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The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) recently renewed a multi-year collaboration to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases.
Under the renewed CEPI-IVI Implementing Partnership Agreement announced on September 1, 2023, IVI will provide technical services for CEPI-funded projects, leveraging IVI’s expertise and capabilities at their headquarters in Korea.
And help accelerate vaccine development against pathogens with epidemic or pandemic potential, and in support of CEPI’s 100 Days Mission, a goal to reduce the time taken to develop safe and effective vaccines against pathogens with pandemic potential to 100 days.
To this end, IVI will support CEPI across a variety of projects, including providing strategic, technical, and scientific support for clinical development and manufacturing of vaccines, standards, and assay development, and capacity-building initiatives that strengthen local resources to help establish or improve research preparedness and emergency evidence generation for future outbreaks.
CEPI's 5-year plan lays out a $3.5 billion roadmap to compress vaccine development timelines to 100 days, develop a broadly protective vaccine against COVID-19 and other betacoronaviruses, and create a "library" of vaccine candidates for use against known and unknown pathogens.
CEPI has also invested in new platform technologies for rapid vaccine development against unknown pathogens (Disease X).
Before the recent pandemic, beginning in 2027, CEPI focused on developing vaccines against the Ebola, Lassa, MERS, Nipah, Rift Valley Fever, and Chikungunya viruses.
CEPI's plan is available at https://endpandemics.cepi.net.
The epidemiology of human papillomavirus (HPV) in men is less known than in women, according to research in a study published in The Lancet Global Health.
In early September 2023, a group of researchers published a global systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the prevalence of genital HPV infection in the male population.
They identified 5,685 publications from database searches, of which 65 studies were included from 35 countries.
The pooled prevalence was 31% (95% CI 27–35) for any HPV.
And 21% (18–24) for HR-HPV.
HPV-16 was the most prevalent HPV genotype (5%, 95% CI 4–7), followed by HPV-6 (4%, 3–5).
HPV prevalence was high in young adults, reaching a maximum between 25 and 29 years.
Pooled prevalence estimates were similar for the UN Sustainable Development Goal geographical regions of Europe and Northern America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania.
However, the estimates for Eastern and South-Eastern Asia were half that of the other regions.
Our findings show that HPV prevalence is high in men over the age of 15 years and support that sexually active men, regardless of age, are an important reservoir of HPV genital infection, wrote these researchers.
These estimates emphasize the importance of incorporating men in comprehensive HPV prevention strategies to reduce HPV-related morbidity and mortality in men and ultimately eliminate cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases in women.
As of September 5, 2023, there are various HPV vaccines available.
This study was not funded by industry.
In the United Kingdom, 900,000 more adults have recently become eligible for a shingles vaccination. Those newly eligible for a shingles vaccine include all those turning 65 and 70 and those aged 50 and over with a severely weakened immune system.
Those aged 70-79 remain eligible for the vaccine.
Following the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the NHS announced on September 1, 2023, that the shingles vaccination program has tod been expanded to protect more people at an earlier age.
The Shingrix®, a non-live, adjuvanted recombinant vaccine, is available through GP surgeries in primary care and can be offered throughout the year.
Dr. Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, commented in a press release, "Shingles is an excruciating condition, and complications can be long-lasting. Older people and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable, so I'd encourage all those newly eligible from today to come forward."
According to the NHS, about 20% will develop shingles in their lifetime.
Shingles (herpes zoster) is a viral infection of an individual nerve and the skin surface served by that nerve.
Shingles can occur at any age, but the risk and severity of shingles increase with age, and complications are higher in individuals with severely weakened immune systems and those older.
Symptoms of the disease can include blindness, hearing loss, nerve pain and, in some cases, death.
In the first five years after a shingles vaccine was introduced in England in 2013, there were 45,000 fewer GP consultations and 1,840 fewer hospitalizations for shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia, showing the program's overall impact in protecting the public.
As India continues its battle against measles outbreaks, it has accelerated last-mile coverage for measles elimination across the country, reported the World Health Organization (WHO).
The good news is that both measles and rubella can be prevented through vaccination.
India is targeting a vaccination coverage of 95% with two doses of the Measles and Rubella vaccine to achieve measles and rubella elimination by 2023.
To achieve that goal, India is conducting three rounds of Intensified Mission Indradhanush 5.0 under the theme “A big leap towards measles and Rubella Elimination” – with an objective to identify and vaccinate all unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children till five years of age.
Targeted districts in the states of West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Mumbai in Maharashtra vaccinated over 30 million children were vaccinated with the measles and rubella vaccine from November 2022 to May 2023.
India is not alone in confronting measles outbreaks in 2023, The WHO and the U.S. CDC have identified over 30 countries with measurable measles outbreaks this year.
As of early September 2023, the CDC reported 19 measles cases in the U.S., including recent cases in Chicago and Texas.
An updated direct-to-consumer (DTC) test that reports selected BRCA1/BRCA2 genetic variants was updated to add 41 BRCA1/BRCA2 variants to the previously authorized test.
This DTC test analyzes DNA from a self-collected saliva sample.
It generates personalized reports describing if the genetic variants detected in that sample are associated with an increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer and may be associated with an increased risk for prostate, pancreatic, and potentially other cancers.
On September 1, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it cleared for marketing the updated 23andMe Personal Genome Service Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2.
These reports provide genetic information to inform discussions with a healthcare professional.
Consumers and healthcare providers should not use the test results to substitute for healthcare visits for recommended cancer screenings or appropriate follow-up; results from this test should not be used to determine any treatments.
This report does not represent most of the BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in people of most ethnicities. This means a negative result does not rule out the presence of other variants that increase cancer risk, says the FDA.
While many in the United States are watching the weekly increase in Dengue virus cases reported in Florida and Puerto Rico, this mosquito-carrying disease is creating havoc in Asia.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Dengue Situation Report #1, Bangladesh has joined its neighbor India in confirming Dengue has become endemic, with yearly peaks in cases and deaths around the monsoon season.
As of August 27, 2023, the upsurge in Dengue cases started around the last week of April.
This year's total has reached 119,133 cases, and 569 related deaths have been reported from all 64 districts in Bangladesh.
This makes it the largest outbreak of Dengue ever reported in Bangladesh.
Tested samples indicated DENV-2 (62%) and DENV-3 (29%) are the primary circulating serotypes.
The WHO stated it is leading partners to support the national authorities to mount a coordinated response to the outbreak. The government has requested immediate support for test kits, IV fluids, and laboratory equipment for early detection and better case management.
Additionally, the U.S. CDC has deployed one expert from its Dengue Branch in Puerto Rico to provide technical assistance in the field of clinical case management.
This situation report summarizes the status of the outbreak and some of the support being provided.
As of September 4, 2023, there have been no reports of a Dengue vaccination program in Bangladesh. There are two Dengue vaccines in use in certain countries.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced that since Memorial Day 2023, it has screened an average of more than 2.4 million people per day at more than 430 airports nationwide.
The Memorial Day and Fourth of July holiday weekends set records for the number of people screened, and the Labor Day holiday is shaping up to be busy as well.
TSA Federal Security Director for Washington, Greg Hawko, commented in a press release, “If you are traveling this Labor Day weekend, please take a few minutes to ensure you are prepared for the security screening process.”
Across the country, TSA expects to screen 14.25 million passengers and crew between September 1, 2023, and September 6, 2023, which is an 11% increase over 2022.
Furthermore, travelers enrolled in TSA PreCheck® wait less than 10 minutes during the screening process.
As of September 2, 2023, national airport checkpoint screening statistics are available at www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-volumes, showing an increase from 2019.
