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Introduction In 2012, PCV13 was introduced into the National Immunization Program in Argentina, 2+1 schedule for children

SUMMARY The influenza virus causes epidemics and pandemics with high morbidity and mortality. According to the World Health Organization, this virus causes 3-5 million cases of severe illness and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths each year. The disease is mainly respiratory and the most common complications are pneumonia, exacerbation of underlying diseases and less frequently respiratory complications. We report a 6-year-old patient with meningoencephalitis due to a new influenza A (IA), strain pH1N1, with viral documentation in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We provide detailed clinical, laboratory and imaging of the case, which responded favorably to sequels. Knowledge of this form of presentation is of great clinical and epidemiological significance due to the limited scientific evidence pub

Meningococcal disease (MD) is a medical emergency and a serious public health problem. As new meningococcal vaccines become available, MD surveillance is crucial to provide baseline epidemiologic data before implementing preventive measures. We estimated MD incidence and epidemiology in Argentina using hospital-based surveillance.Three-year prospective active surveillance in patients ≤15 years of age was conducted at 6 pediatric hospital sentinel units (March 2012 to February 2015).Of 184,360 hospitalized patients, 1444 (0.78%) had suspected meningitis or MD. Of these, 268 (19%) presented probable acute bacterial meningitis or MD, 168 (63%) were culture positive and 51 (30%) tested positive for Neisseria meningitidis. Of 100 culture-negative cases, 30 had positive meningococcal polymerase chain reaction. Thirteen patients presented other uncommon MD manifestations, resulting in a total of 94 MD cases and an annual incidence of 5.1/10 hospitalized patients [95% confidence interval (CI): 4-6]. Fifty-four (57%) patients were males, 48% were1 year of age and the median age was 12.5 months (1 month to 15 years). Clinical presentations were the following: meningococcemia and meningitis (37%), meningitis (30%), meningococcemia (16%), arthritis (10%), bacteremia (5%) and pneumonia (2%). Twenty-eight percent had complications. Nine children died (case fatality rate: 10%), and 8 had sequelae. Serogroups were identified for 84 isolates. Serogroup W was associated with age1 year (odds ratio: 3.18; 95% CI: 1.14-8.99); meningococcemia was associated with mortality (P = 0.0038).Highest rates of MD were observed among young infants. This study provides baseline data to estimate the impact of introducing meningococcal vaccines in Argentina.

Introduction: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis that affects vessels of small and medium caliber. Objectives: 1 Determine clinical and epidemiology of KD in children in 22 pediatric referral centers in Argentina. 2 Identify risk factors for coronary complications (CC). Material and Methods: A retrospective and analytical study from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2013. Variables: age, sex, heart rate (HR), clinic features, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), leukocytes (Gb), neutrophils, hemoglobin (Hb) and CC. Color Doppler echocardiography: acute phase and 4-6 weeks. Results: Subjects: 191, age (Md) 29 months (R: 2-144) .Ratio v / m: 1.8 / 1. Clinical: fever 100% (191/191) more frequent and adenopatía: 57% (110/191) less frequent. CC: 15.7% (30/191). Mortality: 0.52% (1/191 cases). Increased risk of CC: leukocytosis> 20,000 / mm3 Odds ratio (OR) = 4.235 (95% CI 1704-10529). Hematocrit Conclusions: Increased frequency in males. Increased risk of CHD in subjects from western Argentina. Low mortality. Increased risk of CC: low hematocrit and hemoglobin; leukocytes, neutrophils, ESR, CRP, FC, high, Presence of other heart alterations and more days of fever at the time of establishing of treatment. Risk factors for coronary involvement

Five hundred and thirty-seven children admitted to Hospital Dr. Notti and diagnosed with invasive pneumococcal disease between 1993 and 2011 were studied. Their median age was 19 months (range= 0-192 months); 34.82% were 60 months old. Pneumonia with or without effusion (48.04%) and meningitis (29.05%) were the most predominant conditions, with a case fatality rate of 6.14%. Identified serotypes corresponded to 14, 5 and 1 in56.86% of cases. Sensitivity to penicillin was observed in99.74% of non-meningeal strains, while sensitivity to ceftriaxone was found in 98.08% ofmeningeal strains. Risk factors inpneumonia with effusionwere associated to age >60 months old, RR: 1.47 (1.06-2.04), p= 0.02, to serotype 5, RR: 2.57 (1.71-3.87), p= 0.0001, and to serotype 1, RR: 1.86 (1.17-2.96), p= 0.014; in the case of meningitis, risk factors were mainly associated to age

