Coronavirus Breaking News

The U.S. Embassy in Bogota recently published a Level 3: Reconsider Travel notice with updates to high-risk areas. As of January 5, 2023, Columbia's U.S. Embassy says to exercise increased caution due to civil unrest.

Specifically, U.S. citizens are advised not to visit Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán), and Norte de Santander departments. 

And the Colombia-Venezuela border region.

Furthermore, demonstrations occur regularly throughout the country. As a result, road closures may significantly reduce access to public transportation and disrupt travel within and between cities. 

As a result, U.S. government employees are not permitted to travel by road between most major cities. 

And Colombia's land border areas are off-limits to U.S. government personnel unless authorized. 

If you decide to travel to Colombia, the State Department suggests keeping a low profile and enrolling in the Smart Traveler program to receive digital alerts and make it easier to be located during an emergency. 

And U.S. citizens can obtain local assistance at U.S. Embassy in Bogota, at Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50, Bogotá, D.C. Colombia.

From a health perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included Columbia in its Dengue outbreak travel advisory.

Furthermore, the CDC suggests various travel vaccinations, such as malaria, measles, and yellow fever, before visiting Columbia.

Travel vaccines are available in the U.S. at certified clinics and pharmacies.

When BioNTech SE announced that the first person was dosed in a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial with BNT163, a herpes simplex virus (HSV) vaccine candidate for the prevention of genital lesions caused by HSV-2 and potentially HSV-1, there was much enthusiasm generated by millions of people.

BioNTech's placebo-controlled, observer-blinded, two-dose-escalation study was launched on December 8, 2022, and is expected to enroll around 108 healthy adult volunteers.

This first-in-human HSV vaccine study was last updated on January 5, 2023.

However, it is scheduled for a June 2025 completion date.

BNT163 is not the only herpes vaccine candidate conducting early-stage research.

Still, it is the only mRNA vaccine that encodes three HSV-2 glycoproteins to help to prevent HSV cellular entry and spread, as well as counteract the immunosuppressive properties of HSVs.

"My colleagues and I are proud to have contributed to the early development and preclinical testing of this exciting new mRNA vaccine candidate that may have the potential to prevent people from contracting the virus," commented Prof. Harvey M. Friedman, M.D., Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, in a press release.

Dr. Friedman conducted preclinical and discovery science work on HSV and is the University's principal investigator for the preclinical discovery and enabling studies.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated that there were 572,000 new genital herpes infections in a year.

Throughout the U.S., about 12% of persons aged 14 to 49 have an HSV-2 infection.

From a herpes treatment perspective, research recently indicated about 15 vendors were participating in the herpes treatment market, which is valued at over three billion dollars annually.

Acyclovir and Valtrex® have significant shares in the pharmacy segment.

And United BioPharma is developing UB-621 as a first-in-class anti-gD monoclonal antibody candidate with demonstrated viral suppression of transmission and recurrence of HSV-1 and HSV-2. 

This HSV antibody candidate's phase 2 study was last updated on May 18, 2022.

Updated herpes vaccine candidates and treatment news are posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Herpes.

Pfizer Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted for priority review a supplemental Biologics License Application for its 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate (20vPnC) for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by the 20 Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) serotypes contained in the vaccine in infants and children six weeks through 17 years of age.

And for preventing otitis media caused by seven of the 20 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in the vaccine.

The Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date for a decision by the FDA on the 20vPnC vaccine application is anticipated in April 2023. 

“Today’s regulatory milestone further advances Pfizer’s commitment to the more than 20-year legacy of helping protect infants and children from invasive pneumococcal disease through conjugate vaccination,” said Annaliesa Anderson, Ph.D., SVP and Chief Scientific Officer, Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer, in a press release on January 6, 2023.

“By offering the broadest serotype coverage by a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against important serotypes causing pneumococcal disease in U.S. infants and children, 20vPnc, if approved, can help expand the protection for this vulnerable pediatric population.”

The FDA previously approved PREVNAR 20® (Pneumococcal 20-valent Conjugate Vaccine) on June 8, 2021, to prevent invasive disease and pneumonia caused by the 20 pneumococcus serotypes in the vaccine in adults ages 18 years and older.

