Adenovirus type 4 infections tripled among civilians in last decade

Adenovirus type 4 infections among civilians have tripled in the last decade worldwide, according to study results published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Kristen K. Coleman, PhD, senior research fellow at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, told Healio that adenovirus type 4 infections should be considered a cause of ocular and respiratory illness, and that “outbreaks can cause many hospitalizations and some deaths.” “It seems prudent for public health officials to consider seeking emergency use authorization for adenovirus vaccines [because they] might be available to control future outbreaks and spare high-risk civilian populations from disease,” Coleman said. “There is a safe and effective adenovirus vaccine produced by Teva Pharmaceuticals that could be considered. This vaccine is used to protect U.S. military personnel from adenovirus types 4 and 7. We also encourage the development of other adenovirus vaccines suitable for civilian populations.” Coleman and colleagues performed a systematic review of 144 peer-reviewed articles published between...