Measles (rubeola) caused by measles virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted via respiratory droplets or can spread via sneezing or coughing of an infected person. In January 2025, two cases of measles associated with international travel seen in unvaccinated individuals of Harris County were reported by the Houston Health Department. This disease which was once declared eradicated from United States (US) in the year 2000, unfortunately has affected a total of 607 cases since January 2025, across the US, with highest number of cases recorded in Texas. Majority of the cases are witnessed in the paediatric population, especially the ones who are unvaccinated or have an uncertain vaccination history. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is an important barrier in achieving measles eradication, and it is more imperative than ever to address this issue in a timely manner. There is an urgent need of virus containment measures to be taken by public health authorities to curb its spread, specifically by reinforcing the importance and safety of vaccinations, debunking myths and educating parents that the recommended two doses of vaccination not only serve as a safety net for their child but also for the community as a whole.

Post COVID-19 condition (PCC) refers to persistent symptoms occurring ≥12 weeks after COVID-19. This living systematic review (SR) assessed the impact of vaccination on PCC and vaccine safety among those with PCC, and was previously published with data up to December 2022. Searches were updated to 31 January 2024 and standard SR methodology was followed. Seventy-eight observational studies were included (47 new). There is moderate confidence that two doses pre-infection reduces the odds of PCC (pooled OR (pOR) 0.69, 95% CI 0.64–0.74, I2 = 35.16%). There is low confidence for remaining outcomes of one dose and three or more doses. A booster dose may further reduce the odds of PCC compared to only a primary series (pOR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74–0.98, I2 = 16.85%). Among children ≤18 years old, vaccination may not reduce the odds (pOR 0.79, 95% CI 0.56–1.11, I2 = 37.2%) of PCC. One study suggests that vaccination within 12 weeks post-infection may reduce the odds of PCC. For those with PCC, vaccination appears safe (four studies) and may reduce the odds of PCC persistence (pOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.57–0.92, I2 = 15.5%).

We present the case of a 31-year-old female with Fontan circulation who developed signs of protein-losing enteropathy 10 days after second COVID-19 vaccination. After standard investigations for identification of potential triggers for protein-losing enteropathy, we concluded that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) booster vaccination could have been the most probable underlying trigger. Prompt investigation of new symptoms post-vaccination in high-risk patients is necessary.

We studied severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and vaccination status among six ethnic groups in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We analysed participants of the Healthy Life in an Urban Setting cohort who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies between 17 May and 21 November 2022. We categorized participants with antibodies as only infected, only vaccinated (≥1 dose), or both infected and vaccinated, based on self-reported prior infection and vaccination status and previous seroprevalence data. We compared infection and vaccination status between ethnic groups using multivariable, multinomial logistic regression. Of the 1,482 included participants, 98.5% had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (P between ethnic groups = 0.899). Being previously infected and vaccinated ranged from 36.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 28.3–44.1%) in the African Surinamese to 64.5% (95% CI = 52.9–76.1%) in the Ghanaian group. Compared to participants of Dutch origin, participants of South-Asian Surinamese (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 6.74, 95% CI = 2.61–17.45)), African Surinamese (aOR = 23.32, 95% CI = 10.55–51.54), Turkish (aOR = 8.50, 95% CI = 3.05–23.68), or Moroccan (aOR = 22.33, 95% CI = 9.48–52.60) origin were more likely to be only infected than infected and vaccinated, after adjusting for age, sex, household size, trust in the government’s response to the pandemic, and month of study visit. SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination status varied across ethnic groups, particularly regarding non-vaccination. As hybrid immunity is most protective against coronavirus disease 2019, future vaccination campaigns should encourage vaccination uptake in specific demographic groups with only infection.

As COVID-19 spread rapidly during the early months of the pandemic, many communities around the globe anxiously waited for a vaccine. At the start of the pandemic, it was widely believed that Africa would be a significant source of infection, and thus, vaccinating African communities became a primary goal among local and global health authorities. However, when the COVID-19 vaccine became available in March 2021 in Sierra Leone, many people viewed it with scepticism and hesitation. While much literature has focused on access and distribution-related challenges for vaccination in the region, a growing number of studies discuss vaccine hesitancy as driving low vaccine uptake. Shifting attention to understanding the determinants of vaccine hesitancy remains fundamental to increasing vaccination rates, as negative vaccine perceptions tend to delay or prevent vaccination. This study sought to do this by assessing, through semi-structured qualitative interviews, vaccine-related attitudes and experiences of residents of Sierra Leone’s Kono District. In contrast to studies that utilise “knowledge-deficit” models of belief, however, this study drew upon the vaccine anxieties framework (Leach and Fairhead, 2007), which views vaccines as being imbued with personal, historical, and political meaning. Findings suggest that important bodily, social, and political factors, including fear of side effects, the spread of misinformation prompted by poor messaging strategies, and distrust of government and international actors, influenced people’s COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and behaviours. It is hoped that the study’s findings will inform future policies and interventions related to vaccine uptake in Africa and globally.

