1887
Research article Open Access
Like 0

Abstract

Meningococcal serogroup C (MenC) vaccination of men who have sex with men (MSM) was temporarily recommended to control an outbreak of invasive MenC disease among MSM in Berlin in 2012–2013. Vaccination was offered to HIV-infected MSM free of charge; others had to request reimbursement or pay out of pocket. We aimed to assess (i) awareness and acceptance of this recommendation through an online survey of MSM, (ii) implementation through a survey of primary care physicians and analysis of vaccine prescriptions, and (iii) impact through analysis of notified cases. Among online survey respondents, 60% were aware of the recommendation. Of these, 39% had obtained vaccination (70% of HIV-infected, 13% of HIV-negative/non-tested MSM). Awareness of recommendation and vaccination were positively associated with HIV infection, primary care physicians’ awareness of respondents’ sexual orientation, and exposure to multiple information sources. Most (26/30) physicians informed clients about the recommendation. Physicians considered concerns regarding reimbursement, vaccine safety and lack of perceived disease risk as primary barriers. After the recommendation, no further outbreak-related cases occurred. To reach and motivate target groups, communication of a new outbreak-related vaccination recommendation should address potential concerns through as many information channels as possible and direct reimbursement of costs should be enabled.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.5.30122
2016-02-04
2024-03-28
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.5.30122
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/21/5/eurosurv-21-30122-3.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.5.30122&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Halperin SA, Bettinger JA, Greenwood B, Harrison LH, Jelfs J, Ladhani SN, et al. The changing and dynamic epidemiology of meningococcal disease. Vaccine. 2012;30(Suppl 2):B26-36.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.12.032  PMID: 22178525 
  2. Harrison OB, Claus H, Jiang Y, Bennett JS, Bratcher HB, Jolley KA, et al. Description and nomenclature of Neisseria meningitidis capsule locus. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013;19(4):566-73.  https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1904.111799  PMID: 23628376 
  3. Harrison LH, Trotter CL, Ramsay ME. Global epidemiology of meningococcal disease. Vaccine. 2009;27(Suppl 2):B51-63.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.04.063  PMID: 19477562 
  4. Robert Koch Institut (RKI). Invasive Meningokokken-Erkrankungen, 2009 – 2011 [Invasive meningococcal disease, 2009-2011]. Epidemiologisches Bulletin. 2012;(39):389-97. German. Available from : http://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2012/Ausgaben/39_12.pdf?__blob=publicationFile.
  5. Trotter CL, Gay NJ, Edmunds WJ. The natural history of meningococcal carriage and disease. Epidemiol Infect. 2006;134(3):556-66.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268805005339  PMID: 16238823 
  6. Christensen H, May M, Bowen L, Hickman M, Trotter CL. Meningococcal carriage by age: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2010;10(12):853-61.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(10)70251-6  PMID: 21075057 
  7. Claus H, Maiden MC, Wilson DJ, McCarthy ND, Jolley KA, Urwin R, et al. Genetic analysis of meningococci carried by children and young adults. J Infect Dis. 2005;191(8):1263-71.  https://doi.org/10.1086/428590  PMID: 15776372 
  8. Ala’aldeen DA, Oldfield NJ, Bidmos FA, Abouseada NM, Ahmed NW, Turner DP, et al. Carriage of meningococci by university students, United Kingdom. Emerg Infect Dis. 2011;17(9):1762-3.  https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1709.101762  PMID: 21888817 
  9. Faur YC, Wilson ME, May PS. Isolation of N. meningitidis from patients in a gonorrhea screen program: a four-year survey in New York City. Am J Public Health. 1981;71(1):53-8.  https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.71.1.53  PMID: 6789687 
  10. Janda WM, Bohnoff M, Morello JA, Lerner SA. Prevalence and site-pathogen studies of Neisseria meningitidis and N gonorrhoeae in homosexual men. JAMA. 1980;244(18):2060-4.  https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1980.03310180026026  PMID: 6776296 
  11. Russell JM, Azadian BS, Roberts AP, Talboys CA. Pharyngeal flora in a sexually active population. Int J STD AIDS. 1995;6(3):211-5. PMID: 7647127 
  12. Baker M, McNicholas A, Garrett N, Jones N, Stewart J, Koberstein V, et al. Household crowding a major risk factor for epidemic meningococcal disease in Auckland children. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2000;19(10):983-90.  https://doi.org/10.1097/00006454-200010000-00009  PMID: 11055601 
  13. Fischer M, Hedberg K, Cardosi P, Plikaytis BD, Hoesly FC, Steingart KR, et al. Tobacco smoke as a risk factor for meningococcal disease. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1997;16(10):979-83.  https://doi.org/10.1097/00006454-199710000-00015  PMID: 9380476 
  14. Tsang RS, Kiefer L, Law DK, Stoltz J, Shahin R, Brown S, et al. Outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal disease caused by a variant of Neisseria meningitidis serotype 2a ET-15 in a community of men who have sex with men. J Clin Microbiol. 2003;41(9):4411-4.  https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.41.9.4411-4414.2003  PMID: 12958279 
  15. Schmink S, Watson JT, Coulson GB, Jones RC, Diaz PS, Mayer LW, et al. Molecular epidemiology of Neisseria meningitidis isolates from an outbreak of meningococcal disease among men who have sex with men, Chicago, Illinois, 2003. J Clin Microbiol. 2007;45(11):3768-70.  https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01190-07  PMID: 17728467 
  16. Simon MS, Weiss D, Gulick RM. Invasive meningococcal disease in men who have sex with men. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159(4):300-1.  https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-159-4-201308200-00674  PMID: 23778867 
  17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Notes from the field: serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease among men who have sex with men - New York City, 2010-2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2013;61(51-52):1048. PMID: 23282863 
  18. Weiss D, Varma JK. Control of recent community-based outbreaks of invasive meningococcal disease in men who have sex with men in Europe and the United States. Euro Surveill. 2013;18(28):20522.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2013.18.28.20522  PMID: 23870094 
  19. Marcus U, Vogel U, Schubert A, Claus H, Baetzing-Feigenbaum J, Hellenbrand W, et al. A cluster of invasive meningococcal disease in young men who have sex with men in Berlin, October 2012 to May 2013. Euro Surveill. 2013;18(28):20523.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2013.18.28.20523  PMID: 23870095 
  20. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).Invasive meningococcal disease among men who have sex with men. Stockholm: ECDC; 2013. Available from: http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/rapid-risk-assessment-invasive-meningococcal-disease-among-MSM.pdf.
