This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Serosurveillance system recommended in Canada
Wilson SE. CMAJ. 2011;doi:10.1503/cmaj.110506.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Despite the strong evidence-based vaccination policy and schedules in Canada, the country requires a system to assess the effect of its vaccination programs, according to new findings published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
“Canada is uniquely positioned to benefit from the establishment of a seroepidemiology network, with its strong evidence-based immunization policy, its range of immunization schedules, the diverse and growing proportion of new Canadians and strong support systems for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases,” Sarah E. Wilson, MD, MSc, of the Canadian Field Epidemiology Program, and colleagues wrote in the study.
According to the researchers, the establishment of a seroepidemiology network would be an important addition to the existing surveillance systems in place in Canada. By monitoring the long-term effect of new vaccines, seroepidemiology would provide estimates of vaccine coverage and immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases by population.
Wilson said the data can be used to inform vaccine policy decisions. “Data from existing seroepidemiology networks have influenced clinical practice. Specifically, they have influenced vaccine policy decisions in countries where they have been established.”
Examples of such data from networks include the decision to target varicella vaccination to children aged younger than 5 years in Australia; the recommended use of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine in the United States; and the addition of a booster dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine at 12 months of age in the United Kingdom.
“Developing a seroepidemiology network in Canada is ambitious and poses a number of challenges related to funding, ethics and epidemiologic and laboratory considerations,” the researchers wrote. “However, these challenges are not insurmountable, and there will always be competing priorities for scarce resources. Establishing a seroepidemiology network would provide a strong evidence-informed foundation from which to successfully advocate for improvements in vaccine policy and methods of surveillance.”
Disclosure: The researchers received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to host a meeting to discuss the establishment of a seroepidemiology network.
 |
Follow InfectiousDiseaseNews.com on Twitter. |