Use of Low-cost Molecular Diagnostic Techniques as a New Surveillance Model for Diseases Preventable by Vaccinations.

Incidence rate of major VPDs (vaccine-preventable infectious diseases): pertussis, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, S.pneumoniae, N.meningitidis, H.influenzae.

Vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) surveillance should be a priority throughout the world. In
 Italy, however, there is limited attention to the epidemiology of VPDs, with the consequence
 that their incidence is largely underestimated. Although notification of vaccine-preventable
 diseases is mandatory, very often the etiologic agents causing VPDs are not identified the
 etiological agents causing the major and most severe infectious diseases in childhood.
 Several reasons underlie the underestimation. For example, not having a good surveillance
 system does not allow us to organize a sustainable prevention project for example based on on
 the introduction of new vaccinations. For example the limited use of low-cost
 high-sensitivity techniques such as real-time PCR, which could, if more widely used, improve
 pathogen identification with 3 times the sensitivity of standard cultural methods. Therefore,
 the idea of this multicenter, biological sample study is to take advantage of the regional
 pediatric network with the goal of improving VPD surveillance and increase awareness of the
 importance of surveillance of preventable diseases with the vaccine within the pediatric
 network.