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Background. In Thailand, Japanese encephalitis appears with a higher incidence of the Northern region (0.0/100,000 cases/year) as compared to the central southern region of the country (0.01/100,000/year). Also, all Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) recently isolated strains in country belong to the genotype I and III.Methods. In order to evaluate the long-term efficacy of the newly developed live attenuated SA 14-14-2 Japanese encephalitis vaccine in Thailand, the immune response in children was studied after a second immunization campaign. Following 2012 immunization campaign, a second JEV immunization vaccine was delivered to children among four provinces of the Northern Region of Thailand. For each province, the recipients were identified accordingly to the two vaccine campaigns time including the children who received the second dose of vaccine: 1/ less than one year before the present study (N=30 by province); 2/ more than one year before the present study (N=70 by province). Altogether, a total of 400 children were enrolled in this project. After receiving the second vaccine dose, blood samples were collected and tested for JEV (Genotypes I and III) neutralizing antibodies following a standard procedure of LLC-MK2 infected cells.Results. All recipient presented neutralizing antibodies cross reacting against the prevalent JEV genotypes I (SM1 JEV strain) and genotype III (SA 14-14-2 and Beijing JEV strains). Most of the children from the first group had a seroconversion rate of 94.2% against homologous (i.e. GIII). Among them, an optimal rate of 100% seroconversion was find at the Phayao Province against both heterologous (GI) and homologous (GIII) JEV strains. Geometric Mean Titer (GMT) of neutralizing antibody against SM1, SA 14-14-2 JEV, and Beijing JEV strains were consistently high, respectively as 239±50, 323±201.2 and 177±36.7. For the second group, seroconversion rate was lower against SM1, SA 14-14-2 and Beijing JEV strains with a rate of 94.3, 90% and 86.8% with respectively a GMT of 154±32, 90±23 and 82±13.6.Conclusion. Although, the immunity appears to decrease within the period of 2.5 years, neutralizing antibody rate are consistent to protect against the JEV infection. Nevertheless, a long-term follow up is suitable to evaluate an eventual third dose opportunity.

International audience; Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreak recurrences in Thailand are unpredictable and separated byunexplained and often long silent epidemiological periods that can last for several years. These silent periods could beexplained in part by the fact that infection with one CHIKV strain confers lasting natural immunity, even against otherCHIKV strains. In this study we evaluated the persistence of CHIKV-specific neutralizing antibodies in the population ofChumpae District, Khon Kaen Province, nineteen years after a CHIKV outbreak occurred in the same area in 1991.Findings: Overall 39% (44/111) of 111 former patients had neutralizing antibodies reacting against CHIKV ECSAstrain. Consistently high titers of neutralizing antibodies were found in 75% (33/44) of all positively-reacting sera,70% of which (23/33) were collected from individuals amongst the >60 years old age group. Although theprevalence found in Pong Haeng village (70%) was significantly higher than the prevalence detected in the NongThum village (14%), control study villages without known previous Chikungunya epidemics had a high Chikungunyaneutralizing antibody prevalence (65%).Conclusions: More than one-third of the pre-exposed population had persisting natural immunity that was morelikely boosted by recent and repetitive exposure to the emerging ECSA CHIKV in Thailand. Also, Chikungunyavirus appears to largely circulate in the country with a great variability appears between villages or area probablyassociated with the vector abundance and efficiency. Altogether these results show a potential for a lifelongimmunity against CHIKV. Given the rapid spread of the highly pathogenic ECSA strain in Southern Thailand, thedevelopment of CHIK vaccine is strongly recommended.