Search API
With eight fatalities and numerous infections reported, the Republic of Rwanda's Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak has raised global alarms as the origin of these infections has yet to be determined.
Since September 29, 2024, Rwandan health authorities have reported 26 confirmed cases in seven of the country's 30 districts.
Additionally, 161 people who came into contact with the reported cases have been identified and are being monitored. Staff at two hospitals in Kigali, home to about 1.7 million residents, are also being evaluated.
In support of the ongoing efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) is mobilizing expertise, outbreak response tools, and emergency medical supplies to reinforce the control measures rolled out to curb the virus.
The WHO says illness caused by Marburg infections begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache, and severe malaise. Many patients develop severe hemorrhagic symptoms within seven days. The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces, and materials.
"We're rapidly setting all the critical outbreak response aspects in motion to support Rwanda halt the spread of this virus swiftly and effectively," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a press release on September 28, 2024.
WHO is also coordinating efforts to reinforce collaborative cross-border measures for readiness and response in countries neighboring Rwanda to ensure timely detection and control of the virus to avert further spread.
As of September 30, 2024, the WHO has not issued a travel alert regarding this Marburg outbreak. However, Rwanda is included in the clade I mpox outbreak in Africa.
Since 1967, when MVD was first recognized in a German lab spillover event, countries such as DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Serbia, South Africa, Tanzania, Yugoslavia, Uganda, and Rwanda have confirmed cases.
The WHO is coordinating a consortium of experts to promote the preclinical and clinical development of vaccines and therapeutics against MVD.
In March 2022, the WHO R&D Blueprint team defined the Strategic Agenda for Filovirus Research and Monitoring to establish research priorities for developing vaccines targeting filovirus diseases during the next decade.
While no product has been approved yet, one innovative Marburg vaccine candidate has progressed in 2024.
Public Health Vaccines, LLC launched its Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT06265012) in March 2024 to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of its single-dose PHV01 (rVSV∆G-MARV-GP [Angola]) vaccine. The PHV01 vaccine is leveraging the proven recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus vector platform initially developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has funded this vaccine research. If PHV01's development continues to succeed, BARDA has the option to provide up to $72 million in funding to continue development through Phase 2 clinical testing.
Update: As of September 30, 2024, Rwanda reported its 9th Marburg-related fatality.
A recent study stressed the possible underestimation of Oropouche Fever (OF) cases and the potential global threat this arbovirus infection represents.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently confirmed multiple cases of Oropouche in U.S. and European travelers returning from travel to Cuba, indicating an ongoing risk.
In the United States, Florida has reported 70 Oropouche cases in individuals with a travel history to an endemic area such as Cuba. The counties reporting cases are Broward (3), Duval, Hillsborough (6), Lee (2), Miami-Dade (28), Orange (2), Palm Beach (2), Pasco, Polk (2), and Sarasota.
As of September 29, 2024, the CDC has issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice (THN) focused on Cuba's expanding Oropouche outbreak.
The CDC has issued a Level 1 THN for the Region of the Americas, identifying 37 areas at risk in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Peru.
Travelers to these affected areas should take steps to prevent insect bites, as the bite of infected midges and mosquitoes spreads Oropouche. This illness can occur in people of any age and is often mistaken for dengue fever.
Oropouche Virus (OROV; genus of Orthobunyavirus) is the causal agent of OF. Due to the lack of specific signs and symptoms and the limited availability of diagnostic tests, the actual epidemiology of OROV infections remains elusive.
While most infected people recover, there were also concerns about an increase in possible cases of the Oropouche virus being passed from a pregnant person to their fetus associated with fetal deaths and congenital abnormalities.
The CDC has confirmed no specific treatment or preventive vaccine for Oropouche exists.
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) recently issued a travel alert advising against all but essential travel to parts of Peru.
As of September 29, 2024, the FCDO posted new information regarding the Oropouche virus disease (OROV) and Yellow Fever outbreaks this year.
There is also a risk of infection when visiting Peru with Malaria and Zika virus through mosquito bites.
Over 2 million people visit Peru annually, visiting places such as Machu Picchu.
To alert international travelers to these health risks, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reissued a Level 1 Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Advisory on September 25, 2024. The CDC advisory states that Oropouche fever is spread through the bites of infected midges (flies) and Culicoides paraenesis mosquitoes.
Seperately, a Level 2 Travel Health Notice has been issued for Oropouche outbreaks in Cuba.
While there are no specific medications or vaccines to prevent OROV, the risk of infection can be minimized by following bite avoidance measures when visiting areas with the infection. Treatment for Oropouche virus disease is supportive.
The FCDO and the U.S. CDC recommend that visitors to Yellow Fever endemic areas such as Peru and Brazil be vaccinated.
