Paediatric tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccines: Schedules to optimise protection

Although tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccines have been used successfully for decades, direct comparisons of different immunisation schedules and TBE vaccines are limited. This randomised controlled study compared two paediatric TBE vaccines (Encepur® Children and FSME-IMMUN® 0.25 ml Junior), administered according to a conventional (days 0, 28, and 300) or an accelerated (days 0, 14, and 300) schedule; all subjects received Encepur® Children as the third vaccine dose on day 300. With both vaccines, superior immunogenicity was achieved using the conventional schedule, compared with the accelerated schedule, as assessed at days 42, 300, and 321, by geometric mean titres calculated using the neutralisation test (NT). Overall, the immune response to vaccination, assessed by NT, was greater in children vaccinated with Encepur® Children than in those receiving FSME-IMMUN® 0.25 ml Junior, for both the conventional and accelerated schedule. These differences were statistically significant for all post-vaccination evaluation days (42, 300, and 321; p<0.001). In conclusion, the conventional schedule is superior to the accelerated schedule. Furthermore, vaccination with Encepur® Children offers superior immunogenicity over FSME-IMMUN® 0.25 ml Junior, using either the conventional or accelerated schedule.