Category vaccination

At present, there is no suitable vaccine to prevent Marburg fever . For this reason, it is important to adopt behaviors aimed at avoiding contagion. In particular, travelers traveling to a country where a Marburg epidemic is taking place must adhere strictly to hygienic practices, such as washing their hands and avoiding touching objects that have come into contact with sick or dead people; in case of sudden onset fever, it is essential to contact a doctor immediately

Post-exposure prophylaxis ( PEP ) involves the administration of antiretroviral drugs in the hours immediately following an event at high risk of infection , to try to reduce the probability of becoming HIV positive ( HIV + ). The effectiveness of this approach depends on the time elapsed since the hypothetical infection: the ideal is to resort to PEP - by contacting the emergency room as soon as possible - within 4 hours of potential exposure to the virus, in any case no later than 72 hours

At present, human vaccines against the H5N1 and H7N9 strains are not available. For the prophylaxis and treatment of avian influenza , however, M2 antiviral inhibitors (eg amantadine and rimantadine) and neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir and zanamivir) are available. To be effective, antivirals must be taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, after consulting a doctor

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is responsible for meningitis especially in children younger than 5 years and in the elderly, as well as in those who have chronic and debilitating pathological conditions that can favor the onset of the disease. Against Streptococcus pneumoniae , two types of vaccines are currently available, both composed only of parts of the microorganism and defined as multivalent as they protect against multiple serotypes of the bacterium

To prevent meningococcal meningitis there are more vaccines that have different composition and are used on the basis of what are the characteristics of circulating serotypes in the various geographical areas. Anti-meningococcal C vaccination was introduced in Italy in 2005; it can be given in two doses simultaneously with other commonly used pediatric vaccines, if carried out from two months to one year of age

Until the late 1990s, the main cause of meningitis in children was Haemophilus influenzae type B ( HiB ). For this reason, the anti-HiB vaccine was the first to be included in the national vaccination calendars. The vaccine against this form of meningitis is inactivated (consisting of a portion of the bacterium capsule) and conjugated (ie bound to a protein to make it more effective)

Human Papilloma virus (HPV) infection is the main risk factor for cervical cancer and genital condylomatosis . Today, you can fight in advance thanks to the vaccine designed by Harald Zur Hausen, 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine, which revolutionized the approach to cancer prevention. Vaccination strengthens the immune system's defenses and protects against infection by HPV strains most frequently implicated in the development of precancerous lesions, tumors and warts

Human Papilloma virus (HPV) infection is very common: most of the time it heals spontaneously within a few months or year, thanks to the intervention of the immune system; in all other cases, it can lead to cervical, ano-genital and oropharyngeal tumors. The HPV vaccine has shown the greatest efficacy in women who have never come into contact with the virus, therefore it is indicated to young women who have not yet had sexual intercourse

In humans, human Papilloma virus (HPV) infections can be linked to the development of some cancers of the penis or anus, which are less frequent than those on the cervix. As for young males, the HPV vaccine has proved its effectiveness and has been approved for the prevention of genital warts . Extending vaccination to sexually active men could reduce the circulation of the virus and infection-related diseases

As far back as 429 BC the Athenian historian and military Thucydides - describing the plague of Athens during the Peloponnesian war - observed that the healed rarely fell ill a second time, and never mortally. Today we know that this sort of " natural vaccination " is due to the fact that the antibodies, once activated following the onset of a disease, continue to confer resistance against it for long periods (in some cases throughout life)