BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence shows that sharing health research data with other researchers for secondary analyses can contribute to better health. This is especially important in the context of a public health emergency when stopping a pandemic depends on accelerating science. METHODS: We analysed the information on data sharing collected by the 18 clinical trial registries included in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) to understand the reporting of data sharing plans and which studies were and were not planning to share data. Data on sponsor and funder organisations, country of recruitment, registry, and condition of study were standardised to compare the sharing of information and data across these facets. This represents the first ever comprehensive study of the complete data set contained in ICTRP. RESULTS: Across 132,545 studies registered between January 2019 and December 2020, 11.2% of studies stated that individual patient data (IPD) would be shared. Plans to share IPD varied across the 18 contributing registries– information on data sharing was missing in >95% of study records across 7/18 registries. In the 26,851 (20.3%) studies that were funded or sponsored by a commercial entity, intention to share IPD was similar to those that were not (11.5% vs 11.2%). Intention to share IPD was most common in studies recruiting across both high-income and low- or middle-income countries (21.4%) and in those recruiting in Sub-Saharan Africa (50.3%). Studies of COVID-19 had similar levels of data sharing to studies of other non-pandemic diseases in 2020 (13.7% vs 11.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Rates of planned IPD sharing vary between clinical trial registries and economic regions, and are similar whether commercial or non-commercial agencies are involved. Despite many calls to action, plans to share IPD have not increased significantly and remain below 14% for diseases causing public health emergencies.

INTRODUCTION: Long-distance truck drivers have been identified as a high-risk group for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection. Thus, the aim of this scoping review is to map out the existing evidence on the impact of long-distance truck drivers on the spread of COVID-19 and measures that countries can implement to mitigate this route of spread in the African region. METHODS: we searched the PubMed database and the website of the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020 for eligible studies. RESULTS: the search strategy identified 669 citations, of which six met the inclusion criteria. The most frequently reported interventions were maintaining hand hygiene, social distance, testing truck drivers, regulation of trade and transport e.g. only trucks with the food, medical supplies, fuels, agricultural supplies will be allowed to operate in interstate operations and regulating and controlling trucks carrying essential goods and services e.g. truck drivers are required to declare their final destination and are urged to stop only at designated points. Two studies from the African region reported about border closures and entry and exit screening, two studies from the US reported about the threat for public safety and risks and mitigation plans and 2 guidelines reported about harmonisation and facilitation of cross border in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. CONCLUSION: this review highlights the countries response to mitigate the impact of the pandemic by implementing measures to facilitate safe cross-border trade and adopting regional harmonization of trucking regulations.

The occurrence of social isolation and loneliness has increased with the implementation of social distancing measures in multiple countries to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation and loneliness are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Numerous interventions addressing social isolation and loneliness have been studied, including social facilitation using video calls. A Cochrane review, published in May 2020, assessed the effectiveness of video calls for preventing social isolation and loneliness in the elderly. The authors conducted a comprehensive electronic search and found three eligible studies, none of which was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review provides limited and uncertain evidence regarding the effectiveness of video call interventions to reduce loneliness in the elderly. Given the need for social distancing among the elderly, even when social distancing measures are lifted in African countries, there is a need for further research on the effectiveness of video calls in reducing social isolation and loneliness among older people.

Background: Immunization is a highly effective intervention for controlling over 20 life-threatening infectious diseases, significantly reducing both morbidity and mortality rates. One notable achievement in vaccination efforts was the global eradication of smallpox, which the World Health Assembly declared on 8 May 1980. Additionally, there has been a remarkable 99.9% reduction in wild poliovirus cases since 1988, decreasing from more than 350,000 cases that year to just 30 cases in 2022. Objectives: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of various interventions designed to increase vaccination uptake among adults. Search Methods: A thorough search was conducted in the CENTRAL, Embase Ovid, Medline Ovid, PubMed, Web of Science, and Global Index Medicus databases for primary studies. This search was conducted in August 2021 and updated in November 2024. Selection Criteria: Randomized trials were eligible for inclusion in this review, regardless of publication status or language. Data Analysis: Two authors independently screened the search outputs to select potentially eligible studies. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for each randomized controlled trial (RCT). A meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model, and the quality of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Main Results: A total of 35 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review, with the majority conducted in the United States. The interventions targeted adults aged 18 and older who were eligible for vaccination, involving a total of 403,709 participants. The overall pooled results for interventions aimed at increasing influenza vaccination showed a risk ratio of 1.41 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.73). Most studies focused on influenza vaccination (18 studies), while the remaining studies examined various other vaccines, including those for hepatitis A, COVID-19, hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap), herpes zoster, and human papillomavirus (HPV). The results indicate that letter reminders were slightly effective in increasing influenza vaccination uptake compared to the control group (RR: 1.75, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.16; 6 studies; 161,495 participants; low-certainty evidence). Additionally, participants who received education interventions showed increased levels of influenza vaccination uptake compared to those in the control group (RR: 1.88, 95% CI: 0.61, 5.76; 3 studies; 1318 participants; low-certainty evidence). Furthermore, tracking and outreach interventions also led to an increase in influenza vaccination uptake (RR: 1.87, 95% CI: 0.78, 4.46; 2 studies; 33,752 participants; low-certainty evidence). Conclusions: Letter reminders and educational interventions targeted at recipients are effective in increasing vaccination uptake compared to control groups.

