CHANDIGARH, 11.06.25-
*Immunology and Vaccine Safety in Focus on Day 2 of PGIVAC 2025 at PGIMER*
The second day of the 4th Postgraduate International Vaccinology Course (PGIVAC 2025), organized by the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, spotlighted critical aspects of vaccine-related immunology and safety monitoring.
The day opened with a recap by Course Director Dr. Madhu Gupta, followed by in-depth sessions on immune responses to vaccines. Experts including Dr. Biman Saikia and Dr. Ritu Aggarwal, PGIMER, explained foundational immunology and the laboratory assessment of immune response. Dr. Vipin Vashishtha elaborated on the durability of vaccine-induced immunity, while Dr. Adam Finn, a globally renowned paediatrician from the UK, presented insights on mucosal and antibody-independent immune responses. Special focus was given to vaccination in high-risk populations. Sessions addressed immunization strategies for children, immunocompromised adults, and pregnant women, led by senior faculty members from PGIMER including Dr Sanjay Verma, Dr. Vikas Suri and Dr. Rimpi Singla. An open forum enabled discussion of real-life case studies in these special contexts.
The latter half of the day centered on Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI). Presentations by Dr. Deepak Polpakara from the Ministry of Health’s Immunization Support Unit, Dr. Madhava Ram Balakrishnan from WHO Geneva, and Dr. Manjeet Singh, District Immunization Officer, Chandigarh, highlighted surveillance, causality assessment, and local AEFI experiences. Former Professor Dr. Manmeet Kaur concluded the session with a talk on community-level advocacy and strategies for new vaccine introduction.
The day ended with a participant feedback session led by Dr. Madhu Gupta. PGIVAC 2025 continues through the week with a line-up of national and international experts, reaffirming India’s commitment to advancing vaccinology and public health.
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PGI CARDIOLOGIST RELEASES BOOK ON CTO INTERVENTION
At the recently concluded Indo-Japanese CTO Club meeting held at Lucknow, UP from May 30th - 1st June, 2025, Prof. Himanshu Gupta of Department of Cardiology released a book on CTO intervention. This book is co-authored by Dr. Sharath Reddy (Medicover hospital, Hyderabad).
This book was released by Dr. Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in presence of eminent Cardiologists from India and Japan. This book titled "Decoding CTO (Chronic Total Occlusion): Case-Based Discussion" discusses and explains various techniques of opening chronically occluded coronary arteries including Antegrade approach, Retrograde approach and Dissection re-entry techniques among others.
As it is understood that opening of CTO is considered the most challenging cardiac procedure and requires special skill set and equipment. A book explaining various techniques in a case based manner will be very helpful to the cardiology community.