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Reuters recently reported the European Commission secured purchase agreements with New York-based Pfizer Inc. and several European drugmakers to reserve the capacity to produce up to 325 million vaccines per year in case of a future global health emergency.
On June 30, 2023, Reuters confirmed this new agreement covers mRNA, vector-based and protein-based vaccines and does not relate to existing COVID-19 vaccine agreements.
The Commission helps to shape the European Union's (EU) overall strategy, proposes new laws and policies, monitors their implementation, and manages the budget. It also plays a significant role in supporting international development and delivering aid.
To facilitate safe free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU established the EU Digital COVID Certificate in 2023, based on the EU Global Health and World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategies on digital health.
On July 1, 2023, the WHO took up the EU system of digital COVID-19 certification (passports) to establish a global system that will help protect citizens worldwide from on-going and future health threats, including pandemics.
The U.S. Embassy in Paris recently issued another Security Alert regarding demonstrations in the greater Paris region and other major urban centers in France.
As of June 30, 2023, the embassy is aware of potential security risks surrounding events expected to occur in Paris and the Paris region.
The embassy urges U.S. citizens to avoid these events and follow general guidelines regarding gatherings.
Previous Security Alerts can be found on this website.
The U.S. Embassy in Paris can be contacted at +33 (1) 43 12 22 22 or [email protected]. Additionally, U.S. citizens are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive security updates from the Department of State.
As of June 2, 2023, the U.S. Department of State's Level 2 advisory says visitors to France should exercise increased caution due to civil unrest.
And incidents such as pickpocketing and phone snatchings occur frequently and can happen anywhere, especially in crowded areas such as airports, train stations, subway and train cars, and near tourist attractions.
As always, it is a good practice to notify friends or family of your whereabouts, says the U.S. government.
From a health perspective, the CDC suggests various travel vaccinations when visiting France in 2023.
This article was updated on June 3, 2023, with State Department reference and link.
Measles is an ongoing risk worldwide in the summer of 2023, often due to low vaccination rates, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
To alert travelers, the CDC recently reissued and expanded its Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions, Global Measles Travel Health Notice.
On June 29, 2023, the CDC identified 38 countries with active measles outbreaks, which are declared when the number of cases is higher than expected.
The unfortunate leaders are India (73,536) and Yemen (19,312).
Historically, measles outbreaks in the U.S. are rare, generally related to unvaccinated travelers.
However, in 2019, 1,274 measles cases were confirmed in 31 U.S. states.
This year, the CDC reported 15 measles cases in jurisdictions such as Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Utah.
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.
The measles virus can live for up to two hours in airspace after an infected person leaves an area.
People can spread measles up to four days before and four days after a rash.
Several groups are more likely to suffer from measles complications, including children younger than five years of age, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems, such as leukemia or HIV infection, says the CDC.
The good news is measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, and approved measles vaccines are generally available at health clinics and community pharmacies in the U.S.
Furthermore, the CDC suggests confirming with a healthcare provider international travelers need an extra measles vaccination before visiting an outbreak country.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently reported the global cholera outbreak continues into the summer of 2023. While cholera in travelers is sporadic, outbreak settings do pose health risks.
The ECDC confirmed 412,137 cholera cases, including 2,130 related deaths, have been reported worldwide as of June 21, 2023.
In comparison, only 400 cholera deaths were reported during the same period in 2022.
In the Region of the Americas, Haiti continues to lead in cases and deaths.
Since January 2023 and as of early June 2023, over 26,000 cases, including 253 deaths, have been reported in Hati.
In comparison, in 2022, no cases were reported.
The good news is the island of Hispanola's eastern neighbor, the Dominican Republic, has reported very few cholera cases in 2023.
Visitors to Haiti should avoid unsafe food and water and wash their hands often to help prevent cholera, says the U.S. CDC.
Cholera is a vaccine-preventable disease. However, vaccination against cholera is not routinely recommended because most travelers do not visit areas of active transmission.
During 2023, cholera vaccines are in limited supply in the U.S.
The BMJ Journal recently published an Editorial confirming the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STI) are rising in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States (U.S.)
Published on June 30, 2023, these researchers stated ...We have the tools to respond (to these increases) and must deploy them urgently!
In June 2023, the U.K. Health Security Agency reported a 23.8% increase in STI diagnoses in 2022 compared with 2021, including chlamydia (24.3%), gonorrhea (50.3%), and syphilis (15.2%).
Similar trends have emerged in the U.S., where syphilis diagnoses rose by 28.6%.
