Background/Objectives: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory infections in infants/newborns, sometimes requiring hospitalisation. Two immunisation options are approved in Europe: maternal vaccination and infant...
Despite the significant benefits of maternal immunisation, uptake remains low in many parts of the world. In this qualitative study, we aimed to assess the factors that influence pregnant women’s decision to engage with maternal immunisation in...
Introduction: Vaccination protects pregnant women against dangerous infectious diseases and contributes to disease prevention for the child until their vaccination schedule begins. Vaccination behaviour is related to attitudes concerning vaccine prev...
22 September 2026
The COVID-19 pandemic reduced access to childhood immunisation and maternal health services in Nigeria, which already reports some of the highest maternal and child mortality rates globally. This study seeks to develop a pandemic-resilient framework...
Maternal influenza immunisation (MII) is recommended for protecting pregnant women and infants under six months of age from severe disease related to influenza. However, few low-income countries have introduced this vaccine. Existing cost-effectivene...
Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract disease in infants and a major contributor to infant morbidity and mortality. A previous Singapore consensus addressed RSV disease burden and the role of the...
14 January 2023
Background/Objectives: Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic and its prevention and control policies have impacted maternal and child health (MCH) services. This study documents the challenges faced by patients in accessing MCH services, and the experience...
The COVID-19 pandemic response has caused disruption to healthcare services globally, including to routine immunizations. To understand immunization service interruptions specifically for maternal, neonatal and infant vaccines, we captured the local...
25 April 2018
Maternal immunisation schedules are increasingly coming under the spotlight as part of the development of lifetime immunisation programmes for the role that they play in improving maternal, foetal, and neonatal health. Maternally-acquired antibodies...
COVID-19 is associated with poor maternal and pregnancy outcomes. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended in Spain, yet vaccination rates in pregnancy are suboptimal. This study investigates the perceptions of pregnant women and healthcare workers (HCW)...
Background: Placental malaria (PM) is a serious complication of malaria in pregnancy (MiP). It has major repercussions for mothers’ and neonates’ health, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As current preventive measures lose effica...
Background/Objectives: Postnatal immunisation is critical for maternal and child health, particularly in low-income countries. Despite international efforts, maternal awareness and access to care remain limited. Understanding the drivers behind postn...
18 January 2023
Identifying the inequalities associated with immunisation coverage among children is crucial. We investigated the factors associated with complete immunisation among 12- to 23-month-old children in five South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh,...
Many highly effective vaccines have been developed to protect dogs against disease caused by canine parvovirus, but despite this vaccine interference by maternally derived antibodies continues to cause immunisation failure. To help overcome this limi...
31 January 2023
The 1974 Expanded Program on Immunisation has saved millions of children worldwide by promoting full immunisation coverage (FIC). However, forty years later, many sub-Saharan African countries remain well below its target of 90% FIC. This study analy...
6 October 2025
Background: Immunisation remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient public health interventions for preventing infectious diseases in children. Despite global progress, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continues to face challenges in achieving equi...
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a lagovirus in the family Caliciviridae. The closely related Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV, termed RHDV1 throughout this manuscript for clarity) has been used extensively as a biocontrol agent...
Background: We investigated pregnant women, community leaders, healthcare workers (HCWs) and programme managers’ perceptions of maternal vaccination in Kampala, Uganda. Methods: We conducted focus group discussions, key informant interviews and in-de...
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a well-known infant pathogen transmitted mainly by droplets. It is a leading cause of upper respiratory tract infections in children, usually with a mild course of illness. RSV has also been a threat to older peop...
Background/Objectives: Typically, studies aiming to assess the ability of canine parvovirus (CPV) vaccines to immunise puppies with maternally derived antibody (MDA) are undertaken using group-housed puppies. Since live attenuated vaccine virus is in...
Although maternal pertussis vaccination is recommended, uptake is suboptimal in New Zealand (NZ), despite full funding in general practice and hospitals. We determined whether funding maternal pertussis vaccination in community pharmacy increases its...
Background: Maternal vaccination is a critical primary preventive approach and an integral part of life-course immunization strategy, influencing the infection-associated morbidity and mortality in pregnant women, foetuses, and young infants. Despite...
In Europe, cowpox virus (CPXV) infection in South American camelids occurs as a so-called spill-over infection. Although infected animals generally have a mild form of the disease and survive, cases of fatal generalised CPXV infection have also been...
14 February 2019
Background: Pregnant women should receive two vaccines during pregnancy due to maternal-foetal complications and risks as well as the influenza and pertussis vaccinations. The goal was to evaluate vaccination coverage against influenza and pertussis...
Pregnant and lactating mothers have historically been excluded from clinical trials. To understand the shift from excluding to including this population in COVID-19 vaccine trials, we conducted a review of guidance issued by countries in southern Afr...
To gain a detailed overview of vertical transmission in South Africa, we describe insights from the triangulation of data sources used to monitor the national HIV program. HIV PCR results from the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) were analys...
9 November 2020
Background: Effective coordination among multiple departments, including data-sharing, is needed for sound decision-making for health services. India has a district planning process involving departments for local resource-allocation based on shared...
Background: We have previously determined that the occurrence of missed vaccination opportunities in children in Cape Town, South Africa, is shaped by both individual and contextual factors. These factors present valuable openings for enhancing quali...
Q fever, caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, is an important zoonotic disease worldwide. Australia has one of the highest reported incidences and seroprevalence of Q fever, and communities in the state of Queensland are at highest risk of expo...
Introduction: Existing evidence on why children miss vaccines after infancy has focused on the demand side, that is, on the attitudes and circumstances of caregivers. The supply side, meaning the system’s capacity to make vaccines available, ac...
Background/Objectives: Vaccines delivered after infancy remain vulnerable to missed uptake. Less is known about the determinants of second-year-of-life vaccine uptake in Malawi. This study assessed the completion of vaccines due after 12 months of ag...