In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, Xavier Saez-Llorens and colleagues examine the vaccine efficacy of PHiD-CV against community-acquired pneumonia in young children in Panama, Argentina, and Columbia. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary, Background The relationship between pneumococcal conjugate vaccine–induced antibody responses and protection against community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and acute otitis media (AOM) is unclear. This study assessed the impact of the ten-valent pneumococcal nontypable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) on these end points. The primary objective was to demonstrate vaccine efficacy (VE) in a per-protocol analysis against likely bacterial CAP (B-CAP: radiologically confirmed CAP with alveolar consolidation/pleural effusion on chest X-ray, or non-alveolar infiltrates and C-reactive protein ≥ 40 µg/ml); other protocol-specified outcomes were also assessed. Methods and Findings This phase III double-blind randomized controlled study was conducted between 28 June 2007 and 28 July 2011 in Argentine, Panamanian, and Colombian populations with good access to health care. Approximately 24,000 infants received PHiD-CV or hepatitis control vaccine (hepatitis B for primary vaccination, hepatitis A at booster) at 2, 4, 6, and 15–18 mo of age. Interim analysis of the primary end point was planned when 535 first B-CAP episodes, occurring ≥2 wk after dose 3, were identified in the per-protocol cohort. After a mean follow-up of 23 mo (PHiD-CV, n = 10,295; control, n = 10,201), per-protocol VE was 22.0% (95% CI: 7.7, 34.2; one-sided p = 0.002) against B-CAP (conclusive for primary objective) and 25.7% (95% CI: 8.4%, 39.6%) against World Health Organization–defined consolidated CAP. Intent-to-treat VE was 18.2% (95% CI: 5.5%, 29.1%) against B-CAP and 23.4% (95% CI: 8.8%, 35.7%) against consolidated CAP. End-of-study per-protocol analyses were performed after a mean follow-up of 28–30 mo for CAP and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) (PHiD-CV, n = 10,211; control, n = 10,140) and AOM (n = 3,010 and 2,979, respectively). Per-protocol VE was 16.1% (95% CI: −1.1%, 30.4%; one-sided p = 0.032) against clinically confirmed AOM, 67.1% (95% CI: 17.0%, 86.9%) against vaccine serotype clinically confirmed AOM, 100% (95% CI: 74.3%, 100%) against vaccine serotype IPD, and 65.0% (95% CI: 11.1%, 86.2%) against any IPD. Results were consistent between intent-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. Serious adverse events were reported for 21.5% (95% CI: 20.7%, 22.2%) and 22.6% (95% CI: 21.9%, 23.4%) of PHiD-CV and control recipients, respectively. There were 19 deaths (n = 11,798; 0.16%) in the PHiD-CV group and 26 deaths (n = 11,799; 0.22%) in the control group. A significant study limitation was the lower than expected number of captured AOM cases. Conclusions Efficacy was demonstrated against a broad range of pneumococcal diseases commonly encountered in young children in clinical practice. Trial registration www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00466947 Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary, Editors' Summary Background Pneumococcal diseases are illnesses caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, pathogens (disease-causing organisms) that are transmitted through contact with infected respiratory secretions. S. pneumoniae causes mucosal diseases–infections of the lining of the body cavities that are connected to the outside world–such as community-acquired pneumonia (CAP; lung infection) and acute otitis media (AOM; middle-ear infection). It also causes invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPDs) such as septicemia and meningitis (infections of the bloodstream and the covering of the brain, respectively). Although pneumococcal diseases can sometimes be treated with antibiotics, CAP and IPDs are leading global causes of childhood deaths, particularly in developing countries. It is best therefore to avoid S. pneumoniae infections through vaccination. Vaccination primes the immune system to recognize and attack pathogens rapidly and effectively by exposing it to weakened or dead pathogens or to pathogen molecules that it recognizes as foreign (antigens). Because there are more than 90 S. pneumoniae variants (“serotypes”), each