Search API
The Broward County Department of Health in Florida recently joined its southern neighbor, Miami-Dade, in issuing a Mosquito-borne Illness Alert.
The bite of an infected mosquito spreads dengue and is not usually present in the greater Ft. Lauderdale area. However, infected travelers have brought the virus back to Florida, primarily in the Miami-Dade Country area.
In 2023, there have been two locally acquired dengue cases in Broward County. Last year, there were two other locally acquired dengue cases.
In total, Florida's Department of Health has reported 215 dengue cases in 2023.
Globally, Dengue outbreaks have been confirmed by numerous countries this year, such as Costa Rica.
Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease, with two vaccines approved in various countries.
While numerous countries are reporting dengue outbreaks in 2023, one U.S. state continues to confirm new cases.
The Florida Department of Health recently reported additional dengue infections in people through the bite of Aedes species mosquitoes.
As of August 12, 2023, one case of locally acquired dengue was reported this week in Miami-Dade County. In 2023, 11 cases of locally acquired dengue have been reported.
And 14 new dengue cases were reported this week in persons with international travel.
In 2023, 204 travel-associated dengue cases have been reported in Florida. Miami-Dade Country has reported 120 of these dengue cases this year. These travelers primarily came from Cuba and Brazil.
According to the U.S. CDC, 32 jurisdictions have reported a total of 513 dengue cases this year.
Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease. The U.S. FDA, U.K., and Europe-approved Dengvaxia® (CYD-TDV) is a live attenuated tetravalent chimeric vaccine that requires pre-admission testing.
The Florida Department of Health's RSV Review Activity Summary #32 reported a few counties confirmed increasing detection rates and one outbreak in a pediatric facility in Deval County.
As of August 12, 2023, Florida's overall respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) positivity rate had increased since last week, but emergency room visits had not changed.
In Florida, deaths per 100,000 population for children younger than five was .02 for the 2022-2023 RSV season.
Florida says its RSV season is longer than the rest of the nation and has distinct regional patterns.
From a nationwide perspective, annual community-based outbreaks of RSV typically occur during late fall, winter, and early spring. The U. S. CDC's RSV detection graphs display the 5-week moving average.
RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. According to the CDC, young children and older adults, especially those with certain underlying health conditions, are at higher risk for severe illness from RSV.
A recent Original Investigation supports new RSV preventative interventions, including long-lasting monoclonal antibodies in infants and maternal vaccination.
On July 17, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Beyfortus™ (Nirsevimab-alip), a long-acting monoclonal RSV-neutralizing antibody, for infants.
The New Zealand Government recently announced it was removing the remaining COVID-19 public health requirements.
Minister of Health Dr. Ayesha Verrall commented in a press release on August 14, 2023, ....While fluctuations from week to week are expected, overall COVID-19 case rates, wastewater levels, and hospitalizations have been trending downwards since the beginning of June 2023. And over the past month, reported COVID-19 cases have hit their lowest levels since February 2022.
.... and it’s safe to remove the final requirements.
COVID-19 cases accounted for 2.2% of recent hospital admissions, and New Zealand has now likely passed the winter influenza peak.
“While our case numbers will continue to fluctuate, we have not seen the dramatic peaks that characterized COVID-19 rates last year,” said Verrall, an infectious diseases doctor and Labour list MP from Wellington.
Wiping out wild poliovirus, of which there are three strains, has been the goal of global eradication efforts since they began in 1988, wrote Clare Watson in an article today published by the journal Nature.
While types 2 and 3 were successfully eradicated in 1999 and 2020, respectively, type 1 continues circulating in Afghanistan and Pakistan 12 years after India quashed all forms of the wild virus and three years after Africa did the same.
An analysis of polio transmission dynamics published in 2020 found that global polio eradication efforts were “not on track to succeed” in achieving their goal of eliminating wild poliovirus type 1 by 2023.
Fears that eradication was falling out of reach increased again in 2021 when wild poliovirus broke containment lines and emerged in eastern Africa.
As recently as February 2023, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested eradication of the virus had been “unsuccessful.”
However, polio cases are down in 2023.
Pakistan has reported just two wild polio cases in 2023, and Afghanistan has reported five.
In 2022, they recorded 22 cases combined.
The full article, published on August 15, 2023, is available at this link.
In the U.S., poliovirus wastewater testing continues in 2023 following detections in New York in 2022.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend travelers to polio-endemic areas be fully vaccinated before departure. Polio vaccines are available in most pharmacies in the U.S.
Over the past month, the World Health Organization (WHO) received reports of 1,020 newly confirmed mpox cases and three new deaths.
As of August 9, 2023, 15 of the 113 affected countries have reported new cases within the last 21 days.
The transmission of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) continues at a low level in most countries reporting cases to the WHO.
However, a significant number of mpox cases has been reported by China for July 2023.
Based on information shared with WHO, the main demographic characteristics of cases in China are similar to those of the global outbreak. These reported cases have been identified as clade IIb MPXV.
As of August 15, 2023, Bavarian Nordic's JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN) two-dose vaccine remains available in most impacted countries.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices presented various mpox outbreak data on June 23, 2023, and did not endorse a third JYNNEOS vaccination.
A leader in influenza prevention today announced significant growth in its vaccine business against a backdrop of reduced immunization rates worldwide.
CSL Seqirus confirmed that on August 15, 2023, its total revenue of $2,031 million was up 9%, driven by growth in seasonal influenza vaccines, particularly FLUCELVAX®, which increased 30%.
FLUCELVAX's indication now includes six months+ age indication in the U.S., Argentina, Canada, Taiwan, Australia & New Zealand.
Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized FLUAD® as a preferentially recommended seasonal vaccine option for adults aged 65+ years.
Both of these vaccines for the 2023-2024 flu season began shipping globally, including the U.S., on July 17, 2023.
Dr. Gregg Sylvester, Chief Health Officer CSL Seqirus, commented in a related press release, "As we commence shipment to healthcare providers across the U.S., it's critical that we raise immunization rates this season to help protect as many people as possible from influenza and its potentially life-threatening complications."
The CDC encourages most people to get an annual flu shot before influenza viruses arrive. These vaccines are generally available at health clinics and community pharmacies in the U.S.
