Cancer Vaccine Breaking News

A portion of Santa Clara County has been placed under quarantine for the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) following the detection of two wild female flies in the city of San José.

According to a media release by the California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Public Affairs (CDFA) on August 21, 2025, if not stopped, Medflies can devastate fruits and vegetables by reproducing and leaving larvae in produce.

The quarantine area measures approximately 109 square miles, bordered on the north by Trade Zone Boulevard; on the south by Camden Avenue; on the west by San Tomas Expressway; and on the east by Evergreen Valley Community College. 

The quarantine will cover parts of the cities of San José, Santa Clara, Campbell, and the town of Los Gatos. A link to the quarantine map may be found here: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/medfly/regulation.html.

Sterile male Medflies are scheduled to be released in the area as part of the eradication effort. The release rate will be 250,000 males per square mile per week in an 84.76 square mile area around the infestation. 

Sterile male flies mate with fertile wild female flies in the natural environment but produce no offspring. The fly population decreases as the wild flies reach the end of their natural life span with no offspring to replace them, ultimately resulting in the eradication of the pest.

Additionally, properties within 200 meters of the detection sites are treated with an organic formulation of Spinosad, which originates from naturally occurring bacteria in soil, to eliminate any mated females and reduce the density of the population.

To further reduce the population, properties within 100 meters of infested properties are subject to host-plant or fruit removal to eliminate eggs and larvae.

Furthermore, the invasive flies can then spread to other regions outside the San Francisco Bay Area.

CDFA wrote that it is working collaboratively with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Santa Clara County Division of Agriculture on this project. This project is new and separate from the recently eradicated Medfly infestation in Alameda County, CA.

The quarantine will affect any growers, wholesalers, and retailers of susceptible fruit in the area, as well as residents. Home gardeners are urged not to move homegrown produce from their property.

However, residents living in the quarantine area may consume or process fruit on the property where they were picked or dispose of fruit by bagging and sealing it and placing it in the garbage (not green waste).  

These actions protect against the artificial spread of the infestation to nearby regions where it can affect California's food supply and backyard gardens.

The media statement confirms this eradication approach is the standard Medfly program used by CDFA and is the safest, most effective, and most efficient response program available. CDFA has successfully eradicated every detected Medfly infestation in California's history, dating back more than 40 years.

The pest is known to target more than 250 types of fruits and vegetables. Damage occurs when the female lays eggs inside the fruit. The eggs hatch into maggots, which tunnel through the flesh of the fruit, making it unfit for consumption. Residents who believe their fruits and vegetables are infested with fruit fly larvae are encouraged to call the State's toll-free Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899 or email [email protected].

Residents with questions about the project may call CDFA's Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. To learn more about invasive species and how to protect California's fruits and vegetables, please visit www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/fruitfly.

Since 2016, there has been an increase in the number of hepatitis A cases, primarily affecting men in low-endemic countries across Europe.

According to a recent report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Austria, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia reported higher-than-expected numbers of hepatitis A virus (HAV) subgenotype IB cases in 2025.

Additionally, France recently reported HAV cases, with 73 reported in the Rhône department as of August 19, 2025.

This French health ministry HAV data marks a 356% increase in cases compared to the same period in 2024.

The Rhône department is located in the east-central administrative region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which includes the Lyon Metropolis, and has a population of approximately 1,875,747.

Previous HAV outbreaks in France, particularly in the Seine-Maritime department, are reported by the ECDC.

Since HepA is a vaccine-preventable disease, the U.S. CDC recommends hepatitis A vaccination for most international travelers engaging in higher-risk activities, such as visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas where they may be exposed to food or water contamination.

And for travelers who plan on eating street food in France.

In the United States, HepA vaccines are generally offered at travel pharmacies and clinics in 2025.

The European Union (EU) and the United States government have announced the details of a Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade (Framework Agreement), which includes pharmaceutical products such as vaccines.

The mutual agreement includes 15% tariffs on EU exports to the United States. 

The August 21, 2025, statement confirmed that the U.S. and the EU, in line with their relevant internal procedures, will promptly document the Framework Agreement, which should reveal which EU-produced vaccines are subject to this tariff, which may impact the cost to consumers in the U.S. 

This pending vaccine list may include high-demand travel vaccines for chikungunya, cholera, and Japanese Encephalitis.  

Europe is experiencing a record number of outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses in 2025, including chikungunya.

New data published today by the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) indicates that the country's fight against chikungunya fever continued throughout the early weeks of August 2025.

On August 21, 2025, ISS reported four local transmission events of the chikungunya virus had been identified in the northern regions of Emilia-Romagna and Veneto in two outbreaks.

