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Influenza illnesses and positive laboratory tests for the presence of influenza virus in recent years in the districts of Kosice I-IV and surroundings have only occurred during the winter season. In May to July 2010 only one positive laboratory test for the presence of influenza virus A/H1N1-2009 was reported. In 2011, during the same period, a total of 29 positive laboratory tests recorded the presence of influenza virus A/ H1N1-2009 in individuals with typical clinical symptoms of influenza. Of 29 clinical cases, 27 were diagnosed as influenza and 2 as SARI; 4 cases involved children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the long-term persistence of humoral immunity against diphtheria in adults with childhood vaccination and the immunogenicity of a booster dose considering demographic, behavioural and vaccinating factors. We conducted a trial in 200 healthy Slovak adults aged 24-65 years, immunised against diphtheria in childhood and against tetanus at regular 10-15 year intervals, and receiving a dose of a tetanus-diphtheria toxoid vaccine. The response was determined by ELISA antibody concentrations of paired sera before and at 4 weeks post-vaccination. A seroprotection rate of 21% (95% confidence interval, CI 15.6-27.3%) was found in adults up to 59 years since the last vaccination with seroprotective levels of antibodies against diphtheria ≥0.1 IU/mL and a geometric mean concentration of 0.05 IU/mL. Conversely, seropositive levels ≥0.01 IU/mL were observed in 98% of adults (95% CI 95-99.5%). Booster-induced seroprotection was achieved in 78% of adults (95% CI 71.6-83.5%) clearly depending on pre-booster antibody levels correlating with age and time since the last vaccination. Moreover, only 54.2% of smokers and 53.3% of patients on statins exhibited seroprotection. Booster vaccination against diphtheria was unable to confer seroprotection in all recipients of only childhood vaccination., Competing Interests: Marek Petráš, Milica Molitorisová, Jana Dáňová, Alexander Čelko, Elena Nováková, Mária Štefkovičová, Zuzana Krištúfková, Jana Malinová and Ivana Králová Lesná have no conflicts of interest to declare. Vladimir Oleár has received lecture fees from Biodrug s.r.o. (Slovakia), the study sponsor. The funder had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

The authors present the results of analyses of cases of notified bacterial meningitis in Slovakia in 1991-1998, focused on haemophilic meningitis. They demonstrate the ratio of different sources of infection on the development of disease--Haemophilus influenzae 214 cases (13.6%), Streptococcus pneumoniae 183 (11.6%), Neisseria meningitidis 343 (21.8%), other infectious agents 182 (11.5%) and negative cultivations 652 (41.4%). In children aged 0-5 years 668 cases were notified, i.e. 42.4% of the total number (1,574), in other age groups 906 cases, i.e. 57.6%. The mean notified morbidity of haemophil meningitis in 1991-1998 was 0.5/100,000 population. The highest age specific morbidity was in the group of children aged 0-5 years and varied from 2.5/100,000 in 1991 to 7.7/100,000 in 1998.