Preparing for Maternal GBS Vaccine Trials in Africa

Infections are one of the key causes of newborn deaths. Among them, Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of sepsis and bacterial meningitis in the first 90 days of life. Fortunately, GBS vaccines for pregnant women, a powerful tool for fighting infections, are currently in development. Once vaccine trials are completed, these vaccines can stop preventable newborn deaths. The PReparing for Optimal Phase III/IV maTErnal Group B StreptococCal vaccine Trials in Africa (PROTECT) project, funded by the European \& Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and European Commission, is supporting medical sites in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Uganda to establish uniform pregnancy and infant health data collection processes. It is also establishing surveillance of GBS in newborns to determine incidence rates and measure the burden of disease. With better reporting systems, medical sites can participate in vaccine trials and monitor vaccine safety. At the same time, the consortium is working to understand the drivers of vaccine hesitancy and to develop culturally appropriate communication tools to facilitate engagement with vaccines. The end goal is to set up a network of sites that can monitor vaccine safety for current and future vaccines.

Two vaccines designed for pregnant women, to protect their unborn infant, are entering late phase development and will prevent infections from GBS and respiratory syncytial virus, respectively. For these vaccines to be approved, the vaccine must work effectively without causing any unwanted responses. To implement these vaccines in countries with low resources, healthcare systems must be strengthened by improving vaccine safety monitoring and surveillance of infection, and advancing vaccine delivery, vaccine confidence, and patient participation. The PROTECT study, funded by the EU Commission EDCTP, is three-fold: 1. Establishment of pregnancy exposure registries: The rapid rollout of electronic health records (EHR) in some East African countries offers an opportunity to use routine data to strengthen reporting of rates of adverse pregnancy, neonatal and infant outcomes, and any adverse events following immunisation; this will be imperative in informing and preparing for future large scale vaccination rollout campaigns. The approach will develop pregnancy registries embedded within national reporting systems to establish this data, including baseline rates of pregnancy and infancy outcomes for Tetanus and COVID19 vaccines currently in use. These reporting systems will allow monitoring of potential safety signals once new vaccines are introduced. 2. Developing sentinel site GBS microbiological surveillance: The investigators will conduct a prospective observational GBS surveillance study among infants less than 90 days old who are admitted with laboratory confirmed GBS. The investigators will develop and strengthen invasive bacterial disease (IBD) surveillance, with a focus on GBS in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda. Each of the proposed lead sites has access to microbiological capacity that will be leveraged to monitor microbiologically confirmed neonatal sepsis burden. In doing so, the investigators will improve the nations' ability to participate in late phase clinical trials and post-licensure effectiveness studies. 3. Vaccine Confidence: The aim of this study is evaluating the knowledge and practices of pregnant women and other key stakeholders around vaccination and factors influencing vaccine confidence during pregnancy. The investigators will also create tools and communication strategies to improve willingness of pregnant women to participate in vaccine trials and consequently increase confidence in vaccines and vaccine trials during pregnancy in Mozambique, Uganda, Malawi and Kenya. The investigators will work closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), African Medicines Agency and Country Stakeholders. This programme of work culminates in a network of maternal vaccine trial sites that can rapidly evaluate vaccines in pregnancy from late-stage trials through to introduction on a national level.