Vaccination in children: the UK immunisation programme

Should the UK introduce a universal childhood varicella vaccination programme?

Primary varicella infection (chickenpox) is common in the UK with over threequarters of parents reporting a history of chickenpox in their children by 5 years of age. Following primary infection, the varicella zoster virus (VZV) remains dormant in the dorsal root ganglia and reactivates in later life following a decline in cell-mediated immunity to cause herpes zoster or shingles (HZ). Although...

The UK accelerated immunisation programme and sudden unexpected death in infancy: case-control study.

OBJECTIVES To investigate whether the accelerated immunisation programme in the United Kingdom is associated, after adjustment for potential confounding, with the sudden infant death syndrome. DESIGN Population based case-control study, February 1993 to March 1996. Parental interviews were conducted for each death and for four controls matched for age, locality, and time of sleep. Immunisatio...

1066Delay in the Norwegian Immunisation Programme

Immunisation of adolescents in the UK.

The recent introduction of routine immunisation against human papillomavirus (HPV) in adolescent girls in the UK has focused attention on the potential for immunisation in this age group. In this review the authors suggest that this is an opportunity that is not being fully utilised. In particular, there are arguments for adolescent vaccines to boost immunity against Bordetella pertussis and Ne...

Targeted hepatitis B vaccination--a cost effective immunisation strategy for the UK?

OBJECTIVE To compare the potential cost effectiveness of vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) targeted at genitourinary clinic (GU) attendees with that of universal infant vaccination. DESIGN A mathematical model of sexual and perinatal transmission of HBV was used to compare the effectiveness among heterosexual and homosexual populations of programmes of mass infant vaccination and ta...