Asma Binte Aziz

• Doctor of Medicine
• Research Scientist at International Vaccine Institute

Background When delivered through vaccination Vi-polysaccharide antigen of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi protects against typhoid by inducing IgG anti-Vi antibodies. We aimed to determine whether the presence of antibodies following natural infection is associated with a lower incidence of typhoid fever in endemic regions. Methods We analyzed...

Background Shigella spp. is one of the notable causes of global diarrheal morbidity and mortality, accounting for 13.2% of deaths in 2016. Antimicrobial resistance complicates shigellosis management. Understanding local disease epidemiology is crucial for developing effective preventive strategies, including vaccine use. Methods We investigated an...

Background Patients with cholera have been shown to be protected against subsequent cholera for 3 years after their initial episode. We aimed to assess protection at 10 years of follow-up. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, cohorts of patients treated for cholera (index patients) and contemporaneously selected age-matched individuals with...

Background Hepatitis E virus (HEV) leads to high mortality in pregnant women in low-income countries. We aimed to evaluate the safety of a HEV vaccine and its effectiveness in preventing hepatitis E during pregnancy.

Context The COVID-19 epidemic has had a substantial influence on the mental health of chronic disease patients. However, there is a scarcity of research on them in Bangladesh. Aims This study aims to explore the prevalence of and identify the risk factors for depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among people with c...

SARS-CoV-2 serological testing is useful to determine seroprevalence, epidemiological trends, and the extent of transmission. The collection and transport of serum samples can be logistically challenging, especially in remote underserved areas. Dried blood spots (DBSs) would allow easier sample collection and logistical handling compared with stand...

Background Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi (Salmonella Typhi) causes severe and occasionally life-threatening disease, transmitted through contaminated food and water. Humans are the only reservoir, inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure increases risk of typhoid. High-quality data to assess spatial and temporal relationships i...

Background Oral cholera vaccine (OCV) and incremental improvements in household water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) within cholera-endemic areas can reduce cholera risk. However, we lack empiric evaluation of their combined impact. Methods We evaluated a cluster-randomized, placebo-controlled trial of OCV (ShancholTM) in Kolkata, India. The stud...

Background Global cholera control efforts rely heavily on effective water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions in cholera-endemic settings. Methods Using data from a large, randomized controlled trial of oral cholera vaccine conducted in Kolkata, India, we evaluated whether natural variations in WASH in an urban slum setting were predicti...

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of bivalent and monovalent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines throughout the 2022 to 2023 winter season based on real-world data. Methods: This retrospective observational matched cohort study used the national vaccination program and a surveillance dataset from the Republic of Korea, and include...

Background: To inform response strategies, we examined type 1 humoral and intestinal immunity induced by 1) one fractional inactivated poliovirus vaccine (fIPV) dose given with monovalent oral poliovirus vaccine (mOPV1), and 2) mOPV1 versus bivalent OPV (bOPV). Methods: We conducted a randomized, controlled, open-label trial in Dhaka, Bangladesh...

The current global initiative to end Cholera by 2030 emphasizes the use of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) combined with feasible household Water-Sanitation-Hygiene (WASH) interventions. However, little is known about how improved WASH practices and behaviors and OCV interact to reduce the risk of cholera. We reanalyzed two arms of a cluster-randomized...

Background Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide and it contributes to considerable maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in many low-income countries like Bangladesh. A three-dose regimen of a vaccine against HEV (HEV 239) has shown promising results in China. The effects and safety of this vaccine in...

HEV is the most common cause of acute hepatitis globally. This review summarizes the latest knowledge on the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, testing, and treatment of HEV infection. We also focused on Bangladesh to highlight the distinct challenges and the possible remedies. In low-income settings, the virus is mainly transmitted between pe...

Cholera poses a substantial health burden in the developing world due to both epidemic and endemic diseases. The World Health Organization recommends oral cholera vaccines for mass vaccination campaigns in addition to traditional prevention practices and treatments in resource-poor settings. In many developing countries like Bangladesh, the major c...

Background: An exploratory household transmission study was nested in SPECTRA, the phase 2/3 efficacy study of the adjuvanted recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine SCB-2019. We compared occurrence of confirmed COVID-19 infections between households and household contacts of infected SPECTRA placebo or SCB-2019 recipients. Methods: SPECTRA p...