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to people by virus-carrying mosquitoes, often found in these regions' altitudes, through November each year.

From January to August 19, 2025, Italy's national surveillance system has recorded 66 confirmed cases of chikungunya (37 travel-associated cases and 29 indigenous (local) cases, and no related deaths, with a median age of 53 years.

From a prevention perspective, the U.S. CDC recommends either of the two approved chikungunya vaccines for international travelers visiting outbreak zones in 2025.

These vaccines, and other travel vaccines, are commercially offered at certified clinics and pharmacies in the United States.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a declaration that allows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue Emergency Use Authorizations for animal drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by the New World Screwworm (NWS).

As of August 20, 2025, there are no FDA-approved drugs for NWS, nor are there vaccines authorized to protect people in the United States.

As of today, NWS infestations have been confirmed in Central America and Mexico, but not in Texas.

The FDA stated in a press release that the parasite's risk to human health in the United States remains very low. Still, the potential future threat to animal populations and the food supply chain requires proactive action. 

“Our priority is to safeguard both animal health and the nation’s food supply,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., in a press release.

“FDA is acting swiftly and responsibly to help ensure we have the necessary tools to prevent and control New World Screwworm, minimizing risks to agriculture and public health.”

Over the last two months, about $900 million has been committed by the U.S. government to combat the NWS from reaching the U.S.

NWS infests warm-blooded animals, including livestock, pets, wildlife, and, in rare cases, humans, causing severe tissue damage and sometimes death, writes the FDA.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced that the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, a country located high in the Himalaya Mountains in southeast Asia, has eliminated rubella as a public health problem.

Rubella, or German measles, is a vaccine-preventable disease that is a highly contagious viral infection. It is severe for pregnant women as infection can lead to a range of lifelong and debilitating congenital disabilities, says the WHO.

"Nepal's success reflects the unwavering commitment of its leadership, persistent efforts of the health care workers and volunteers, and unstinting support of engaged and informed communities, for a healthy start for babies and a future free of rubella disease," said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-In-Charge WHO Southeast Asia, in a press release on August 18, 2025.

Unfortunately, this disease eradication success has not translated to the Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes that is often contracted from infected pigs and sheep.

As of August 2025, JE infections are the leading cause of viral encephalitis in 24 countries in the WHO Southeast Asia and Western Pacific/Oceania Regions, exposing more than 3 billion people to infection risks.

In Nepal, Japanese Encephalitis has been a significant public health concern since 1978, especially in the Terai region, an area that borders India.

JE is also a vaccine-preventable disease. The WHO indicated in August 2025 that Nepal's national JE vaccination coverage surpasses 95%. The government integrated JY vaccinations beginning in 2015.

However, as of August 19, 2025, the Health Ministry's data show 33 JE cases and three fatalities this year.

In 2024, 23 people died, and 80 others were infected with the JE virus.

Traditionally, JE vaccination hasn't been routinely recommended for short-term travelers to Nepal.

The WHO and the U.S. CDC recommend that international travelers visiting Nepal consider vaccination. Proven JE vaccines are available in the United States, commercially offered at various travel clinics and pharmacies in 2025.

Before 2006, chikungunya fever infections were rarely identified in the United States. However, starting in 2014, cases of chikungunya began to appear among U.S. travelers returning from affected regions in the Americas.

Local transmission of the virus has since been documented in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As of August 19, 2025, there have been 50 reported travel-related cases in the U.S.

Last year, 199 cases were confirmed.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has highlighted several countries where travelers are acquiring this mosquito-borne disease.

The CDC has issued a chikungunya travel health notice for outbreaks in Bolivia, China, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, France, the Department of Mayotte and Réunion, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Brazil is leading all countries in the region with over 204,000 cases in 2025.

The CDC recently wrote that international travelers can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites. And, if you are pregnant, you should reconsider travel to the affected areas, particularly if you are close to delivering your baby.

"The CDC recommends chikungunya vaccination for travelers going to areas with current outbreaks, and also for people traveling to regions or countries with elevated risk—particularly if they'll be staying for six months or longer," Jeri Beales, MSN, RN, BS, informed Vax-Before-Travel. 

"This is especially true for individuals who are older and have chronic conditions like diabetes." 

"The list of countries and regions with ongoing outbreaks and elevated risks changes frequently, so be sure to seek advice from a travel clinic or physician's office that specializes in travel health before your trip," added Beales, with Destination Health Travel Clinic in the greater Boston, MA area.

Currently, two chikungunya vaccines are approved for use and commercailly in the U.S. at certified travel clinics and pharmacies.