Cancer Vaccine Breaking News

The latest surveillance data (Week #19) from Hong Kong showed that the overall local activity of COVID-19 has continued to increase, with some surveillance indicators having surpassed their highest levels in the past year. 

In week 19, the weekly number of newly recorded positive nucleic acid test laboratory detections for the SARS-CoV-2 virus was 1,042, compared to 972 in the preceding week.

And COVID-19 outbreaks occurring in schools/institutions affected 52 people last week.

Furthermore, since January 2023 and May 10, 2025, the cumulative number of fatal cases with cause of death preliminarily assessed to be related to COVID-19 was 1,437.

As of May 14, 2025, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has been closely monitoring the local prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants in the neighboring regions of Hong Kong, including Singapore.

Sewage surveillance data showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of XDV in Hong Kong. XDV is a JN.1-related variant.

The latest information does not suggest that XDV will cause a more severe disease than JN.1, XBB, and their descendant lineages.

The public (and visitors) are advised to maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene to protect themselves against infection and prevent the spread of the disease. 

Additionally, public members are advised to note the latest recommendations on using COVID-19 vaccines in Hong Kong. High-risk priority groups are recommended to receive a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least six months since the last dose or infection, regardless of the number of doses received previously. For more details, please visit this CHP link.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China on the southern coast. Recent data indicates over 40 million people visited Hong Kong last year.

If you depart from the United States, the CDC writes, ' Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine and travel vaccines, such as chikungunya and typhoid, before visiting Hong Kong in May 2025.'

The Government of Papua New Guinea recently reported two circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases in two healthy children from Lae, Morobe Province.

As of May 18, 2025, Papua New Guinea confirmed that cVDPV2 is a rare form of the virus that can emerge in under-immunised communities. The detection was made through routine environmental testing of wastewater collected from Bowerbird Road, China Town, Lae, in March 2025.

In a Facebook post, Health Minister Elias Kapavore described the situation as serious but manageable.

“We’ve dealt with this before and know what works,” Mr Kapavore said. “Vaccination is safe and effective, and we’re acting quickly to protect children.”

The planned response includes at least two rounds of nationwide vaccination. Parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to bring their children for immunization during the upcoming campaigns.

If enough people in a community are immunized against polio, the virus will be deprived of susceptible hosts and will die out. 

Furthermore, the Government stated it is 'committed to maintaining Papua New Guinea’s polio-free status.'

Last week, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) reported poliovirus cases and positive environmental isolates detected in Pakistan, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. As of May 14, 2025, more information on the countries and others is posted at this GPEI link.

As the United States prepares for the next wave of COVID-19 disease, the government is taking steps to clarify what changes to the formula of preventive vaccines are needed.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) recently confirmed it will meet on May 22, 2025, in open session to discuss and recommend selecting the 2025-2026 formula for COVID-19 vaccines for use in the U.S.

This VRBPAC meeting will be held virtually, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET, and is open to the public to attend digitally.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) intends to make background material available to the public no later than two business days before this meeting.

Recently, the new FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stated that Vinay Prasad, the director overseeing vaccines, intends to clarify the FDA’s expectations for vaccine development and approval.

For example, the FDA has asked Novavax Inc. to conduct a new randomized controlled trial for its non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition advised manufacturers that monovalent JN.1 or KP.2 vaccines remain appropriate vaccine antigens; monovalent LP.8.1 is a suitable alternative vaccine antigen.

The WHO wrote, 'Overall, ' the currently approved monovalent JN.1 or KP.2 vaccines continue to elicit broadly cross-reactive immune responses to circulating JN.1-derived variants.'

As of May 16, 2025, COVID-19 vaccines are available at various clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

Led by a team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the findings from a study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases demonstrated the feasibility of assessing seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) using linked immunization and laboratory data from public health surveillance systems.

Published on May 13, 2025, among 1,382,142 laboratory reports, 129,253 persons (9%) (129,253) had a positive influenza test result, of whom 415,390 (30%) had documented influenza vaccination ≥14 days before test date. VE against laboratory-confirmed influenza was 41% (95% confidence interval (CI), 40%–42%). VE was 32% (95% CI, 31%-33%) against influenza A, 68% (95% CI, 66%-69%) against influenza B.

