Cancer Vaccine Breaking News

World Polio Day  is an opportunity to highlight efforts toward a polio-free world and honor the tireless contributions of those on the frontlines in the fight to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) confirmed World Polio Day is on October 24, 2023, and has launched a Make Polio History campaign to rally existing and new supporters of polio eradication..... through vaccination programs.

Over the past few years, the GPEI has led the deployment of the type 2 novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2), which is genetically more stable than existing oral polio vaccines, with a lower risk of reversion to neurovirulence.

Approximately 750 million nOPV2 doses have been administered in more than 35 countries worldwide.

Unfortunately, polio outbreaks have been confirmed in various countries in 2023, led by Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The World Health Organization confirmed on August 25, 2023, that the spread of poliovirus remained a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and extended the emergency notice for an additional three months.

"It's Time to Make Polio History,' says U.S. CDC Director Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, in a related video message posted on YouTube on October 4, 2023. "It won't be easy, but making history never is. We have the tools and knowledge to ensure no child is paralyzed by polio again."

In the United States, the IPV polio vaccine is offered at most health clinics and pharmacies.

While the United States community is debating where and when the 2023-2024 flu season will arrive, the Walgreens Flu Index® ranks the top markets and states for flu activity, including Puerto Rico.

As of September 30, 2023, cities in the southern U.S. led the Top 10 Designated Market Areas with Flu Activity.

1. Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas
2. Puerto Rico (San Juan)
3. El Paso, Texas (Las Cruces, N.M.)
4. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
5. New Orleans, La.
6. Columbus-Tupelo-West Point-Houston, Miss.
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
8. Corpus Christi, Texas
9. Houston, Texas
10. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

From a more clinical perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today published its week #39 Influenza Surveillance Report.

As of October 6, 2023, seasonal flu rates last week were low nationally, with 444 (1%) positive specimens reported last week.

Additionally, 1,040 patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza were admitted to a hospital, an increased number since the previous CDC report.

And the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics mortality surveillance data distributed on October 5, 2023, confirmed that 11 additional influenza-related deaths were reported last week.

Of the flu-related deaths reported from October 2, 2022, to September 9, 2023, 9,697 (4%) listed influenza. 

This data exceeded the average number of influenza-coded deaths (8,530) from 2015-16 through 2019-20.

Among 5,390 hospitalized adults with information on underlying medical conditions, 96.8% had at least one reported underlying medical condition; the most commonly reported were hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorder, and obesity. 

The CDC's new Director, Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, recently answered questions and offered the most up-to-date information and common-sense solutions so you can protect yourself and your loved ones this respiratory season.

This week's updated flu shot availability news indicated that over 100 million influenza vaccines had been distributed to health clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

An independent committee of vaccine experts unanimously endorsed removing one influenza virus strain from future influenza vaccines.

On October 5, 2023, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted to eliminate the influenza B/Yamagata lineage viruses since it has not been detected for about three years.

The VRBPAC vote follows the World Health Organization's recent announcement that it endorsed eliminating the influenza B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage component from the 2024 Southern Hemisphere flu shot formulation.

Flu seasons in the Southern Hemisphere usually occur between April and September, while the Northern Hemisphere's is generally between October and May.

This change should not impact the effectiveness of flu shots.

A recent U.S. CDC report found the adjusted vaccine effectiveness against severe acute respiratory infection hospitalization associated with any influenza virus during the 2023 Southern Hemisphere flu season was 51.9% (95% Confidence Interval 39.2%–62.0%).

For the 2023-2024 flu season in the U.S., there should be ample supply of vaccines at health clinics and pharmacies. According to a report by the Global Healthy Living Foundation and IQVIA, about 60% of vaccinations during the 2022 flu season took place at pharmacies in the U.S.

Vaccine manufacturers have projected to supply as many as 156.2 million to 170 million doses of influenza vaccines for the 2023-2024 season.

As of September 23, 2023, the CDC says about 100 million doses had been distributed in the U.S. All influenza vaccines are quadrivalent for this flu season, such as FLUMIST® and FLUCELVAX®.

While there is currently no cure for cat allergy, a prevalent, life-long condition, an innovative therapeutic vaccine for humans has begun clinical trials.

Angany Inc. today announced that it has received clearance from U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for the first clinical study to be conducted on its vaccine candidate ANG-101 to treat human allergy to cats.

ANG-101 is a therapeutic vaccine that provides a disruptive disease-modifying approach for treating cat allergy.

Derived from its proprietary eBioparticle-Potentiated Immunotherapy™ technology, ANG-101 active immunotherapeutic ingredient is a unique 140 nm enveloped bioparticle (eBioparticle™) that mimics a virus in shape and size with its surface covered with thousands of copies of cat major allergen Fel d 1.