This study explored the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy on neonatal outcomes among women from the general Dutch population. VASCO is an ongoing prospective cohort study aimed at assessing vaccine effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination. Pregnancy status was reported at baseline and through regular follow-up questionnaires. As an extension to the main study, all female participants who reported to have been pregnant between enrolment (May–December 2021) and January 2023 were requested to complete an additional questionnaire on neonatal outcomes. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the associations between self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, adjusted for age, educational level, and presence of a medical risk condition. Infection analyses were additionally adjusted for COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy, and vaccination analyses for SARS-CoV-2 infection before and during pregnancy. Of 312 eligible participants, 232 (74%) completed the questionnaire. In total, 196 COVID-19 vaccinations and 115 SARS-CoV-2 infections during pregnancy were reported. Infections were mostly first infections (86; 75%), caused by the Omicron variant (95; 83%), in women who had received ≥1 vaccination prior to infection (101; 88%). SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy was not significantly associated with gestational age (β = 1.7; 95%CI: −1.6–5.0), birth weight (β = 82; −59 to 223), Apgar score <9 (odds ratio (OR): 1.3; 0.6–2.9), postpartum hospital stay (OR: 1.0; 0.6–1.8), or neonatal intensive care unit admission (OR: 0.8; 0.2–3.2). COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was not significantly associated with gestational age (β = −0.4; −4.0 to 3.2), birth weight (β = 88; −64 to 240), Apgar score <9 (OR: 0.9; 0.4–2.3), postpartum hospital stay (OR: 0.9; 0.5–1.7), or neonatal intensive care unit admission (OR: 1.6; 0.4–8.6). In conclusion, this study did not find an effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy on any of the studied neonatal outcomes among a general Dutch, largely vaccinated, population. Together with data from other studies, this supports the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.

High prevalence of long COVID symptoms has emerged as a significant public health concern. This study investigated the associations between three doses of COVID-19 vaccines and the presence of any and ≥3 types of long COVID symptoms among people with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Hong Kong, China. This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional online survey among Hong Kong adult residents conducted between June and August 2022. This analysis was based on a sub-sample of 1,542 participants with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong (December 2021 to April 2022). Among the participants, 40.9% and 16.1% self-reported having any and ≥3 types of long COVID symptoms, respectively. After adjusting for significant variables related to sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions and lifestyles, and SARS-CoV-2 infection, receiving at least three doses of COVID-19 vaccines was associated with lower odds of reporting any long COVID symptoms comparing to receiving two doses (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.87, P = .002). Three doses of inactivated and mRNA vaccines had similar protective effects against long COVID symptoms. It is important to strengthen the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination booster doses, even in the post-pandemic era.

Vaccination is the most important method to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and vaccination is key to this goal. This paper highlights considerations for policy development around vaccination attestation and proof requirements, specifically in rural Appalachia. Migrant and immigrant farmworkers are integral to the food and goods supply chain globally; they have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, therefore these policies need to take extensive precautions for farmworkers to systematically and easily comply with vaccination status submission procedures. In this paper, we present steps to equitably manage and implement vaccine mandates: (1) Develop and establish policies to support safe workplace standards for everyone, including vaccination policies; (2) Utilize equitable methods to collect vaccine verification; (3) Use effective and inclusive methods to implement the policies by using these techniques; (4) Integrate key populations to develop and strengthen policies to improve health equity.

Vaccines are not the only public health tool, but they are critical in routine and emergency settings. Achieving optimal vaccination rates requires timely access to vaccines. However, we have persistently failed to secure, distribute, and administer vaccines in a timely, effective, and equitable manner despite an enduring rhetoric of global health equity.

Many governments employed mandates for COVID-19 vaccines, imposing consequences upon unvaccinated people. Attitudes towards these policies have generally been positive, but little is known about how discourses around them changed as the characteristics of the disease and the vaccinations evolved. Western Australia (WA) employed sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employment and public spaces whilst the state was closed off from the rest of the country and world, and mostly with no COVID-19 in the community. This article analyses WA public attitudes during the mandate policy lifecycle from speculative to real. Qualitative interview data from 151 adults were analysed in NVivo 20 via a novel chronological analysis anchored in key policy phases: no vaccine mandates, key worker vaccine mandates, vaccine mandates covering 75% of the workforce and public space mandates. Participants justified mandates as essential for border reopening and, less frequently, for goals such as protecting the health system. However, public discourse focusing on ‘getting coverage rates up’ may prove counter-productive for building support for vaccination; governments should reinforce end goals in public messaging (reducing suffering and saving lives) because such messaging is likely to be more meaningful to vaccination behaviour in the longer term.