In conclusion, we present national disease burden data on severe cases of gastroenteritis and specifically RV-associated disease and demonstrate that RV is indeed ubiquitous in the population and can be considered a major health burden among young Danish children.
Background
Measles is a highly contagious and serious infection. Before the introduction of vaccination, measles caused yearly epidemics putting vulnerable children at risk of brain damage and death. Despite safe and cost-effective vaccines, measles remains a leading cause of death in children globally. Due to insufficient vaccine coverage and low levels of in utero transferred antibodies from vaccinated mothers, outbreaks of measles in Denmark and other high-income countries are observed at increasing frequency.
The current vaccine was introduced in Denmark in 1987 as a one-shot measles-mumps-rubella vaccine at 15 months, a timing chosen to avoid inhibition of the infant’s immune response by maternal antibodies. One generation later, the MMR vaccinated mothers have lower antibody levels compared to the naturally infected, and their infants are already susceptible at 6 months of age or earlier, thus increasing the risk of epidemics.
Methods
The Danish MMR trial is a double-blind randomized clinical trial recruiting between March 2019 and December 2021 with last patient last visit in February 2022. Altogether N = 6500 infants aged 6 months will be randomly assigned to intramuscular vaccination with routine MMR (M-M-R VaxPro) or placebo (solvent only). According to the Danish Childhood vaccination program, all infants will receive a routine MMR vaccination at 15 months of age. At randomization, 1 month later, and 1 month after routine MMR vaccination at 15 months of age, a blood sample is drawn from app. 10% (N = 600) of the population. Additionally, hair, saliva, and urine are sampled at randomization. The co-primary study outcomes are immunogenicity 1 month after MMR vaccination at 6 months of age assessed as plaque-reduction neutralization test, and incidence of infectious disease hospitalizations from randomization to 12 months of age. Six weeks post randomization, all participants are interviewed regarding adverse events.
Trial registration
The trial is registered in the EU Clinical Trials Registry. EudraCT registration number: 2016-001901-18. Registered on 14 February 2017.
BackgroundWe introduced video-based teaching in pediatrics. We evaluated the impact of a pediatric video program on student performance in assessing pediatric patients presented as video cases. The program consisted of a library of pediatric videos, and inclusion of these in the teaching and examination for pediatric medicine.MethodsMedical students on a pediatric clerkship at the University of Copenhagen assessed eight short pediatric video cases during autumn 2011 and spring 2012. Two independent observers evaluated a subset of records in a pilot study. A blind evaluation was made of the written records of 37 students before, and 58 students after, the introduction of the program using a Rubric score with four domains.ResultsThe intraobserver interclass correlation coefficient was 0.94 and the interobserver interclass correlation was 0.71(n=25). The students’ mean total Rubric score in spring 2012 (7.0) was significantly higher (p<0.001, 95% CI 1.34–3.20) than autumn 2011 (4.7). Cohen's d was 1.1 (95% CI 0.6–1.7). Single domains scores increased significantly for general assessment (1.30 versus 0.57) (p<0.002, 95% CI 0.45–1.18), recognition of principal symptoms (1.38 versus 0.81) (p<0.008, 95% CI 0.22–0.91), appropriate diagnosis (2.28 versus 1.78) (p<0.002, 95% CI 0.16–0.82) and consistency between observed symptoms and diagnosis (1.94 versus 1.57) (p=0.0482, 95% CI 0.00–0.79).ConclusionsStudents improved in evaluating pediatric patients presented as video cases after the introduction of the program. The impact on real-life situations remains to be established.
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