11.00 am – 11.30 am – Laboratory Now + Next – Professor Lakshmi Rajagopal
Title: Role of GBS virulence factors in preterm births
The presentation will feature our observations on how GBS uses either the proinflammatory hemolysin or the anti-inflammatory hyaluronidase to induce preterm labour during choriodecidual infections.
11.30 am – 12.00 pm – From Development to Implementation – Dr. Carsten Mantel (Managing Director and Co-Founder) & Dr. Thomas Cherian (Managing Partner), Global Health Consulting
Convener: Dr. Asma Khalil & Dr. Philipp Lambach
Title: Group B Streptococcus vaccine value proposition: Policy and implementation issues in LMICs
Carsten Mantel – Policy Formulation and Service Delivery
Establishing national policies, goals and targets for GBS vaccination is an important first step for its implementation in LMICs. A stakeholder survey showed a reasonably high level of awareness among paediatricians and obstetricians of GBS disease and its prevention, but low levels of awareness among public health specialists, especially in LMICs and specifically in Asia. Most LMICs have national policies for maternal vaccination, mainly for tetanus toxoid containing vaccines and increasingly for influenza. GBS vaccination in the second or third trimester of pregnancy would ideally be delivered during antenatal care visits but will require strong collaboration between the national immunization and maternal and neonatal health programmes.
Thomas Cherian – Uptake of Vaccination and Monitoring of Coverage, Impact and Safety of Vaccination
Many of the elements that influence acceptance and uptake are contextual and are driven by local sociocultural practices, religious beliefs, and the extent of access to and quality of health care. While systems for monitoring vaccination coverage through the collection of administrative data and through household surveys exist in almost all countries, these systems mainly monitor coverage of infant immunization. Close collaboration between national immunization and maternal and child health programmes will need to be established to collect high-quality data relevant to GBS vaccination. Few LMICs have well-functioning systems for monitoring maternal immunization safety. Case definitions and guidelines for monitoring adverse events are available to LMICs to establish or strengthen their maternal immunization safety monitoring systems in preparation for GBS vaccination.