidence interval [C/I： 1.44-4.68）, social norm （OR = 2.08, 95% CI： 1.06-4.06） and perceived control （OR - 2.96, 95% CI： 1.60-5.50） were significantly and positively associated with children＇s vaccination uptake within the preceding 12 months; children with a history of taking seasonal influenza vaccine （OR = 2.50, 95% CI： 1.31-4.76）, perceived children＇s health status （OR = 3.36, 95% C1： 1.68-6.74）, worry/anxious about their children influenza infection （OR = 2.31, 95% CI： 1.19-4.48） and perceived control （OR = 3.21, 95% CI： 1.65-6.22） were positively association with parental intention to vaccinate their children in the future 12 months. However, anticipated more regret about taking children for the vaccination was associated with less likely to vaccinate children within the preceding 12 months （OR = 0.21, 95% CI： 0.08-0.52）. Conclusions： The modified HBM provided a good theoretical basic for understanding factors associated with parents＇ decisions on their children＇s vaccination against seasonal influenza.