characterized by a different antigenic polysaccharide (complex sugar) coat, S. pneumoniae vaccines have to include antigens from multiple serotypes. For example, the PHiD-CV vaccine contains polysaccharides from ten S. pneumoniae serotypes. Why Was This Study Done? Although in most countries PHiD-CV has been licensed for protection against IPD and pneumococcal AOM, at the time of study, it was not known how well it protected against CAP and overall AOM, which are important public health problems. In this double-blind randomized controlled trial (the Clinical Otitis Media and Pneumonia Study; COMPAS), the researchers investigate the efficacy of PHiD-CV against CAP and AOM and assess other clinical end points, such as IPD, in Latin American infants. Double-blind randomized controlled trials compare the effects of interventions by assigning study participants to different interventions randomly and measuring predefined outcomes without the study participants or researchers knowing who has received which intervention until the trial is completed. Vaccine efficacy is the reduction in the incidence of a disease (the number of new cases that occur in a population in a given time) among trial participants who receive the vaccine compared to the incidence among participants who do not receive the vaccine. What Did the Researchers Do and Find? The researchers enrolled around 24,000 infants living in urban areas of Argentina, Panama, and Colombia. Half the infants were given PHiD-CV at 2, 4, and 6 months of age and a booster dose at age 15–18 months. The remaining infants were given a hepatitis control vaccine at the same intervals. The trial's primary end point was likely bacterial CAP (B-CAP) –radiologically confirmed CAP, with the airspaces (alveoli) in the lungs filled with liquid instead of gas (alveolar consolidation) or with non-alveolar infiltrates and raised blood levels of C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation). In a planned interim analysis, which was undertaken after an average follow-up of 23 months, the vaccine efficacy in the per-protocol cohort (the group of participants who actually received their assigned intervention) was 22% against B-CAP. Intent-to-treat vaccine efficacy in the interim analysis (which considered all the trial participants regardless of whether they received their assigned intervention) was 18.2%. At the end of the study (average follow up 30 months), the vaccine efficacy against B-CAP was 18.2% and 16.7% in the per-protocol and intent-to-treat cohorts, respectively. Per-protocol vaccine efficacies against clinically confirmed AOM and vaccine serotype AOM were 16.1% and 67.1%, respectively. Against any IPD and against vaccine serotype IPD, the respective vaccine efficacies were 65% and 100%. Finally, about one-fifth of children who received PHiD-CV and a similar proportion who received the control vaccine experienced a serious adverse event (for example, gastroenteritis); 19 children who received PHiD-CV died compared to 26 children who received the control vaccine. What Do These Findings Mean? These findings indicate that in Latin America, a region with an intermediate burden of pneumococcal disease, PHiD-CV is efficacious against a broad range of pneumococcal diseases that often affect young children. The accuracy of these findings may be limited by the withdrawal of 14% of participants from the trial because of adverse media coverage and by the low number of reported cases of AOM. Moreover, because most study participants lived in urban areas, these findings may not be generalizable to rural settings. Despite these and other study limitations, these findings provide new information about the magnitude of the effect of PHiD-CV vaccination against CAP and AOM, two mucosal pneumococcal diseases of global public health importance. Additional Information Please access these websites via the online version of this summary at http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001657. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information for patients and health professionals on all aspects of pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal vaccination, including personal stories Public Health England provides information on pneumococcal disease and on pneumococcal vaccines The not-for-profit Immunization Action Coalition has information on pneumococcal disease, including personal stories The GAVI Alliance provides information about pneumococcal disease and the importance of vaccination MedlinePlus has links to further information about pneumococcal infections, including pneumonia and otitis media (in English and Spanish) More information about COMPAS is available The European Medicines Agency provides information about PHiD-CV (Synflorix)