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide. In many low-income countries it causes large outbreaks and disproportionally affects pregnant women and their offspring. Surveillance studies to find effective preventive interventions are needed but are hampered by the lack of funding and infrastructure. Dried blo...

Objective To investigate the association between existing household water quality, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices and severe cholera risk in a dense urban slum where cholera is highly endemic. Design, setting and participants We assembled a large prospective cohort within a cluster randomised trial evaluating the effectiveness of oral cho...

Background: An exploratory household transmission study was nested in SPECTRA, the phase 2/3 efficacy study of the adjuvanted recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine SCB-2019. We compared occurrence of confirmed COVID-19 infections between households and household contacts of infected SPECTRA participants who were either placebo or SCB-2019 reci...

Background A head-to-head comparison of the most widely used oral rotavirus vaccines has not previously been done, particularly in a high child mortality setting. We therefore aimed to compare the immunogenicity of RotaTeq (Merck, Kenilworth, NJ, USA) and Rotarix (GlaxoSmithKline, Rixensart, Belgium) rotavirus vaccines in the same population and ex...

Background Typhoid fever, or enteric fever, is a highly fatal infectious disease that affects over 9 million people worldwide each year, resulting in more than 110,000 deaths. Reduction in the burden of typhoid in low-income countries is crucial for public health and requires the implementation of feasible water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) inte...

BACKGROUND Typhoid fever, or enteric fever, is a highly fatal infectious disease that affects over 9 million people worldwide each year, resulting in more than 110,000 deaths. Reduction in the burden of typhoid in low-income countries is crucial for public health and requires the implementation of feasible water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) inte...

Background The polio eradication endgame called for the removal of trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine and introduction of bivalent (types 1&3) OPV (bOPV) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV). However, supply shortages have delayed IPV administration to tens of millions of infants, and immunogenicity data are currently lacking to guide catch-up v...

Background Typhoid fever contributes to approximately 135,000 deaths annually. Achievable improvements in household water-hygiene-sanitation (WASH) combined with vaccination using typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) may be an effective preventive strategy. However, little is known about how improved WASH and vaccination interact to lower the risk of...

Chronic diseases, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), have arisen as a severe threat to health and socio-economic growth. Telemedicine can provide both the highest level of patient satisfaction and the lowest risk of infection during a pandemic. The factors associated with its usage and patient adherence are not visible in Bangladesh’s reso...

Modest improvements in household water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and typhoid vaccination can reduce typhoid risk in endemic settings. However, empiric evaluation of their combined impact is lacking. A total of 62,756 persons residing in 80 clusters in a Kolkata slum were allocated randomly 1:1 to either the typhoid Vi polysaccharide (ViPS) va...

Introduction Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is one of the leading causes of viral encephalitis across temperate and tropical zones of Asia. The live attenuated SA 14-14-2 JE vaccine (CD-JEV) is one of three vaccines prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent JE. WHO currently recommends a single CD-JEV dose for infants in ende...

The availability and use of vaccines for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in low and middle-income countries (L/MICs) lags far behind more affluent countries, and vaccines currently used in L/MICs are predominantly of lower efficacy. As vaccines continue to be rolled out in L/MICs, successful control of COVID-19 by vaccines requires monitori...

Since the global withdrawal of Sabin 2 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) from routine immunization, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has reported multiple circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks. Here, we generated an agent-based, mechanistic model designed to assess OPV-related vaccine virus transmission risk in...

Safe and effective rotavirus vaccines (RV) are needed to reduce the enormous public health burden of rotavirus illness in developing countries. Vaccination is critical for effective control of rotavirus infection since it cannot be prevented with improvements in water and sanitation. The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Banglad...

Safe and effective rotavirus vaccines (RV) are needed to reduce the enormous public health burden of rotavirus illness in developing countries. Vaccination is critical for effective control of rotavirus infection since it cannot be prevented with improvements in water and sanitation. The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Banglad...

Background After global oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) cessation, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) currently recommends a two-dose schedule of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) beginning ≥14-weeks of age to achieve at least 90% immune response. We aimed to compare the immunogenicity of three different two-dose IPV sc...

Background: Vaccine herd protection assessed in a cluster-randomized trial (CRT) may be masked by disease transmission into the cluster from outside. However, herd effects can be unmasked using a 'fried-egg' approach whereby the analysis, restricted to the innermost households of clusters, 'yolk', creates an insulating 'egg-white' periphery. This...

Highlights • Ivermectin, an FDA-approved anti-parasitic agent, was found to be an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 replication in the laboratory. • Ivermectin may be effective for the treatment of early-onset mild Covid-19 in adult patients. Early viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2 was observed in treated patients. J o u r n a l P r e-p r o o f • Remission of fe...

Low and middle income countries (LMICs) face many challenges in controlling COVID-19 in their countries. Health-care resources are limited and so are ICU beds. RT-PCR testing is conducted on a limited scale and treatment options are few. There is no vaccine. Therefore, what low cost solutions remain for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of S...

Since the global withdrawal of Sabin 2 oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) from routine immunization, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has reported multiple circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks. cVDPV2 outbreaks are controlled with mass Sabin 2 OPV vaccination campaigns, which carry a small but serious risk of se...

The non-specific beneficial effects of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination suggest that this vaccine might play a role in protecting individuals against severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19).Several studies propose that BCG vaccination may increase the body's immunity, thereby preventing respiratory infections caused by other respiratory path...

HEV infection is a major cause of acute hepatitis globally Pregnant women, their fetuses, and newborns bear the greatest burden (case fatality 5-25%) About 99% of maternal and neonatal mortality is in developing countries No HEV vaccines available in HEV-endemic areas in South Asia Matlab study showed overall HEV seroprevalence of 22% The HEV 239 (...

Background: Rotavirus is one of the causes of severe diarrhea and death in children. Studies showed varying level of efficacies (20% to 85%) of the rotavirus vaccine. Since earlier cluster-randomized effectiveness trial (CRT) conducted in rural Bangladesh showed only 29% overall effectiveness, reflecting little to no herd protection, we reanalyzed...

Introduction Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a leading cause of acute viral hepatitis in the developing world and is a public health problem, in particular among pregnant women, where it may lead to severe or fatal complications. A recombinant HEV vaccine, 239 (Hecolin; Xiamen Innovax Biotech, Xiamen, China), is licensed in China, but WHO calls for furt...

Objectives: To assess the safety and reactogenicity of single oral dose of heat stable rotavirus vaccine (HSRV) in healthy adults aged 18-45 years followed by assessment of safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of three doses of HSRV in healthy infants aged 6-8 weeks at enrollment. Trial Design: Single-centre randomized controlled, sequential,...

Introduction: The TB control programme (NTP) in Bangladesh has moved rapidly from clinic based vertical programme since independence in 1971 to a fully integrated comprehensive, dynamic, responsive and inclusive programme. We describe the evolvement of the Bangladesh TB Control programme in response to changing global scenarios, country commitments...

Despite the importance of vaccinating childrenyounger thn 5 years, few studies evaluating vaccine prevention of influenza have been reported in this age group. Martine Docx was a member of the Flu4VEC Study Group.

Background Despite the importance of vaccinating children younger than 5 years, few studies evaluating vaccine prevention of influenza have been reported in this age group. We evaluated efficacy of an inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (IIV4) in children aged 6–35 months. Methods In this phase 3, observer-blinded, multinational trial, he...

Background: To support vaccination programs in developing countries, a 4-dose vial presentation of pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D-conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) was developed. This study assessed immunologic non-inferiority and safety of the investigational PHiD-CV 4-dose versus licensed 1-dose vial presentation in infants...

Rotaviruses are the leading cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea and related deaths in children aged less than 5 years worldwide. Existing licensed rotavirus vaccines possess a shorter period of thermostability (e.g., VVM 7 or VVM 14) and fail to address the issues of extreme weather conditions in high risk developing countries highlighting the ne...

Rotavirus is the leading cause of diarroheal disease for the under five children in the developing countries. Although many countries have implemented Rotavirus vaccine (RV) in their immunizationProgramme due to its proven efficacy, Bangladesh has not yet implemented it in Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Schedule. There is substantial evid...

Background: To facilitate multi-dose use, GSK Vaccines developed the pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D-conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) 4-dose vial, which contains preservative. Objectives: To demonstrate non-inferiority of the immunogenicity of investigational PHiD-CV 4-dose versus licensed 1-dose vial presentation in infants....

Background: The 4-dose vial (with preservative) of pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D-conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV, GSK Vaccines) was developed to improve logistics of and adherence to immunization programmes. Objectives: To assess reactogenicity and safety of the investigational PHiD-CV 4-dose vial presentation in infants. M...