Among older adults aged 65 years or more, flu shot VE was 26% (95% CI, 24%–29 %).

The authors wrote, "Differences in viral evolution may contribute to waning vaccine effectiveness or immune escape."

"Age-related factors contributing to lower VE might include diminished adaptive immune response, increased prevalence of comorbidities, and frailty."

They also noted that the flu shot's lower VE estimates with increasing patient age are consistent with a meta-analysis of test-negative studies conducted from 2004 to 2015.

As of May 9, 2025, the U.S. CDC confirmed that seasonal influenza activity for 2024-2025 is declining. And the CDC continues to recommend that everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine as long as influenza viruses are circulating.

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health recently highlighted a noticeable increase in the Chikungunya outbreak in the Colombo and Kotte areas.

As of March 14, 2025, Weekly Epidemiological Report #12 revealed 173 chikungunya cases had been reported in Colombo, Gampaha, and Kandy.

Local media reported that Acting Consultant Community Physician Dr. Kumudu Weerakoon stated that the Chikungunya virus spread to Sri Lanka in 1960. After several years of low transmission, medical experts said in May 2025 that an effective way to control the spread of Chikungunya is to eliminate as many mosquito breeding sites as possible.

While Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia in the Indian Ocean, it is located thousands of miles to the east of the Chikungunya outbreaks in Mayotte, Mauritius, and Réunion.

International travelers departing from the United States and Europe can receive a preventive vaccine when visiting these Chikungunya outbreak areas in May 2025.

In 2025, the State Institute of Public Health (SZÚ) reported a rise in cases of infectious jaundice across the Czech Republic (Czechia). By the end of April, 450 reported cases of viral hepatitis A had been reported.

Tragically, six patients had died due to hepatitis A, a vaccine-preventable disease.

Czech health officials informed the media on May 13, 2025, that the actual number of infections is likely much higher because it is difficult to track the spread of the virus, which causes liver inflammation that can be fatal in rare cases.

In comparison, the SZÚ recorded 636 cases and two related deaths in 2024.

This year, Hepatitis A affects regions across the Czech Republic. The regions of Central Bohemia – 87, Moravia-Silesia – 83, and Prague – 73 report the most cases. 

"In Prague, almost 1/3 of the disease is reported in homeless people," stated SZU.

In 2025, the spread of hepatitis A impacted other European countries, such as Slovakia, Hungary, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Effective Hepatitis A vaccines are available in the Czech Republic, as in the United States.

Basic protection is achieved after a single injection. A second dose is required to obtain long-term protection, which is given 6-18 months after the first dose.

In 1904, the Isthmus of Panama reported that tropical diseases such as malaria led to the death of an estimated 12,000 workers during the Panama Canal project.

Over 100 years later, the mosquito-transmitted malaria continues to impact the health of the Republic of Panama.

On May 9, 2025, Panama's Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported that two deaths from malaria had been recorded in 2025. The victims were from Eastern Panama in February and from Veraguas in March.

These are Panama's first malaria-related fatalities since 2017.

In 2024, a total of 15,109 cases were reported, and in 2023, 11,659 malaria cases were reported. This data represents a sustained increase in the transmission of this disease.

Minsa stated that this increase has been linked to increased human mobility toward areas of active transmission and the effects of climate variability and change, which can favor the proliferation of the transmitting mosquito and contact with vulnerable populations. It urges citizens to collaborate actively with prevention strategies and seek prompt medical attention if they experience symptoms consistent with malaria.

Throughout 2025, several countries in the Region of the Americas have reported malaria outbreaks.

As of May 13, 2025, the U.S. CDC Yellow Book recommends that travelers to certain areas of Panama take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine you take, you will need to start taking this medicine multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip. Talk to a travel medicine professional about which malaria medication you should take.

Furthermore, while two malaria vaccines are being deployed in Africa, they have not been offered in the Americas.

Additionally, the CDC has included Panama in its Travel Health Advisories for Dengue and Oropouche outbreaks.