According to etymology, the word immune derives from the Latin immunis, which means exempt from public service, untaxed; unburdened. By extension, the term immunity means exempt from a particular infectious disease, but the term is now in danger of being equated with exemption from employment because of vaccine mandates that have been implemented or proposed… Continue reading Health-care workers recovered from natural SARS-CoV-2 infection should be exempt from mandatory vaccination edicts
Category: Infectivology
Efficacy of Single-Dose Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among Young African Women
BACKGROUNDSingle-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, if efficacious, would be tremendously advantageous, simplifying implementation and decreasing costs. METHODSWe performed a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, controlled trial of single-dose nonavalent (HPV 16/18/31/33/45/52/58/6/11 infection) or bivalent (HPV 16/18 infection) HPV vaccination compared with meningococcal vaccination among Kenyan women 15 to 20 years of age. Enrollment and 6-monthly cervical swabs… Continue reading Efficacy of Single-Dose Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among Young African Women
Effectiveness of ivermectin-based multidrug therapy in severely hypoxic, ambulatory COVID-19 patients
Aims: Ivermectin is a safe, inexpensive and effective early COVID-19 treatment validated in 20+ random, controlled trials. Having developed combination therapies for Helicobacter pylori, the authors present a highly effective COVID-19 therapeutic combination, stemming from clinical observations. Patients & methods: In 24 COVID-19 subjects refusing hospitalization with high-risk features, hypoxia and untreated moderate to severe… Continue reading Effectiveness of ivermectin-based multidrug therapy in severely hypoxic, ambulatory COVID-19 patients
New-onset autoimmune phenomena post-COVID-19 vaccination
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an unprecedented setback for global economy and health. Vaccination is one of the most effective interventions to substantially reduce severe disease and death due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Vaccination programmes are being rolled out globally, but most of these… Continue reading New-onset autoimmune phenomena post-COVID-19 vaccination
Acute autoimmune-like hepatitis with atypical anti-mitochondrial antibody after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination: A novel clinical entity?
AbstractAutoimmune phenomena and clinically apparent autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune hepatitis, are increasingly been reported not only after natural infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but also after vaccination against it. We report the case of a 63-year old man without a history of autoimmunity or SARS-CoV-2 natural infection who experienced acute severe autoimmune-like hepatitis seven days… Continue reading Acute autoimmune-like hepatitis with atypical anti-mitochondrial antibody after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination: A novel clinical entity?
Analytical Performance of COVID-19 Detection Methods (RT-PCR): Scientific and Societal Concerns
Background. Health and social management of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, responsible for the COVID-19 disease, requires both screening tools and diagnostic procedures. Reliable screening tests aim at identifying (truely) infectious individuals that can spread the viral infection and therefore are essential for tracing and harnessing the epidemic diffusion. Instead, diagnostic tests should supplement clinical and radiological… Continue reading Analytical Performance of COVID-19 Detection Methods (RT-PCR): Scientific and Societal Concerns
Risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and COVID-19 hospitalisation in individuals with natural and hybrid immunity: a retrospective, total population cohort study in Sweden
Real-world evidence supporting vaccination against COVID-19 in individuals who have recovered from a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection is sparse. We aimed to investigate the long-term protection from a previous infection (natural immunity) and whether natural immunity plus vaccination (hybrid immunity) was associated with additional protection. MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, we formed three cohorts using Swedish… Continue reading Risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and COVID-19 hospitalisation in individuals with natural and hybrid immunity: a retrospective, total population cohort study in Sweden
Risk and severity of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections during 2020-2022 in Vojvodina, Serbia: a population-level study
AbstractBackground: Data on the rate and severity of reinfections with SARS-CoV-2 in real-world settings are scarce and the effects of booster vaccination on reinfection risk are unknown. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, all SARS-CoV-2 laboratory-confirmed residents of Vojvodina, registered in the database of the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, between March 6, 2020… Continue reading Risk and severity of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections during 2020-2022 in Vojvodina, Serbia: a population-level study
The Impact of Face-Masks on Total Mortality Heterogenous Effects by Gender and Age
AbstractGovernments around the world have been implementing several non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to fight Covid-19 spread and its associated mortality. We estimate the causal impact of mandatory face-mask wearing policy in public places on (total) mortality in Switzerland. We exploit the staggered introduction of the policy across Swiss cantons using a Difference-in-Difference and an event study… Continue reading The Impact of Face-Masks on Total Mortality Heterogenous Effects by Gender and Age