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In the United States, community outbreaks of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) typically occur during late fall, winter, and early spring.
However, recent data indicates the state of Florida has been the location where RSV cases are initially reported each year.
As of July 22, 2023, the Florida Department of Health segmented reported RSV activity had been identified in a few counties, and the southeast area was in-season, but no community outbreaks.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say RSV can be contagious for 3 to 8 days in an infected person and is spread by coughs or sneezes. And healthcare providers should consider RSV in patients with respiratory illness.
Infants and children with RSV infection may have rhinorrhea and decreased appetite before other symptoms appear. Additionally, some infants and people with weakened immune systems can spread RSV after not showing signs for up to one month.
As of July 18, 2023, laboratories reported to the CDC the total number of RSV tests performed and those tests that were positive.
From a prevention perspective, the U.S. FDA has recently approved RSV vaccines and a second antibody therapy for children.
Moderna, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, and Merck today announced the initiation of the pivotal Phase 3 randomized V940-001 clinical trial evaluating V940 (mRNA-4157), an investigational individualized neoantigen therapy (INT), in combination with KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, as an adjuvant treatment in patients with resected high-risk (Stage IIB-IV) melanoma.
INTs are designed to train and activate the immune system so that a patient can generate an antitumor response specific to their tumor mutation signature.
V940-001 is the first Phase 3 study of a planned comprehensive clinical development program initiated following the positive primary analysis of the Phase 2b KEYNOTE-942/mRNA-4157-P201 trial.
Global recruitment in V940-001 has begun, and the first patients are now enrolling in Australia.
"The initiation of the V940-001 Phase 3 trial is an exciting and important milestone for us as we work with our colleagues at Merck and the melanoma patient community to investigate how individualized neoantigen therapy may potentially transform the treatment of the most serious form of skin cancer," said Kyle Holen, M.D., Moderna's Senior Vice President and Head of Development, Therapeutics and Oncology, in a press release on July 26, 2023.
Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells.
Nearly 325,000 new cases were diagnosed worldwide in 2020.
In the U.S., skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed, and melanoma accounts for a large majority of skin cancer deaths. It is estimated there will be nearly 100,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed and almost 8,000 deaths resulting from the disease in the U.S. in 2023.
A high-level travel advisory was reissued today for the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), disclosing various reasons not to visit this Southeast Asian nation in 2023.
On July 24, 2023, the U.S. Department of State's Level 4 Travel Advisory highlighted civil unrest and the risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals by the military regime exists.
Additionally, the U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services in Myanmar as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel outside of the city of Yangon (Rangoon).
Furthermore, visitors should exercise increased caution due to wrongful detentions and areas with land mines and unexploded ordnance.
From a health perspective, the State Department confirmed limited and/or inadequate healthcare resources in Myanmar.
And recently, the U.S. CDC confirmed Dengue is a risk in many parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands, including Myanmar.
If you intend to visit Myanmar, the CDC suggests speaking with a healthcare provider about routine and travel vaccinations.
Over the past eighteen months, numerous reports of avian influenza infections in birds, mammals, and even people in 47 states have been reported.
Since January 2022, based on its genetic features, about 836 flocks, and over 58 million birds have been infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HAPI) virus.
To date, more than 6,500 people in 52 jurisdictions have been monitored since 2022, and only one human case has been identified in the U.S.
However, the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service posted some excellent 'bird flu' news on July 25, 2023.
There has not been a confirmed bird flu outbreak in the U.S. since May 18, 2023.
On July 7, 2023, the U.S. CDC published an updated Technical Report that confirmed 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.
Should a bird flu outbreak occur in humans, the U.S. government has already invested in developing related vaccines.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today published an update Disease Outbreak News regarding the Republic of Peru's ongoing Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) outbreak.
On July 25, 2023, the WHO reported 130 suspected cases of GBS between June 10 and July 15, 2023. Of these cases (94 cases) presented with upward progression of paralysis as a neurological manifestation.
Throughout 2023 (until July 15, 2023), a total of 231 cases have been confirmed.
To date, the potential cause of the unexpected GBS incidence remains under investigation.
