https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4103-2837
The 5th ESCMID Conference on Vaccines, which was held in Bilbao, Spain, from September 6 to 8 in 2019, was attended by more than 150 participants from 36 countries around the world, a number that confirms the growth of ESCMID member interest in vaccines.
The main theme of the meeting was vaccines against respiratory infections, which was developed over a comprehensive series of symposia and debates. Numerous internationally renowned experts were present, providing the attendees with an unrivaled opportunity to exchange information and experiences.
The first day of the conference began with an introductory symposium dedicated to the global impact of vaccine-preventable respiratory infections and included detailed discussions on the role of vaccination to reduce global pneumonia mortality in infants, progress in reduction of respiratory tract infections in the elderly, surveillance of respiratory tract infections in Europe, and respiratory viral vaccines as tools for the prevention of bacterial infections. Additionally, how to enforce implementation of vaccines against respiratory infections was discussed in details. Furthermore, Clarissa Simas (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK) performed a great lecture on vaccine hesitancy among health-care providers.
The focus of the meeting then turned to measles elimination. Measles epidemiology in Europe, available evidence on its transmission patterns and age of vaccination, and measles effects on increased risk of all other infectious diseases were discussed in details, focusing on progress and challenges.
The next day of the conference began with a symposium on progress in influenza virus infections. Progress in development of a universal influenza vaccine, the problem of response blunting due to repeated influenza vaccination, prospects for routine childhood vaccination in Europe and newer influenza vaccines were analyzed.
Focus then shifted to progress in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines. Structure-based vaccine design for RSV, disease phenotypes and the impact of RSV vaccines on early life wheezing and experimental RSV vaccine in Field studies were discussed. Thereafter, a symposium on vaccination during pregnancy analyzed the immunological aspect of vaccinating pregnant women to protect their offspring against respiratory tract infections, the global increase in equity, and successes and challenges of pertussis vaccination for pregnant women.
The day ended with a wonderful lecture on prevention of pertussis by Stanley Plotkin.
On the final day, the focus was on pneumococcal vaccines. Data were presented on pneumococcal vaccination, immune response and nasopharyngeal carriage. Differences amongst countries were presented with a special focus on the developing world. Finally, the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing Project was presented. Thereafter, Dan Weinberger (Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, United States) discussed appropriate endpoints in respiratory tract infection vaccine trials, evaluating differences between impact and efficacy. Finally, a debate on varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccine was performed, evaluating the impact of generalized immunization in infants on zoster incidence in adults.
The conference also provided an opportunity for researchers to share original data through poster presentations and to discuss the implications of their data with the attendees. Moreover, the meeting was an opportunity to network with colleagues from different backgrounds and to develop new ideas for research.
After this successful event, the ESCMID Vaccine Study Group (EVASG) invites all researchers and clinicians interested in vaccines to join us and to participate in EVASG activities. The 6th ESCMID Conference on Vaccines will be held in 2021 and ideas for the future program are more than welcome.