And in Canada, where rates of syphilis rose by 20%.
This situation is important for a few reasons, wrote Patrick O’Byrne, full professor and nurse practitioner, University of Ottawa, School of Nursing, Lauren Orser, doctoral candidate, and Abigail Kroch, director, Ontario HIV Treatment Network.
Firstly, STIs cause harm, including pelvic inflammatory disease, disseminated gonococcal infection, and neurosyphilis.
Secondly, drug-resistant gonorrhea is now being reported internationally, showing the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
To read the full editorial, please visit this BMJ link.
Furthermore, there have been frequent reassurances of mpox cases and vaccine (JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN, IMVANEX®) breakthrough confirmations in 2023.
As of Ju;y 2023, mpox outbreaks have been identified in Chicago, Denver, London, New York, Paris, Seoul, and Tokyo.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has approved vaccines that can prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. As of July 2, 2023, a STI vaccine overview was updated by Precision Vaccinations.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says polio is a vaccine-preventable disease that often impacts children. And to reduce poliovirus transmission, 31 countries have been administering a new vaccine in Africa.
Since 2022, the World Health Organization has recommended the nOPV2 vaccine when responding to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in Africa.
As of late June 2023, over 670 million people have been vaccinated with this vaccine.
This single-dose vaccine has been 'triple-locked' using genetic engineering to prevent it from becoming harmful. As a result, nOPV2 is reported to be genetically more stable than existing oral polio vaccines, with a lower risk of reversion to neurovirulence.
As of July 1, 2023, the nOPV2 vaccine is not offered in the U.S.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative recently published nOPV2 Frequently Asked Questions, Fact Sheet, and polio outbreak country list.
And the WHO reconfirmed on May 12, 2023, poliovirus outbreaks remained a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Poland's Chief Veterinary Office recently confirmed 29 samples of avian influenza A(H5N1) were tested, 20 of which came from cats from Gdańsk, Gdynia, Poznań, Lublin, Pruszcz Gdański, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Bydgoszcz, Wrocław, the Rzeszów district and the vicinity of Zamość.
As of June 30, 2023, Poland's State Veterinary Institute in Puławy reported these infections. Previously, a team of scientists from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences examined one of the samples.
Since June 23, 2023, media sources have referred to at least 70 domestic cat deaths in Poland, for which investigations are ongoing, reported the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
'Several uncertainties currently exist regarding the source of infection, the potential of feline-to-feline and feline-human transmission of the particular A(H5N1) influenza virus strain, and the severity of the disease.
Furthermore, no human cases have been reported related to this (cat) event in Poland, wrote the ECDC.
The U.S. CDC published an updated report on June 30, 2023, to include information on additional sporadic human cases and activity in wild birds, poultry, and other animals.
The overall risk to human health associated with the ongoing outbreaks of highly pathogenic A(H5N1) viruses in wild birds and poultry has not changed and remains low at this time, says the CDC.
Bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed worldwide.
According to the CDC FluView dashboard, 54 countries reported bird flu outbreaks to the World Health Organization from 2021 through June 2023.
As of July 1, 2023, the U.S. government continues to fund bird flu vaccines.
The Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) laboratory has confirmed mosquito samples that have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV).
As of June 27, 2023, the mosquito samples were collected from the 75019 zip code in Coppell, 75146 in Lancaster, and 75159 in Seagoville, TX.
Unfortunately, there are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV in people.
“It’s important to prevent mosquito bites that can cause West Nile Virus infection. As people are getting outside more, remember the four Ds: DEET, Dress, Drain, and Dusk to Dawn”, commented Dr. Philip Huang, Director of DCHHS, in a press release.
In response to these detections, weather permitting, DCHHS has scheduled ground spraying.
Spraying will not be conducted in wind speeds over ten mph or inclement weather.
Click on the link to view a map of the spraying areas as of June 30, 2023: http://www.dallas.leateamapps.com/PublicMap/.
Dallas area residents should remain inside during the time sprayers are in the area.
furthermore, WNV is a major health risk in Europe.
As of June 30, 2023, European Union, European Economic Area, and EU-neighbouring countries have confirmed 1,340 locally acquired human cases of West Nile virus, including 104 related deaths, in 2022.
According to the U.S. CDC, WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States.
It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Cases of WNV occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall.
Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not feel sick. About 1 in 5 infected people develop a fever and other symptoms.
About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
In severe cases, patients often need to be hospitalized to receive supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluids, pain medication, and nursing care, says the CDC.