Furthermore, the WHO and the U.S. CDC have not issued any recommendations to impose travel and/or trade restrictions in response to this GBS outbreak.
The Presidency of the Republic of Peru declared a national health emergency in early July 2023, due to the unusual increase and enhanced the implementation of public health responses.
In 2019, Peru reported an unprecedented outbreak of GBS that affected several regions of the country, with almost 700 reported cases.
From the clinical-epidemiological characteristics and the study of the identified agents, it was concluded that the outbreak was associated with the presence of the Campylobacter jejuni sequence type 2993 genotype.
The WHO says GBS is a rare neurological disorder of variable clinical severity, including fatal outcomes. It is the most common form of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), a polio-like disease.
It is characterized by motor weakness, areflexia (absence of muscle reflexes), sensory abnormalities, and elevated protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (cytoalbuminologic dissociation). Most often, an upper respiratory or gastrointestinal illness typically precedes GBS.
No known cure for GBS nor protective vaccines is available, says the WHO.
Press Trust of India (PTI) today reported the Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India will soon be exported to Canada for immunotherapy to treat bladder cancer.
BCG is a live freeze-dried preparation derived from an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis.
As part of the therapy, the vaccine is administered into the bladder through a catheter, where it stays in the lining of the bladder for a specific duration affecting the cells and fighting cancer without impacting other body parts.
The product is for intravesical instillation and is available in 40 mg and 80 mg presentations, reported PTI PLB on July 25, 2023.
When cancer starts in the bladder, it is called bladder cancer, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Smoking is the most important risk factor for bladder cancer.
Since the 1970s, the BCG vaccines have been administered as an immunotherapeutic treatment for bladder cancer patients. And BCG has been the standard therapy for treating high-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer patients to avoid the recurrence and progression of the disease.
Using a catheter, BCG is given in a solution placed directly into the bladder. Intravesical treatments flush the bladder with drugs that kill cancer cells that remain after surgery.
According to the National Cancer Institute, this lowers the chance of cancer returning.
The 100 years old BCG vaccine is primarily used to prevent tuberculosis disease worldwide.
The journal NPJ Vaccines recently reported that researchers have developed and characterized a novel dual-target single-shot vaccine candidate that protects against Ebola (EBOV) and Yellow Fever (YFV) infection.
Announced on July 11, 2023, the YF-EBO pre-clinical vaccine candidate could help communities combat simultaneous EBOV and YFV epidemics, such as in Africa.
While there are approved vaccines for Ebola (Ervebo®) and Yellow fever (Stamaril®) in 2023, a single combo vaccine could enhance vaccination campaigns.
EBOV is a member of the Filoviridae family that causes severe and acute systemic disease in humans, known as Ebola virus disease, with mortality rates up to 80%.
YFV is a mosquito-borne flavivirus causing severe hemorrhagic disease in humans.
Yellow fever is endemic in Central and South America, as well as sub-Saharan Africa, where EVD surges.
Despite the availability of a very efficient live-attenuated yellow fever vaccine (Stamaril), annually, an estimated 51,000–380,000 severe cases of YF still occur, resulting in 19,000–180,000 deaths.
The re-emergence of YF outbreaks can be mainly attributed to low vaccine coverage due to supply issues.
Therefore, alike for EVD, a second-generation YFV vaccine with a sustainable supply could deliver measurable benefits during dual outbreaks.
Future studies must address whether this observed cross-reactive humoral immunity is sufficient to also provide cross-protection against heterologous challenge, ideally in step-up models using original filoviruses under BSL4 conditions, wrote these researchers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced a case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases was confirmed in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to the WHO's Disease Outbreak News on July 24, 2023, this MERS-CoV case had no history of direct or indirect contact with camels, goats, or sheep.
Prior to this WHO notification, the last MERS-CoV infection reported from the UAE was in November 2021.
Since July 2012, the UAE has confirmed 94 MERS-CoV cases and 12 related fatalities.
The WHO expects that additional cases of MERS-CoV infection will be reported from the Middle East.
MERS-CoV cases have reached 2,605 globally, including 936 associated deaths as of July 2023.
These are MERS vaccine candidates in development, but the WHO has not approved any.
