Cancer Vaccine Breaking News

While Dengue Fever cases have traditionally been centered in the Miami-Dade County area, new data from the Florida Department of Health (DOH) indicates virus-carrying mosquitoes are circulating in Brevard County, over 200 miles to the north.

The DOH-Brevard initially informed residents of a confirmed human case of locally-acquired Dengue in early July 2025, and a second case during the week ending July 26, 2025.. 

This area of central Florida is known as the Space Coast, home to the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Tourists frequent this coastal area, which includes the cities of Melbourne and Cocoa Beach. Furthermore, it is about 100 miles east of Orlando.

In 2025, 118 cases of travel-related dengue fever were reported among individuals, with 59 cases related to travelers from Cuba.

Since Dengue vaccines are unavailable in Florida, DOH-Brevard reminds the community to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes by taking basic precautions, such as wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, and eliminating standing water.

As of July 29, 2025, only Puerto Rico is authorized to offer the first-generation Dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia®) to children in the United States.

As of late July 2025, three confirmed, locally acquired cases of dengue fever were recorded in the Municipality of Budrio, located in central Italy.

As of July 24, 2025, as required by the Regional Arbovirus Plan, in collaboration with the Municipality of Budrio, disinfestations were carried out using larvicidal and adulticidal treatments to reduce the number of virus-carrying mosquitoes in the affected areas.

Budrio is located just east of Bologna, a city with about 390,000 residents in central Italy.

Additionally, diagnostic tests and access to a second-generation dengue vaccine have been offered to residents.

The Italian National Public Health Authority reported over 213 locally acquired dengue cases in 2024. Most of these cases were in DENV-2 cases, which were recorded in Fano, a small coastal city in Italy's Marche Region.

Compared with data from 2024, this was a significant increase from the 82 confirmed cases.

Currently, the U.S. CDC does not list Italy as a country at risk for dengue outbreaks. Nor does the CDC recommend dengue vaccination when traveling to at-risk areas. Only Puerto Rico offers dengue vaccinations in 2025.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok is one of the largest in the world, with a mission to advance the interests of the United States and to serve and protect U.S. citizens when visiting the Kingdom of Thailand in 2025.

Last year, about 35 million tourists visited Thailand, many traveling from the U.S.

Based on today's announcement by Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, the U.S. applauds the ceasefire declaration between Cambodia and Thailand.

Announced in Kuala Lumpur on July 28, 2025, 'We are grateful to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his leadership and for hosting the ceasefire talks. We urge all parties to follow through on their commitments.'

'The U.S. will remain committed to and engaged in this U.S.-Malaysia-organized process to end this conflict.'

For local assistance, the U.S. Embassy Bangkok is located at 95 Wireless Road or call + (66) (2) 205-4049.

From a health perspective, the U.S. advises tourists visiting Thailand to complete routine vaccinations, such as measles, before arrival.

Additionally, there is an increased risk of Chikungunya in Thailand.

The CDC recommends that Chikungunya vaccination may be considered for individuals traveling to or residing in areas with a risk of Chikungunya transmission.

Furthermore, Yellow fever vaccination may be required if arriving from certain countries.

These travel vaccines are commercailly offered at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

With the onset of the rainy season in Central America, breeding sites for the mosquitoes that transmit the Dengue Fever virus have increased, leading to disease outbreaks.

According to local media reports on July 24, 2025, Belize City, a favorite destination for over 500,000 tourists, has recently been significantly impacted. The 

Belize Ministry of Health and Wellness has reported 160 cases in the Belize District as of the end of June 2025, compared to 90 cases during the same period last year.

The Ministry is reportedly engaged in various interventions, including clean-up campaigns and spraying mosquito breeding sites, which are ongoing in several communities. 

While 2024 was a record-setting year for Dengue cases (13 million) in the Americas, new data indicate that far fewer cases have been reported (3.4 million) so far in 2025.

As of July 27, 2025, the U.S. CDC's Global Dengue Travel Health Advisory does not highlight Belize's situation; various countries in the Region of the Americas are listed. The CDC recommends international travelers speak with a travel health advisor before visiting any area that is reporting a disease outbreak.

