Preventing contagion with avian influenza: Disease salience, attitudes toward foreigners, and avoidance beliefs

Building on an evolutionary approach to outgroup avoidance, this study shows relations between perceived disease salience and beliefs in the efficacy of avoiding foreigners as protective measures, in the context of a real-life pandemic risk; i.e., avian influenza. People for whom avian influenza was salient and who held unfavourable attitudes toward foreigners were more likely to believe that avoiding contact with foreigners protects against infection. This finding suggests that individual differences in social attitudes moderate evolved mechanisms relating threat of disease to outgroup avoidance.

Humoral Response to the Influenza A H1N1/09 Monovalent AS03-Adjuvanted Vaccine in Immunocompromised Patients.

Background. Few data are available regarding the immunogenicity and safety of the pandemic influenza vaccine in immunocompromised patients. We evaluated the humoral response to the influenza A H1N1/09 vaccine in solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients, in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and in healthy individuals. Methods. Patients scheduled to receive the pandemic influenza vaccine were invited to participate. All participants received the influenza A H1N1/09 AS03-adjuvanted vaccine containing 3.75 μg of hemagglutinin. SOT recipients and HIV-infected patients received 2 doses at 3-week intervals, whereas control subjects received 1 dose. Blood samples were taken at day 0, day 21, and day 49 after vaccination. Antibody responses were measured with the hemagglutination inhibition assay (HIA) and a microneutralization assay. Results. Twenty-nine SOT recipients, 30 HIV-infected patients, and 30 healthy individuals were included in the study. Seroconversion measured by HIA was observed in 15 (52%) of 29 SOT recipients both at day 21 and day 49; in 23 (77%) of 30 at day 21 and 26 (87%) of 30 at day 49 in HIV-infected patients, and in 20 (67%) of 30 at day 21 and in 23 (77%) of 30 at day 49 in control subjects (P = .12 at day 21 and P = .009 at day 49, between groups). Geometric means of antibody titers were not significantly different between groups at day 21 or at day 49. Conclusions. Influenza A H1N1/09 vaccine elicited a similar antibody response in HIV-infected individuals and in control subjects, whereas SOT recipients had an overall lower response. A second dose of the vaccine only moderately improved vaccine immunogenicity in HIV-infected patients.

Who knew? Awareness of being recommended for influenza vaccination among US adults

Please cite this paper as: Maurer et al. (2012) Who knew? Awareness of being recommended for influenza vaccination among US adults. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(4), 284-290. Background  Starting with the 2010-2011 influenza season, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual influenza vaccination to all people aged 6 months and older unless contraindicated. Objectives  To measure perceived influenza vaccination recommendation status among US adults (n = 2122) and its association with socio-demographic characteristics and recommendation status during the 2009-2010 pandemic influenza season. Methods  We analyze nationally representative data from longitudinal Internet surveys of US adults conducted in November-December 2009 and September-October 2010. Results  During the 2010-2011 vaccination season, 46·2 percent (95%-CI: 43·3-49·1%) of US adults correctly reported to be covered by a government recommendation for influenza vaccination. Awareness of being covered by a government influenza vaccination recommendation was statistically significantly higher among non-working adults and adults who had been recommended for seasonal vaccination or both seasonal and H1N1 vaccination during the 2009-2010 pandemic influenza vaccination season. Conclusion  Our results highlight that a majority of US adults do not know that they are recommended for annual influenza vaccination by the government. The fraction of adults who are unaware of their recommendation status is especially large among newly recommended healthy young adults. The universal vaccination recommendations will only be successful if they reach both patients and physicians and lead to changing vaccination practices. The universal nature of the new recommendation simplifies vaccination-related outreach and compliance with government vaccination guidelines considerably, as it does not require any identification of specific recommendation groups based on complex personal or health risk factors.

Trust in medical organizations predicts pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination behavior and perceived efficacy of protection measures in the Swiss public

Following the recent avian influenza and pandemic (H1N1) 2009 outbreaks, public trust in medical and political authorities is emerging as a new predictor of compliance with officially recommended protection measures. In a two-wave longitudinal survey of adults in French-speaking Switzerland, trust in medical organizations longitudinally predicted actual vaccination status 6 months later, during the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination campaign. No other variables explained significant amounts of variance. Trust in medical organizations also predicted perceived efficacy of officially recommended protection measures (getting vaccinated, washing hands, wearing a mask, sneezing into the elbow), as did beliefs about health issues (perceived vulnerability to disease, threat perceptions). These findings show that in the case of emerging infectious diseases, actual behavior and perceived efficacy of protection measures may have different antecedents. Moreover, they suggest that public trust is a crucial determinant of vaccination behavior and underscore the practical importance of managing trust in disease prevention campaigns.

[13 juillet 1919, M. Poincaré décorant un drapeau tendu par un poilu, place de l'Hôtel de ville à Paris] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54911

[13 juillet 1919, M. Poincaré décorant un poilu, place de l'Hôtel de ville à Paris] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54915

[13 juillet 1919] Joffre [décorant un poilu, place de l'Hôtel de ville à Paris] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54916

[13 juillet 1919] Foch [décorant un poilu place de l'Hôtel de ville à Paris] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54917

[13 juillet 1919, M. Poincaré décorant un drapeau tenu par un poilu, place de l'Hôtel de ville à Paris] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54918

[Défilé du 14 juillet 1919, passage de poilus portant l'étendard des bataillons des douanes devant le cénotaphe place de l'Etoile] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54927

[Défilé du 14 juillet 1919 sur les Champs-Elysées, les poilus] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54931

[Défilé du 14 juillet 1919 sur les Champs-Elysées, les troupes françaises] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54937

[Défilé du 14 juillet 1919 passant sous l'Arc de triomphe de l'Etoile, armée française] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54953

[Défilé du 14 juillet 1919 passant sous l'Arc de triomphe de l'Etoile, armée française] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 54956