Proceedings of the 6th Asia Dengue Summit, June 2023.

The 6th Asia Dengue Summit (ADS) themed "Road Map to Zero Dengue Death" was held in Thailand from 15th-16th June 2023. The summit was hosted by Tropical Medicine Cluster, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand in conjunction with Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, The Thai Red Cross Society; Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University; and the Ministry of Public Health. The 6th ADS was convened by Asia Dengue Voice and Action (ADVA); Global Dengue and Aedes Transmitted Diseases Consortium (GDAC); Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Tropical Medicine and Public Health Network (SEAMEO TROPMED); Fondation Mérieux (FMx) and the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD). Dengue experts from academia and research, and representatives from the Ministries of Health, Regional and Global World Health Organization (WHO) and International Vaccine Institute (IVI) participated in the three-day summit. With more than 51 speakers and 451 delegates from over 24 countries, 10 symposiums, and 2 full days, the 6th ADS highlighted the growing threat of dengue and its antigenic evolution, flagged the urgent need to overcome vaccine hesitancy and misinformation crisis, and focused on dengue control policies, newer diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, travel-associated dengue, and strategies to improve community involvement.

Proceedings of the 5th Asia Dengue Summit.

The 5th Asia Dengue Summit, themed "Roll Back Dengue", was held in Singapore from 13 to 15 June 2022. The summit was co-convened by Asia Dengue Voice and Action (ADVA), Global Dengue and Aedes transmitted Diseases Consortium (GDAC), Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Tropical Medicine and Public Health Network (SEAMEO TROPMED), and the Fondation Mérieux (FMx). Dengue experts from academia and research and representatives from the Ministries of Health, Regional and Global World Health Organization (WHO), and International Vaccine Institute (IVI) participated in the three-day summit. With more than 270 speakers and delegates from over 14 countries, 12 symposiums, and 3 full days, the 5th ADS highlighted the growing threat of dengue, shared innovations and strategies for successful dengue control, and emphasized the need for multi-sectoral collaboration to control dengue.

ASVAC2022 : 8th Asian Vaccine Conference.

Aiming to further the Immunization Partners in Asia Pacific (IPAP)'s vision of a world where no one suffers from a vaccine preventable disease, the 8th Asian Vaccine Conference (ASVAC 2022) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka and virtually from 15 to 18, September 2022 (www.asianvaccine.com). This conference followed those held in Siem Reap, Cambodia (2009), Manila, Philippines (2010), Jakarta, Indonesia (2011), Cebu, Philippines (2013), Hanoi, Vietnam (2015), Singapore (2017) and Naypyidaw and Yangon, Myanmar (2019). The ASVAC2022 themed "Immunization: in Era of Pandemics," commenced with the EPI Managers' Workshop, followed by pre-conference workshops and Vaccinology Masterclass, followed by the main conference featuring 5 plenary lectures, 6 partner-led symposia, free paper and poster presentations, and industry-supported lunch and evening sessions. There were over 1830 registered participants, with 112 attending in person and 998 virtually from 63 countries. The conference was organized by IPAP and hosted by the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Forum of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka College of Pediatricians, Sri Lanka College of Microbiologists and College of General Practitioners of Sri Lanka, with the support of the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. The 9th ASVAC is scheduled to be held in Davao City, Philippines in late 2023.

Invasive meningococcal disease in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam: An Asia-Pacific expert group perspective on current epidemiology and vaccination policies.

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) imposes a significant burden on the global community due to its high case fatality rate (4-20%) and the risk of long-term sequelae for one in five survivors. An expert group meeting was held to discuss the epidemiology of IMD and immunization policies in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Most of these countries do not include meningococcal immunization in their routine vaccination programs, except for high-risk groups such as immunocompromised people and pilgrims. It is difficult to estimate the epidemiology of IMD in the highly diverse Asia-Pacific region, but available evidence indicate serogroup B is increasingly dominant. Disease surveillance systems differ by country. IMD is not a notifiable disease in some of them. Without an adequate surveillance system in the region, the risk and the burden of IMD might well be underestimated. With the availability of new combined meningococcal vaccines and the World Health Organization roadmap to defeat bacterial meningitis by 2030, a better understanding of the epidemiology of IMD in the Asia-Pacific region is needed.

World Dengue Day: A call for action.