In the United States, the Miami, Florida, has reported both travel-related and locally acquired Dengue cases in 2025.

As millions of international travelers visit countries in South America, a mosquito-transmitted killer is devastating the Republic of Colombia in 2025.

As of July 23, 2025, the country has confirmed 103 cases of Yellow fever, resulting in 37 deaths, a staggering 36% fatality rate that underscores the virus's lethal potential.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) previously sounded the alarm with a regional alert, warning that Yellow fever continues to pose a grave threat across the Americas.

While the disease is preventable through vaccination, gaps in immunization have allowed it to surge in Colombia's rural and forested areas.

At the epicenter of the crisis are the municipalities of Cunday and Rioblanco in the Tolima Department, which is unusual, given their high altitude.

Tolima's rural terrain has historically been a breeding ground for the virus, but officials are determined to contain it.

Katherine Rengifo, Tolima's Secretary of Health, highlighted the establishment of a Unified Command Post, personally led by the governor, to oversee containment efforts.

"Every time there is an unvaccinated resident of Tolima or a visitor, there is a risk of transmission," Rengifo warned in a press release.

"All efforts by the Departmental Government, the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Health, and the Superintendency are focused on containing this outbreak and, above all, preventing its urbanization, which is the greatest risk we face."

"Urbanization, the spread of yellow fever into densely populated cities via the Aedes aegypti mosquito, could ignite a public health catastrophe, potentially overwhelming healthcare systems and leading to widespread panic."

To date, Tolima has rolled out over 728,000 doses of the yellow fever vaccine, achieving 57% coverage in a region that, until recently, lacked a robust immunization program.

This rapid scale-up is a testament to the collaborative push involving national and local health entities.

Unfortunately, the spotlight turned to Villarrica and Cunday, where teams are enforcing an "epidemiological lockdown"—a targeted approach combining surveillance, mosquito control, and mass vaccination drives.

Rengifo emphasized that the goal is to reach 95% vaccination rates to create a protective shield around vulnerable populations.

"The vaccine is free, safe, and saves lives," Rengifo added.

While Colombia's battle against yellow fever is far from over, the PAHO's latest data indicate that five other countries continue to report cases and fatalities in 2025.

Throughout the Americas, 134 fatal cases have been confirmed this year. 

In addition to the PAHO's warning, the U.S. CDC has issued a Travel Health Advisory for the Americas, recommending Yellow fever vaccination for specific areas, such as in Colombia.

In the United States, the YF-VAX vaccine is expected to be commercially available at travel clinics and pharmacies in late July 2025.

During the winter of 2024-2025, cases of a highly contagious stomach bug characterized by sudden vomiting and diarrhea surged. Nicknamed the "Ferrari of viruses" for its rapid spread, norovirus is also known for its ability to quickly infect cruise ships.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cruise ship inspections for illness are on pace to set new records in 2025.

As of July 2025, the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program had reported 18 gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships this year, most classified as norovirus.

A University of Surrey–led research team identified cruise ship dining areas as priorities for preventing norovirus outbreaks.

However, according to those who study it, the virus hasn't received the attention it deserves, wrote Kate Schweitzer in an article published by JAMA on July 25, 2025.

From a prevention perspective, scientists have taken several approaches to developing a norovirus vaccine. Unfortunately, no candidate vaccine has been approved yet.

Schweitzer's unedited article is posted at this JAMA link.

Since the beginning of 2025, three European countries have reported human cases of West Nile virus infections: Greece, Romania, and Italy.

According to Italy's National Institute of Health, 10 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus have been reported since the beginning of 2025.

As of July 20, 2025, seven of these mosquito-transmitted cases had been reported from the Lazio region, specifically from Latina, Italy's second most populous region, with over 5 million residents.

Throughout 2024, twenty WNV-related deaths were recorded in Italy.

In the United States, 1,466 WVN cases were reported in 2024, with over 1,000 cases involving the nervous system. Most WNV cases are reported in the southwest states.

As of July 24, 2025, WNV vaccine candidates continue to be tested in clinical research for prevention purposes. However, none have been approved for use in humans.