BioNTech SE today announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") with the Government of the United Kingdom ("UK") focused on personalized mRNA immunotherapies.

The MoU aims to provide personalized cancer therapies for up to 10,000 patients by the end of 2030.

This objective is part of a multi-year collaboration focused on three strategic pillars: cancer immunotherapies based on mRNA or other drug classes, infectious disease vaccines, and investments into expanding BioNTech's footprint in the UK as one of the Company's key markets.

The next steps of the collaboration will be the selection of candidates, trial sites, and the set-up of a development plan to be ready to enroll the first cancer patient in the second half of 2023.

Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO and Co-Founder of BioNTech, commented in a press release on January 6, 2023, "Our goal is to accelerate the development of immunotherapies and vaccines using technologies we have been researching for over 20 years."

"The collaboration will cover various cancer types and infectious diseases affecting collectively hundreds of millions of people worldwide."

BioNTech stated it plans to invest in a UK Research and Development ("R&D") hub in Cambridge with an expected capacity of more than 70 highly skilled scientists, the first to commence R&D by the end of the first quarter of 2023. 

Disclosure: Content was manually curated for mobile readers.

Aura Air Inc. today announced the findings of an independent study confirming that the company's data-driven air purification devices are highly effective in eliminating the airborne pathogens that contribute to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

A recent study by Innovative Bioanalysis Laboratory shows Aura Air's four-stage purification process filters and removes 99.997% of airborne RSV.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, RSV results in approximately 58,000 annual hospitalizations.

Aura Air has partnered with schools, hospitals, and medical associations like the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) to help them combat the spread of RSV, COVID-19, and the flu.

"Hospitals and communities across the country are being hit by an unprecedented surge in patients suffering from RSV, especially very young children," said New Jersey Hospital Association's SVP Michael A. Guerriero in a press release on January 4, 2023.

"Aura Air's advanced air purification and disinfection technology provide a welcome line of defense against these highly contagious viruses."

In addition to RSV, Sheba Medical Center, a leading Israeli medical facility, and Innovative Bioanalysis Laboratory confirmed that Aura Air successfully filters and removes 99.99% of airborne SARS-CoV-2 and 99.98% of Influenza A viruses.

Aura is headquartered in Israel with global offices in the U.S. and India, with distribution in about 87 countries.

Note: As of January 4, 2023, the U.S. FDA has not approved an RSV-preventive vaccine.

Disclosures: This content was sourced from the company and is not paid content.

As 2022 ended, about thirty countries reported polio cases and/or poliovirus confirmations.

In response to these serious disclosures, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reissued its Level 2 Travel Advisory.

On January 3, 2022, the CDC confirmed various international destinations have circulating poliovirus, such as London, England.

Since polio is a vaccine-preventable disease, the CDC says before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines.

And the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of an authorized polio vaccine.

In the U.S., polio vaccines are generally available at most clinics and pharmacies.

While most people with polio do not feel sick, it can be a crippling and potentially fatal disease that affects the nervous system. 

In reaction to a polio case confirmation in New York, the CDC announced on November 30, 2022, it would expand wastewater testing for poliovirus in select jurisdictions, such as near Detroit and Philadelphia.

As of December 30, 2022, sequencing analysis by the CDC confirmed the presence of poliovirus in a total of 99 positive samples of concern in New York.

Disclosures: Polio data originated from the CDC and NY Dept. of Health.

The U.S. Department of State reissued its Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for the Republic of Iraq. As of January 3, 2023, this travel alert indicates significant civil unrest and Mission Iraq’s limited capacity to support U.S. citizens.

Furthermore, U.S. citizens in Iraq face high risks to their safety and security.

Due to risks to civil aviation operating in the Baghdad Flight Information Region, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended its Special Federal Aviation Regulation for an additional two years, prohibiting certain flights at altitudes below 32,000 feet.

Because of security concerns, U.S. government personnel in Baghdad are instructed not to use Baghdad International Airport.

U.S. citizens should consult the FAA Prohibitions, Restrictions, and Notices website for more information.

For local assistance, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is located at Al-Kindi Street, International Zone, Baghdad, Iraq.

From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC publishes travel vaccine recommendations at this link.