In the U.S., Sanofi Pasteur's YF-VAX® vaccine is offered at certified travel clinics and pharmacies.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported that the number of respiratory illnesses (fever plus cough or sore throat) causing people to seek healthcare is low nationally.
'While we expect this (Northern Hemisphere) flu season's peak hospitalization rate to be similar to or lower than last year's, the CDC says there is still a risk of a higher peak rate, underscoring the need to consider this possibility in planning and preparedness activities.'
On August 29, 2024, the CDC confirmed that all flu vaccines for the 2024-2025 season will be trivalent. Most (91%) will be thimerosal-free or thimerosal-reduced vaccines.
From an availability perspective, over 87 million flu shots have already been distributed and are available at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.
As of September 27, 2024, vaccinations to prevent respiratory virus infections have started for the 2024-25 flu season, with 9.6% of adults reporting receipt of a flu shot.
The Minnesota Department of Health today announced it is investigating a human rabies death in a person who had exposure to a bat in western Minnesota in July 2024. This is Minnesota’s fourth case of human rabies since 2000.
This new rabies case is an essential reminder that bats can spread the virus and that the public should avoid contact with them. Bats with rabies are found in all U.S. states except Hawaii.
Recently, a resident of Brantford-Brant, Ontario, Canada, was also confirmed with bat-bite transmitted rabies.
And in Texas, numerous bats have been confirmed with rabies in 2024.
Globally, rabies continues to claim about 59,000 lives annually, with Africa shouldering over 60% of these fatalities. Dogs, not bats, cause most rabies infections worldwide.
According to the U.S. CDC, rabies treatment (vaccines) has proven to be nearly 100% effective at preventing the disease after exposure, but it must be started before symptoms of rabies appear.
Left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal.
The CDC establishes recommendations for international travelers by evaluating the risk of rabies exposure and access to high-quality postexposure prophylaxis (PEP, including rabies immunoglobulin and vaccine) in each destination country.
Bavarian Nordic's RabAvert® vaccine is offered at many travel vaccine clinics and pharmacies in 2024.
According to new data, the measles outbreak in Minnesota's Twin Cities metro area appears to be slowing down. Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health reported only one measles case.
As of September 27, 2024, there have been 59 confirmed measles cases in Minnesota, primarily in Hennepin County (45).
This outbreak began in May 2024 and has mainly affected unvaccinated children, like the previous outbreaks in Chicago (64) and Broward County (10) in Florida.
The U.S. CDC has reported 264 measles cases nationwide in 32 jurisdictions so far this year.
Worldwide, the CDC has identified 56 countries reporting measles outbreaks as of September 24, 2024.
From a disease prevention perspective, various vaccines are available to protect people from this infectious virus. Most clinics and pharmacies offer measles vaccination services.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced its influenza vaccine strain recommendations for the Southern Hemisphere's 2025 flu season. The WHO makes these recommendations twice yearly, once for each hemisphere.
The WHO recommends manufacturers produce trivalent (three-strain) vaccines for the Southern Hemisphere's upcoming flu season.
"The periodic update of viruses contained in influenza vaccines is necessary for the vaccines to be effective due to the constantly evolving nature of influenza viruses, including those circulating and infecting humans," the WHO wrote on September 27, 2024.
From February through August 2024, the WHO reported influenza activity was detected in all transmission zones. Overall, detections were higher compared to the same reporting period in 2023, primarily due to higher detections in the Americas.
According to Google Maps, the Southern Hemisphere is the half of the Earth below the equator. It includes Antarctica, Australia, and parts of Africa, Asia, and South America.
As of September 2024, the flu season in the United States has been reported as mild, and millions of flu shots have already been delivered to local health clinics and pharmacies.
Leaders from Africa convened during the 79th United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2024, calling for a concerted effort against a “Perfect Storm” threatening to derail decades of progress in the fight against Malaria in Africa.
The leaders identified vital challenges contributing to this perfect storm, including significant financial shortfalls and the growing resistance to insecticides and antimalarials.
"To secure $6.3 billion annually (is needed) to achieve malaria elimination, accelerated action is necessary," stated His Excellency Abderaman Koulamallah, Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, Republic of Chad, in a press release.
These leaders stated that if malaria resources stagnate between 2027 and 2029, there could be an additional 112 million malaria cases and up to 280,700 related fatalities.
While the United States reports very few locally acquired malaria cases, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says millions of residents travel to countries (Africa) where Malaria is present.
During 2024, most malaria cases in the U.S. were related to international travelers in Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California.
Of imported malaria cases in the U.S., 59% were among persons who had traveled from Africa.
From a prevention option, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends both the Mosquirix™ (RTS,S/AS01) and R21 / Matrix-M™ malaria vaccines.
These malaria vaccines were added to the WHO list of prequalified vaccines and are available in Africa but not the U.S.