This clinical study is a first-in-human, open-label, and single-site evaluation of the new vaccine's safety, allergenicity, and immunogenicity in adult patients allergic to cat dander.

This early-stage clinical trial will be conducted under the guidance of Professor Stephen Durham and Dr Guy Scadding, two leading clinical allergy experts from Imperial College London.

Professor Durham commented in a press release on October 5, 2023, "The potential treatment of cat allergy using an auto-adjuvanted vector builds upon its known ability to induce strong allergen-specific IgG antibody responses, as observed in animal models."

Unlike prophylactic vaccines, Angany’s therapeutic vaccines are a new generation of immunotherapy biologics used to treat established pathologies.

They are meant to restore or boost natural immune mechanisms and create sustainable immune protection and vigilance.

Human allergies to cats and dogs affect 10 to 20% of the world’s population, says the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

When you have a pet allergy, you are not allergic to the pet’s hair, fur, or feathers but to the protein found in the pet’s dander, saliva, and urine.

Across both prepandemic and pandemic years, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreaks in the United States began in Florida, the southeast, and later in the north and west regions. 

Florida's RSV season is longer than the rest of the U.S. and has distinct regional patterns, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Florida Department of Health reported as of week #39, September 30, 2023, RSV activity was increasing with higher test positivity, hospital admissions, and emergency room rates, with three previous outbreaks but no current RSV outbreak. 

Furthermore, NREVSS data show Florida's PCR positivity 3-week moving average was about 7.7% as of September 28, 2023.

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) Influenza Update N° 454 indicates RSV activity was found to be generally low, except in some parts of Western Australia and some Central and temperate South American countries.

Additional WHO and CDC RSV outbreak data are posted at Precision Vaccinations.

As of October 4, 2023, RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies are available in the U.S.

With the World Health Organization's (WHO) recent recommendation of a second dengue vaccine, this increased access may help reduce dengue outbreaks globally. About 4 billion people live in areas with a risk of dengue. 

In the United States, the CDC confirmed that 44 U.S. jurisdictions had reported about 997 dengue cases as of September 27, 2023.

During the summer of 2023, dengue outbreaks have been reported by the U.S. CDC in Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rica.

In Florida, the Department of Health issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory in June 2023. 

As of September 30, 2023, 38 locally acquired dengue cases have been reported this year, primarily in Miami-Dade County. Additionally, 334 travel-associated dengue fever cases were reported, primarily in people arriving from Cuba and Brazil. 

Over one thousand miles to the north, New York has reported 74 dengue cases, and New Jersey has confirmed 35 this year.

In the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. territory of Puerto Rica has reported 442 cases.

Anyone who lives in or travels to dengue-endemic areas is at risk for infection. According to the CDC, the four dengue viruses are spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.

The CDC has issued various Travel Health Advisories regarding dengue outbreaks in 2023. Before visiting the areas, the CDC suggests discussing dengue vaccination options with a healthcare provider.

Malaria vaccines have been in development since the 1960s, with substantial progress in the last decade, says the World Health Organization (WHO). Today, the WHO announced it has recommended a second vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, for preventing malaria in children.

As of October 2023, the R21 vaccine is the second malaria vaccine recommended by WHO, following the Mosquirix™ (RTS,S/AS01) vaccine, which received a WHO recommendation in 2021.

Demand for malaria vaccines is unprecedented in 2023. However, the available supply of RTS,S is limited.

The addition of R21 to the WHO's recommended malaria vaccine list is expected to result in sufficient vaccine supply in various countries.

The following steps for R21/Matrix-M, include completing the ongoing WHO prequalification and enabling international vaccine procurement for a broader rollout in malaria outbreak countries.

The WHO's Director-General endorsed the recommendation following its regular biannual meeting on 25-29 September 2023.

"As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two," commented Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in a press release on October 2, 2023.

"Demand for the RTS,S vaccine far exceeds supply, so this second vaccine is a vital additional tool to protect more children faster and to bring us closer to our vision of a malaria-free future."

The R21 vaccine has been shown to reduce symptomatic malaria cases by 75% during the 12 months following a 3-dose series. A fourth dose given a year after the third maintained efficacy. 

This efficacy is similar to that demonstrated when RTS,S is given seasonally. 

The WHO says that at US $2 – US $4 per dose, the cost-effectiveness of the R21 vaccine would be comparable with other recommended malaria interventions and other childhood vaccines.

Malaria is a disease caused by four species of protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted to people by Anopheles mosquitoes. 

According to the WHO's recent World Malaria Report, the global number of malaria cases reached about 240 million, with over 600,000 related fatalities.

As of October 2023, neither malaria vaccine is available in the United States.