Leveraging serology to titrate immunisation programme functionality for diphtheria in Madagascar.

ABSTRACT: Diphtheria is a potentially devastating disease whose epidemiology remains poorly described in many settings, including Madagascar. Diphtheria vaccination is delivered in combination with pertussis and tetanus antigens and coverage of this vaccine is often used as a core measure of health system functioning. However, coverage is challenging to estimate due to the difficulty in translating numbers of doses delivered into numbers of children effectively immunised. Serology provides an alternative lens onto immunisation, but is complicated by challenges in discriminating between natural and vaccine-derived seropositivity. Here, we leverage known features of the serological profile of diphtheria to bound expectations for vaccine coverage for diphtheria, and further refine these using serology

SUBMITTER: Razafimahatratra SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8888278 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature