Simultaneously with the development of the COVID-19 vaccination plan for minors, it is critical to understand the reasons related to parental COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. This study aims to determine the reasons associated with vaccination hesitancy among parents, and the prevalence and the characteristics of the parents who are hesitant to allow their children aged between 5 to 11 years old to be administered the COVID-19 vaccines. A web-based questionnaire was used to perform this study between May 2022 to September 2022 in Saudi Arabia (SA). Several factors, personal and social, affected the participants’ willingness to vaccinate their children with the COVID-19 vaccines. The age of the parents was found to have a significant impact on their decision to vaccinate their children. Those between the age of 40–49 years of age were the most willing to vaccinate (almost 41%) compared to those 50 years or older who were most resistant to vaccination. Female participants were more resistant to vaccinating their children compared to their male counterparts. Saudis were more resistant to vaccinating their children compared to the non-Saudi participants. Those private sector-employed parents were the most willing to vaccinate (16.6%), followed by those working in the governmental sector (13.8%). About 40.7% of non-healthcare workers were resistant to vaccinating their minor compared to healthcare workers (8.7%). In conclusion, the study presents several factors that affect the parental willingness to vaccinate their children in SA. These factors should be properly addressed when developing public health strategies to promote the COVID-19 vaccination of children in SA.

Astrovirus MLB1 (HAstV-MLB1) is non-enveloped RNA virus that cause acute gastroenteritis infection. Despite research progress about infection and pathogenesis of HAstV-MLB1, Currently, no vaccine has been developed to effectively combat this pathogen. The current study is based on immunoinformatics and reverse vaccinology approaches to design next-generation, multi-epitope-based vaccine models against HAstV-MLB1. Genome-wide whole proteome data of HAstV-MLB1 strain was retrieved, and a series of analyses were conducted to explore effective B and T-cell epitopes that hold significant antigenic nature with no toxicity and allergenicity. A set of vaccine constructs were designed by different combination of lead B and T-cell epitopes with diverse linkers and adjuvants sequences. The model vaccine structures were analyzed via rigorous criteria of physiochemical properties, antigenicity, and molecular docking with HLA and TLR4 immune receptors to ensure their efficacy and safety. Based on the lowest binding energy of −82.48 kcal/mol against the HLA receptor, the MLB1-C2 vaccine model with β-definsin adjuvant was prioritized for molecular dynamic and immune simulations analyses to assess its stability and immunogenic potential. These analyses revealed that the MLB1-C2 construct has feasible molecular stability and potential to boost strong immune responses in the host cell. Besides, the model was predicted to be non-toxic, non-allergenic, and antigenic, ensuring broad population coverage and capable to elicit a robust immune response. The in-silico cloning analysis highlighted a possible gene expression potential of the MLB1-C2 construct in E.coli commercial recombinant vector molecule. The findings of the current study provide an essential template for the development of a advanced next-generation effective vaccine against HAstV-MLB1.

The coronavirus that causes serious acute respiratory syndrome. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still a major problem in public health and biomedicine. Even if there is no cure for it, the infection is still progressing naturally, and the only time that optimal treatment choices, such as doxycycline, work is at the beginning of the infection. Our project is structured into two critical parts: the first focuses on the identification of potential drug targets, and the second on vaccine design, both aimed at exploring new ways to treat the disease. Initially, cytoplasmic proteins identified through subtractive analysis underwent comprehensive evaluation for potential drug targeting, focusing on metabolic pathways, homology prediction, drugability assessment, essentiality, and protein–protein interactions. Subsequently, surface proteins underwent rigorous assessment for allergenicity, antigenicity, physiochemical attributes, conserved regions, protein interactions, and identification of B and T cell epitopes. Molecular docking and immunological simulation analyses were then employed to develop and characterize a multi-epitope vaccine, integrating findings from the aforementioned evaluations. Findings from the study point to six proteins as potential critical therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2, each of which is involved in a distinct metabolic process. The reverse vaccinology analysis suggested that the following proteins could be used as vaccine candidates: sp|P05106, sp|O00187, sp|Q9NYK1, sp|P05556, sp|P09958, and sp|Q9HC29. Four multi-epitope vaccine named as SARS-COV-2-, C1, C2, C3, and C4 was designed by utilizing different adjuvants and eighteen B cell overlapped epitopes which were predicted from top ranked protiens. Based on immune simulation study, the vaccine exhibited adequate immune-reactivity and favorable encounters with toll-type receptors (TLR4, TLR8, HLA, etc ACE), Among them the SARS-COV-2-C2 showed best binding affinity of which all receptors. Findings from this study could be a game-changer in the quest to develop a vaccine and medication that effectively combat SARS-CoV-2. It is necessary to do additional experimental analyses, nevertheless.

Astrovirus MLB2 (AstV-MLB2) is an emerging gastrointestinal virus causing meningitis and disseminated infections. Currently, there are no vaccine-based therapies available for AstV-MLB2. This study aims to develop multi-epitope vaccine models using candidate proteins from AstV-MLB2. Highly immunogenic epitopes (IC₅₀ < 200 μM) exhibiting conservation, antigenicity, and non-allergenicity were called from these proteins. Additionally, the selection criteria for epitopes were based on their potential to trigger immune cells and stimulate IFN-γ-mediated immune responses. The model vaccine constructs were designed from identified lead epitopes, along with immune-enhancer adjuvants and linker sequences. The proposed vaccine models were assessed for allergenicity, antigenicity, and structural integrity to ensure their safety and effectiveness. The binding potential of the vaccine models to HLA and TLR-4 immune cell receptors was evaluated to identify their capacity to stimulate immune responses. Among several raw constructs, MLB2-V1 and MLB2-V2 were identified as potential vaccine candidates due to their non-allergenic features, enhanced antigenic properties, and structural stability. Both these constructs were extensively evaluated and predicted to effectively bind to and interact with immune cell receptors, potentially triggering cellular and innate immune responses. Additionally, the prioritized constructs were deemed suitable for cloning and expression using recombinant DNA systems. The model vaccine constructs showed promise, warranting further investigation into their immune efficacy against MLB2-mediated infections through experimental assays and clinical trials.

A multi-epitope vaccine targeting UPF0721 of Salmonella enterica was designed using immunoinformatics and molecular simulations, offering a promising strategy against meningitis-causing bacterial infections.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, efforts have been in place to tackle the infection. Mass vaccination programs were regarded as the sole solution to end the pandemic. Here, we compare the differential impact of mass vaccination programs in Saudi Arabia (SA) and the United Kingdom (UK) on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality to determine whether vaccines were solely responsible for the changes observed in the disease dynamics. We retrospectively collected the number of new cases and deaths throughout 2021 in both SA and the UK. Similarly, the number of vaccine doses delivered in both countries was collected and compared. Through 2021, the percentage of daily COVID-19 cases was significantly less in SA than in the UK; however, the percentage of deaths was higher in SA. Interestingly, the percentage of daily cases was significantly reduced in SA upon vaccination. The vaccination coverage of both the first and second doses was higher in the UK compared to SA, and, consequently, the percentage of deaths was significantly reduced in the UK compared to SA. The UK vaccination program succeeded in curbing the number of daily deaths compared to SA. SA had better control over the percentage of daily cases, primarily due to the restrictive measures and vaccination, such as the imposed social distancing and mandatory face masks.