This study from the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the Beijing Research Center for Respiratory Infectious Diseases was published in Vaccine. In 2022, 2,333 healthy children under five from four sites in Hainan Province yielded 737 pneumococcal isolates. Grouped by individual PCV13 vaccination status and regional coverage, analyses showed significantly lower carriage of vaccine-type serotypes among vaccinated children (e.g., 6B: 7.0% vs 2.7%, P<0.01; 6A: 4.2% vs 1.2%, P<0.05; 23F: 2.2% vs 0.3%, P<0.05). Overall Spn non-susceptibility was high to erythromycin (92.3%), azithromycin (87.5%), clindamycin (81.2%), tetracycline (91.2%), penicillin (38.9%), and cefuroxime (64.7%), with 82.9% of isolates being multidrug-resistant (notably 92.4% among vaccine-type strains). Isolates from high-coverage areas exhibited lower resistance and MDR than those from low-coverage areas, indicating that expanding PCV13 coverage could reduce vaccine-type carriage and the community resistance burden.
Closing the immunization gap: Overcoming barriers for new vaccine introduction in Southeast and South Asia
This review, conducted by Innovation Lab for Vaccine Delivery Research (VaxLab) from Duke Kunshan University, was published in Vaccine. The study systematically compares the status of new vaccine introduction within national immunization programs across 13 countries in Southeast and South Asia, with a particular focus on differences associated with Gavi funding eligibility. The findings show that countries eligible for Gavi’s middle-income country (MIC) support approach lag behind in introducing key vaccines such as pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, and rotavirus vaccine. Major barriers include underdeveloped evidence-based decision-making processes, limited domestic financing, high vaccine prices, and gaps in immunization system readiness. This article highlights the need to strengthen governance and sustainable financing mechanisms, optimize resource use, and leverage targeted technical support from global partners to accelerate equitable access to life-saving vaccines and advance the Immunization Agenda 2030.