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We report a 23% asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) Omicron carriage rate in participants being enrolled into a clinical trial in South Africa, 15-fold higher than in trials before Omicron. We also found lower CD4 + T-cell counts in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) strongly correlated with increased odds of being SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Military medical records were searched electronically for myopericarditis. • The rate of myopericarditis after ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine was 20.06/100,000. • Myopericarditis rates were 21.1/100,000 for those < 40 years vs 6.3/100,000 for 40 +. • Myopericarditis rates were 21.8/100,000 for males vs 8.5/100,000 for females. To evaluate the rates of myopericarditis (primary objective) and rates of cardiovascular and neurological adverse events (secondary objectives) in temporal association with ACAM2000® smallpox vaccine. Observational cohort study conducted through monthly surveillance from 2009 to 2017 of electronic medical records of military service members (SM) for pre-specified cardiac and neurological International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes reported in the 30 days following smallpox vaccination. ICD codes potentially predictive of myopericarditis and codes for encephalitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and sudden death were classified into Group 1. All other cardiovascular and neurological ICD codes were classified into Group 2. Medical records containing Group 1 codes were individually reviewed to confirm coding accuracy and to seek additional data in support of myopericarditis adjudication, which was performed by an independent clinical panel. Chart reviews were not performed for Group 2 codes, which were reported in aggregate only. 897,227 SM who received ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine and 450,000 SM who received Dryvax smallpox vaccine were included in the surveillance population. The rate of adjudicated myopericarditis among ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine recipients was 20.06/100,000 and was significantly higher for males (21.8/100,000) than females (8.5/100,000) and for those < 40 years of age (21.1/100,000) than for those 40 years or older (6.3/100,000). Overall rates for any cardiovascular event (Group 1 plus Group 2) were 113.5/100,000 for ACAM2000 vaccine and 439.3/100,000 for Dryvax vaccine; rate ratio, 0.26 (95% CI, 0.24–0.28). The rates of subjects with one or more defined neurological events were 2.12/100,000 and 1.11/100,000 for ACAM2000 and Dryvax vaccines respectively; rate ratio, 1.91 (95% CI, 0.71–5.10). Electronic records surveillance of the entire vaccinated SM population over a ten-year period found rates of myopericarditis, of defined neurological events, and of overall cardiac events that were consistent with those of prior passive surveillance studies involving Dryvax or ACAM2000 smallpox vaccines. Clinical trials registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00927719. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before the widespread adoption of vaccination, adenovirus type 4 and type 7 were long associated with respiratory illnesses among military recruits. When supplies were depleted and vaccination was suspended in 1999 for approximately a decade, respiratory illnesses due to adenovirus infections resurged. In March 2011, a new live, oral adenovirus vaccine was licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration and was first universally administered to military recruits in October 2011, leading to rapid, dramatic elimination of the disease within a few months. As part of licensure, a postmarketing study (Sentinel Surveillance Plan) was performed to detect potential safety signals within 42 days after immunization of military recruits. This study retrospectively evaluated possible adverse events related to vaccination using data from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) database. Among 100,000 recruits who received the adenovirus vaccine, no statistically significant greater risk of prespecified medical events was observed within 42 days after vaccination when compared with a historical cohort of 100,000 unvaccinated recruits. In an initial statistical analysis of International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes, a statistically significant higher risk for 19 other (not prespecified) medical events occurring in 5 or more recruits was observed among vaccinated compared with unvaccinated groups. After case record data abstraction for attribution and validation, two events (psoriasis [21 vs 7 cases] and serum reactions [12 vs 4 cases]) occurred more frequently in the vaccinated cohort. A causal relation of these rare events with adenovirus vaccination could not be established given confounding factors in the DMSS, such as coadministration of other vaccines and incomplete or inaccurate medical information, for some recruits. Prospective surveillance assessing these uncommon, but potentially relevant, immune-related symptoms may be beneficial in defining potential causal association with adenovirus vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venom immunotherapy (VIT) is a life-saving medical treatment for individuals allergic to Hymenoptera species. Delivery of VIT is a complex process that requires proper extract preparation, shipping, storage, refrigeration, and administration by qualified medical personnel in a facility that can manage a life-threatening allergic emergency (anaphylaxis). Successful VIT requires 3 to 5 years of uninterrupted maintenance injections, which may be difficult to maintain during deployments, particularly in combat operations. The complexity of VIT has resulted in service members being deemed nondeployable and has led to interruption or discontinuation of VIT for deployed service members in the past. We report the case of a 34-year-old Army National Guard soldier who successfully received maintenance VIT while deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. This case demonstrates that, with proper coordination and appropriate risk assessment, continuation of complex medical care, such as VIT, can be supported in a combat zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]