Commemorating the 2021 ASEAN Dengue Day and advocacy for World Dengue Day, the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD) and Asian Dengue Voice and Action (ADVA) Group jointly hosted the ISNTD-ADVA World Dengue Day Forum-Cross Sector Synergies in June 2021. The forum aimed to achieve international and multisectoral coordination to consolidate global dengue control and prevention efforts, share best practices and resources, and improve global preparedness. The forum featured experts around the world who shared their insight, research experience, and strategies to tackle the growing threat of dengue. Over 2,000 healthcare care professionals, researchers, epidemiologists, and policy makers from 59 countries attended the forum, highlighting the urgency for integrated, multisectoral collaboration between health, environment, education, and policy to continue the march against dengue. Sustained vector control, environmental management, surveillance improved case management, continuous vaccine advocacy and research, capacity building, political commitment, and community engagement are crucial components of dengue control. A coordinated strategy based on science, transparency, timely and credible communication, and understanding of human behavior is needed to overcome vaccine hesitancy, a major health risk further magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The forum announced a strong call to action to establish World Dengue Day to improve global awareness, share best practices, and prioritize preparedness in the fight against dengue.

Ending preventable newborn deaths in a generation.

The end of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) era was marked in 2015, and while maternal and child mortality have been halved, MGD 4 and MDG 5 are off-track at the global level. Reductions in neonatal death rates (age <1 month) lag behind those for post-neonates (age 1-59 months), and stillbirth rates (omitted from the MDGs) have been virtually unchanged. Hence, almost half of under-five deaths are newborns, yet about 80% of these are preventable using cost-effective interventions. The Every Newborn Action Plan has been endorsed by the World Health Assembly and ratified by many stakeholders and donors to reduce neonatal deaths and stillbirths to 10 per 1000 births by 2035. The plan provides an evidence-based framework for scaling up of essential interventions across the continuum of care with the potential to prevent the deaths of approximately three million newborns, mothers, and stillbirths every year. Two million stillbirths and newborns could be saved by care at birth and care of small and sick newborns, giving a triple return on investment at this key time. Commitment, investment, and intentional leadership from global and national stakeholders, including all healthcare professionals, can make these ambitious goals attainable.

Preparing for dengue vaccine introduction in ASEAN countries: recommendations from the first ADVA regional workshop.

The independent, scientific and educational The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States Dengue Vaccination Advocacy Steering Committee (ADVASC) was established in 2011 to address the practical challenges faced by ASEAN countries as they prepare for the eventual introduction of a dengue vaccine. ADVASC convened a workshop in September 2012 that drew together public health representatives and dengue experts from seven ASEAN countries in order to make practical recommendations to improve current surveillance and diagnostics for dengue to enable countries to assess consistently, and accurately communicate, the impact of a dengue vaccine. The workshop compared surveillance and diagnostic capacity in these ASEAN countries and made recommendations to streamline and harmonize key elements of these systems. In particular, attendees recommended the need for reconciliation and harmonization of the different World Health Organization guidelines, in use in ASEAN countries for case definition and surveillance of dengue.

Impact on parents during hospitalisation for acute diarrhoea in young children.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the emotional impact on parents of young children who require hospitalisation for acute diarrhoea (AD), and the disruption of daily activities experienced and costs incurred by them. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on children below two years of age with AD admitted to two urban hospitals in Malaysia. Parents were interviewed on the emotional impact and disruption of daily activities experienced by them, as well as the extra costs incurred as a result of the hospitalisation of their child. RESULTS: The parents of 85 children (median age 13 months; boys n = 58, 68%; girls n = 27, 32%) were recruited for the study. The proportions of parents who reported that they were very worried about the symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting and fever in their child were 82%, 83% and 78%, respectively. Parents also reported being upset, helpless, mentally and physically exhausted, and having experienced loss of sleep and disruption of daily routine during the hospitalisation of their child (median four days). The median extra cost (including out-of-pocket cost and loss of income) incurred by parents as a result of the hospitalisation was USD 252.86, which constituted 16% of the combined monthly family income. CONCLUSION: Although short, AD-related hospitalisation in young children has considerable emotional impact and creates significant distress, in addition to causing significant financial burden for parents.

Comparison of serum cardiac troponin T and creatine kinase MB isoenzyme mass concentrations in asphyxiated term infants during the first 48 h of life.

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study aimed to compare serum creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) mass concentrations and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) concentrations during the first 48 h of life in asphyxiated term infants. METHODS: Serum cTnT and CK-MB mass concentrations of 50 term infants with clinical features of perinatal asphyxia were measured at birth and at 12, 24 and 48 h of age by chemiluminescence immunoassay. These infants were followed up until discharge or death. Cord blood CK-MB and cTnT concentrations of 50 healthy term infants were also assayed. RESULTS: At birth, asphyxiated infants had significantly higher concentrations of cTnT and CK-MB than controls (P < 0.0001). Serum cTnT of asphyxiated infants with low ejection fraction <60% was significantly higher at 12 and 24 h than those with normal ejection fraction (P < 0.05). Asphyxiated infants with congestive cardiac failure had significantly higher serum cTnT concentration during the first 48 h of life than those without congestive cardiac failure (P or= 0.1). CONCLUSION: Unlike CK-MB, serum cTnT concentrations are significantly higher in asphyxiated infants who die or develop cardiac dysfunction.