Background Immunisation is an effective intervention for controlling more than 20 life-threatening infectious diseases, reducing both morbidity and mortality. One major vaccination-related achievement was the worldwide eradication of smallpox; the world was declared free of smallpox by the World Health Assembly on 8 May 1980. A second major vaccination-related success has been a reduction in wild poliovirus cases by 99.9% since 1988, from more than 350,000 incident cases that year to 30 in 2022. Objectives To assess the effects of interventions aimed at increasing vaccination uptake among adults. Search methods A search was conducted in CENTRAL, Embase Ovid, Medline Ovid, PubMed, Web of Science, and Global Index Medicus databases for primary studies, in August 2021, and updated in November 2024. Selection criteria Randomised trials, irrespective of their publication status and language of publication, were eligible for inclusion in this review. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently screened records, assessed full-text articles to identify potentially eligible studies, extracted data, and evaluated risk of bias, resolving differences by consensus. For each included study, we calculated risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We pooled study results using random-effects meta-analyses and used GRADE to assess the certainty of the evidence. Main results Thirty-five randomised controlled trials met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review, the majority of which were conducted in the United States of America (U.S.A.). The interventions were aimed at improving vaccination uptake among adults aged 18 years and above who were eligible for vaccination. Most of the studies assessed uptake of influenza vaccine (18 studies), with the rest investigating a variety of vaccines, including hepatitis A virus, coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), hepatitis B virus, pneumococcal, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap), herpes zoster (the acronym would be either: herpes zoster vaccine (HZV) or recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) or live shingles zoster vaccine (ZVL) ), and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines (18 studies). Our results indicate that letter reminders were slightly effective in increasing influenza vaccination uptake compared to the control (RR: 1.75, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.16; 6 studies; 161,495 participants; low-certainty evidence). There were increased levels of influenza vaccination uptake among participants who received education interventions compared to those who were in the control group (RR: 1.88, 95% CI: 0.61, 5.76; 3 studies, 1,318 participants; low-certainty evidence). Tracking and outreach interventions also increased the influenza vaccination uptake (RR:1.87, 95% CI: 0.78, 4.46; 2 studies, 33,752 participants; low-certainty evidence). Conclusion Letter reminders and education directed at recipients are effective in increasing vaccination uptake compared to the controls.

Background: Vaccine research publications play a crucial role in the scientific process by strategically linking the generation of knowledge with its translation into vaccine policy and practice. This study was designed to understand vaccine and immunization research publication trends in Africa to inform strategic directions for vaccine research and innovation efforts in the continent. Methods: We searched PubMed only for vaccine and immunization-related publications from Africa between 1 January 2016 and 8 August 2024. Metrics such as annual growth rates, geographical distribution, international collaboration, and trend topics were analyzed. We conducted separate analyses for general vaccine research, vaccine clinical trials, and vaccine evidence syntheses (systematic reviews and meta-analyses). Results: Vaccine research in Africa demonstrated an annual growth rate of 55.4% (based on the 10,000 records retrieved due to PubMed’s export limit), while vaccine trials saw a decline of 6.08% during the study period. The trend topics analysis across vaccine research, trials, and reviews showed that topics shifted from a focus on general vaccine development, immunization, and malaria pre-2020 to COVID-19-related topics in 2020, with post-2020 research returning to traditional topics like immunization schedules, vaccine safety, and pediatric and maternal vaccines. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on vaccine research, leading to a surge in publications for vaccine research, trials, and reviews. About 65.8% of vaccine research featured international co-authorship. Vaccine trials had a higher rate of international co-authorship at 79.8%. Conclusion: While vaccine research in general in Africa has increased, vaccine trials do not match this increase. The number of clinical trials remained relatively stagnant, reflecting ongoing challenges in the vaccine research ecosystem, particularly in building and sustaining clinical trial capacity across the region. In addition, disparities in research productivity exist between countries. Research prioritization, strategic collaborations, capacity building for research, and improved research infrastructure require critical consideration.