Hospital del Ni?o. Infectious Disease Department. Ciudad de Panam?, Panama. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Medical Research Unit on Infectious Diseases. CMN-SXXI. Mexico City, Mexico. Centro de Estudios en Infectologia Pediatrica. Clinica Materno Infantil Los Farallones. Cali, Colombia. Universidad Nacional Aut?noma de Nicaragua. Edificio Central. Le?n, Nicaragua. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Hospital Dr. Humberto Notti. Villa Nueva de Guaymall?n, Mendoza, Argentina Universidad de Concepci?n. Concepci?n, Chile. Universidad de Concepci?n. Concepci?n, Chile. Universidad de Valpara?so. Escuela de Medicina. Valpara?so, Chile. Hospital Nacional de Ni?os. Paseo Col?n, San Jos?, Costa Rica. Organizaci?n para el Desarrollo y la Investigaci?n Salud en Honduras. Colonia Humuya, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Hospital General de Tlanepantla ?Valle Ceyl?n?. Tlanepantla, Mexico. Hospital Infantil de Mexico. Calle Dr. M?rquez . M?xico DF, Mexico / Ministry of Health. National Center for Child and Adolescent Health. Colonia Merced Gomez, Mexico DF, Mexico. Instituto Nacional de Pediatr?a. M?xico DF, Mexico. Instituto Nacional de Ciencias M?dicas y Nutrici?n Salvador Zubir?n. Mexico DF, Mexico. Hospital Maternidad Nuestra Sra de la Altagracia. Santo Domingo, DN, Rep?blica Dominicana. Fundaci?n para el Avance de la Investigaci?n Cl?nica y Translacional, Consultorios M?dicos Am?rica. V?a Espa?a, Carrasquilla, Panama / GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines. Clayton, Panama. GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines M?xico. M?xico DF, Mexico. GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines Argentina. Buenos Aires, Argentina / Independent Medical Professional. Buenos Aires, Argentina. GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines Costa Rica. San Jose, Costa Rica / GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines. Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, Panama. GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines. Philadelphia, USA / Merck & Co., Global Health Outcomes Vaccines. Philadelphia, PA, USA. GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines. Rixensart, Belgium / Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Philadelphia, USA. GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines. Rixensart, Belgium / P95 Excellence in Pharmacovigilance and Epidemiology, Leuven, Belgium. GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines. Rixensart, Belgium / GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, Parc de la Noire Epine. Wavre, Belgium. Background: Intussusception (IS) is a form of acute intestinal obstruction that occurs mainly in infants and is usually of unknown cause. An association between IS and the first licensed rotavirus vaccine, a reassortanttetravalent, rhesus-based rotavirus vaccine (RRV-TV), led to the withdrawal of the vaccine. New rotavirus vaccines have now been developed and extensively studied for their potential association with IS. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and to estimate the incidence of IS in Latin American infants prior to new vaccine introduction. Methods: Children under 2 years of age representing potential IS cases were enrolled in 16 centers in 11 Latin American countries from January 2003 to May 2005. IS cases were classified as definite, probable, possible or suspected as stated on the Brighton Collaboration Working Group guidelines. Results: From 517 potential cases identified, 476 (92 per cent) cases were classified as definite, 21 probable, 10 possible and 10 suspected for intussusception. Among the 476 definite IS cases, the median age at presentation was 6.4 months with 89 per cent of cases aged 1 year. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. The incidence of definite IS per 100,000 subject-years ranged from 1.9 in Brazil to 62.4 in Argentina for children 2 years of age, and from 3.8 in Brazil to 105.3 in Argentina for children aged 1 year. Median hospital stay was 4 days with a high prevalence of surgery as the primary treatment (65 per cent). Most cases (88 per cent) made a complete recovery, but 13 (3 per cent) died. No clear seasonal pattern of IS cases emerged. Conclusions: This study describes the epidemiology and estimates the incidence of IS in Latin American infants prior to the introduction of new rotavirus vaccines. The incidence of IS was found to vary between different countries, as observed in previous studies.