  21. Marcus U, Schmidt AJ, Hamouda O, Bochow M. Estimating the regional distribution of men who have sex with men (MSM) based on Internet surveys. BMC Public Health. 2009;9(1):180.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-9-180  PMID: 19519888 
  22. Robert Koch Institut. HIV/AIDS in Berlin – Eckdaten der Schätzung [HIV/AIDS in Berlin – Key figures of the estimates]. 2012 [Accessed 24 Oct 2014]. German Available from: http://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/H/HIVAIDS/Epidemiologie/Daten_und_Berichte/EckdatenBerlin.pdf?__blob=publicationFile.
  23. Office for Health and Social Affairs Berlin (LAGeSo). [Cases of invasive meningococcal infection by a particular type of sequence of N. meningitidis type C in MSM in Berlin 2012-2013]. Epi-Info-Wochenbericht. 2013(28):17-23. German.
  24. Robert Koch Institut (RKI). Infektionsepidemiologisches Jahrbuch meldepflichtiger Krankheiten für 2013 [Yearboook for notifiable diseases 2013, Invasive meningococcal disease]. Berlin: RKI; 2014:154-9. German. Available from: http://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/Jahrbuch/Jahrbuecher/2013.html?nn=2374622
  25. Campbell H, Andrews N, Borrow R, Trotter C, Miller E. Updated postlicensure surveillance of the meningococcal C conjugate vaccine in England and Wales: effectiveness, validation of serological correlates of protection, and modeling predictions of the duration of herd immunity. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2010;17(5):840-7.  https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00529-09  PMID: 20219881 
  26. German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO). (Recommendations of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute). Epidemiol Bull. 2013;(34):313-44.
  27. Senatsverwaltung für Gesundheit und Soziales. Empfehlung des Berliner Impfbeirates zur Impfung gegen Meningokokken-Erkrankungen [Recommendation of vaccination against meningococcal disease by the Berlin Advisory Board for Immunisation] [press release]. Berlin: Senatsverwaltung für Gesundheit und Soziales; 18 Jul 2013. German. Available from: http://www.berlin.de/sen/gessoz/presse/pressemitteilungen/2013/pressemitteilung.150750.php
  28. Bochow M, Lenuweit S, Sekuler T, Schmidt AJ. Schwule Männer und HIV/AIDS: Lebensstile, Sex, Schutz- und Risikoverhalten [Gay Men and HIV/AIDS: lifestyles, sex, protection and risk behavior 2010], AIDS Forum DAH Berlin: Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe; 2011. German Available from: http://www.emis-project.eu/sites/default/files/public/publications/emis_nationalreport_germany.pdf
  29. Krause G, Altmann D, Faensen D, Porten K, Benzler J, Pfoch T, et al. SurvNet electronic surveillance system for infectious disease outbreaks, Germany. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13(10):1548-55.  https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1310.070253  PMID: 18258005 
  30. Hellenbrand W, Elias J, Wichmann O, Dehnert M, Frosch M, Vogel U. Epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease in Germany, 2002-2010, and impact of vaccination with meningococcal C conjugate vaccine. J Infect. 2013;66(1):48-56.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2012.09.008  PMID: 23043893 
  31. Böhmer MM, Walter D, Krause G, Müters S, Gösswald A, Wichmann O. Determinants of tetanus and seasonal influenza vaccine uptake in adults living in Germany. Hum Vaccin. 2011;7(12):1317-25.  https://doi.org/10.4161/hv.7.12.18130  PMID: 22108034 
  32. Weigel M, Weitmann K, Rautmann C, Schmidt J, Bruns R, Hoffmann W. Impact of physicians’ attitude to vaccination on local vaccination coverage for pertussis and measles in Germany. Eur J Public Health. 2014;24(6):1009-16.  https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku013  PMID: 24599940 
  33. Friedman MS, Blake PA, Koehler JE, Hutwagner LC, Toomey KE. Factors influencing a communitywide campaign to administer hepatitis A vaccine to men who have sex with men. Am J Public Health. 2000;90(12):1942-6.  https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.90.12.1942  PMID: 11111274 
  34. Marcus U, Hickson F, Weatherburn P, Schmidt AJEMIS network. Age biases in a large HIV and sexual behaviour-related internet survey among MSM. BMC Public Health. 2013;13(1):826.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-826  PMID: 24020518 
  35. Marcus U, Hickson F, Weatherburn P, Schmidt AJEMIS Network. Prevalence of HIV among MSM in Europe: comparison of self-reported diagnoses from a large scale internet survey and existing national estimates. BMC Public Health. 2012;12(1):978.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-978  PMID: 23151263 
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.5.30122
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error