My research interest is use of childhood vaccines in countries with limited resources. Working with colleagues in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, we are evaluating the burden of disease due to vaccine-preventable infections. The intent is to assess the need for and likely effect of vaccines now widely used in wealthy countries, to improve the health of children in South Asia. [See link to SAPNA Project, ADIP.]

With colleagues in Indonesia, we have recently completed a large prospective evaluation of Haemophilus type b vaccine and its effect in Indonesian children. [see link]

My broader interests include the development of diagnostic tests to better determine the etiology of pneumonia and meningitis infections; assessing the strategy of immunizing mothers to prevent disease in their infants (similar to current tetanus vaccination strategies) and evaluations of the best use of limited oxygen supplies in therapy of pneumonia.

Vaccine, immunization, pneumonia, surveillance, pneumococcus, pharyngitis, infectious respiratory disease

Dedication to Students Award 2004-2005

Grant G, Campbell H, Dowell S, Graham S, Klugman K, Mulholland K, Steinhoff M, Weber M, Qazi S. Recommendations for treatment of childhood non-severe pneumonia. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2009; 9:185-96

Batuwanthudawe R, Karunarathne K, Dassanayake M, de Silva S, Lalitha MK, Thomas K, Steinhoff M, Abeysinghe N. Surveillance of invasive pneumococcal disease in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Clin Infect Dis. 2009 Mar 1;48 Suppl 2:S136-40

Shah AS, Knoll MD, Sharma PR, Moisi JC, Kulkarni P, Lalitha MK, Steinhoff M, Thomas K. Invasive pneumococcal disease in Kanti Children's Hospital, Nepal, as observed by the South Asian Pneumococcal Alliance network. Clin Infect Dis. 2009 Mar 1;48 Suppl 2:S123-8

Verghese VP, Friberg IK, Cherian T, Raghupathy P, Balaji V, Lalitha MK, Thomas K, John TJ, Steinhoff MC. Community effect of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination in India. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2009;28:738-40.

Omer SB, Sutanto A, Sarwo H, Linehan M, Djelantik IG, Mercer D, Moniaga V, Moulton LH, Widjaya A, Muljati P, Gessner BD, Steinhoff MC. Climatic, temporal, and geographic characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus disease in a tropical island population. Epidemiol. Infect. 2008; 136: 56–64.

Rimoin AW, Fischer Walker CL, Chitale RA, Hamza HS, Vince A, Gardovska D, da Cunha AL, Qazi S, Steinhoff MC. Variation in Clinical Presentation of Childhood Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis in Four Countries. J Trop Pediatr. 2008; 54:308-12

Gessner BD, Sedyaningsih ER, Griffiths UK, Sutanto A, Linehan M, Mercer D, Mulholland EK, Walker DG, Steinhoff M, Nadjib M. Vaccine-Preventable Haemophilus influenza Type B Disease Burden and Cost-Effectiveness of Infant Vaccination in Indonesia. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2008;27:438-43

Zaman K, Roy E, Arifeen SE, Rahman M, Raqib R, Wilson E, Omer SB, Shahid N, Breiman RF, Steinhoff MC. Maternal Immunization with Inactivated Influenza Vaccine Protects both Mothers and Infants. New Eng J Med 2008; 359:1555-64

Minz S, Balraj V, Lalitha MK, Murali  N, Cherian T, Manoharan G, Kadirvan S, Joseph A, Steinhoff MC. Incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type b Meningitis in India. Ind J Med Res 2008; 128:57-64.

Gessner BD, Sutanto A, Linehan M, Djelantik IGG, Fletcher T, Gerudug IK, Ingerani, Mercer D, Moniaga V, Moulton LH, Mulholland EK, Nelson C, Soemohardjo S, Steinhoff M, Widjaya A, Stoeckel P, Maynard J, Arjoso S. Incidence of vaccine-preventable Haemophilus influenzae type b pneumonia and meningitis in Indonesian children: hamlet-randomized vaccine-probe trial. Lancet 2005;365:43-52.

Sutanto A, Gessner BD, Djlantik I, Steinhoff MC, Murphy H, Nelson C, Widjaya A, Arjoso S. Acute respiratory illness incidence and death among children under two years of age on Lombok Island, Indonesia. Am J Trop Med 2002;;66:175-79.

INCLEN IBIS Group. Are Haemophilus influenzae infections a significant problem in India? A prospective study and review. Clin Infect Dis 2002;34:949-57.

Shahid NS, Steinhoff MC, Roy E, Begum T, Thompson CM, Siber GR. Placental and breast transfer of antibodies after maternal immunization with polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine: a randomized, controlled evaluation. Vaccine 2002;20:2404-09.

Wilde JA, McMillan J, Serwint J, Butta J, O'Riordan MA, Steinhoff MC. Effectiveness of influenza vaccine in health care professionals: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 1999;281:908-13.

Invasive Bacterial Infection Surveillance Group. Prospective Multicenter Hospital Surveillance of S. pneumoniae Disease in India. Lancet 1999;353:1216-21.

Steinhoff MC, El Khalek MKA, Khallaf N, Hamza HS, El Ayadi A, Orabi A, Fouad H, Kamel M. Effectiveness of clinical guidelines for presumptive treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis in Egyptian children. Lancet 1997;350:918-21.

Cherian T, Steinhoff MC, Simoes EAF, John TJ. Clinical signs of acute lower respiratory tract infections in malnourished infants and children. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1997;16:490-94.

Shahid NS, Steinhoff MC, Hoque SS, Begum T, Thompson C, Siber GR. Maternal immunization with pneumococcal vaccine: serum, breast milk and infant antibody

Steinhoff MC, Auerbach B, Nelson KE, Vlahov D, Becker R, Graham NMH, Schwartz DH, Lucas A, Chaisson RE. Effect of HIV infection on the antibody responses of adult men to Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccines. N Engl J Med 1991;325:1837-42.

Cherian T, John TJ, Simoes E, Steinhoff MC, John M. An evaluation of simple clinical signs for the diagnosis of acute lower respiratory tract infection. Lancet, 1988;2:125-128.