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CNA reported yesterday another young woman living in Taiwan was diagnosed with the A H1N2 variant (H1N2v) of the novel swine influenza virus.
As of May 11, 2023, this is only the third swine flu case ever seen in Taiwan, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
This zoonotic influenza case came into contact with swine from working at a pig farm. But the virus was not detected in any of the pigs on the farm where the girl worked.
Close contacts were identified, but none tested positive for the H1N2v virus.
Taiwan's first human H1N2v infection was reported in April 2021.
Unlike swine flu, avian influenza Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HAPI) viruses have been detected in birds, mammals (cats, bears, dogs), and humans during 2022-2023.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Technical Report issued on March 17, 2023, confirmed the current risk to the public from HPAI A(H5N1) viruses remains low.
However, continued sporadic human infections are anticipated because of the potential for influenza viruses to evolve.
As of April 6, 2023, about 240 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus have been reported from four countries within the Western Pacific Region since January 2003.
Of these bird flu cases, 135 were fatal, resulting in a case fatality rate of 56%.
Should a human pandemic occur in 2023, the U.S. government has already stockpiled U.S. FDA-approved bird flu vaccines, and other development efforts have been funded as of May 12, 2023.
Furthermore, the CDC says annual flu shots are not designed to protect people against either bird or swine flu infections.
Data recently published by the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows a rise in measles cases related to under-vaccinations in England.
Between January and April 2023, there have been 49 measles cases confirmed in the U.K. compared to 54 for all of 2022.
Most measles cases have been in London; some are linked to international travel.
The measles virus is easy to catch in closed environments such as airplanes.
In recent years, the number of children vaccinated against measles has fallen in England, says the UKHSA on May 4, 2023.
The uptake for the first dose of the MMR vaccine in children is about 89%.
Measles infections can lead to severe problems such as pneumonia. Symptoms include a high fever, sore red, watery eyes, and a blotchy red-brown rash.
Measles cases worldwide increased by about 80% during 2022 compared with 2021.
To alert international travelers, the U.S. CDC published a global Watch-Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions notice on April 6, 2023, regarding measles outbreaks in various countries.
The CDC's top ten global measles outbreaks, as of May 2023, were led by India, with about 68,000 cases.
In the U.S., measles vaccines are generally available at clinics and community pharmacies.
The World Health Organization (WHO) External Situation Report #2 confirmed yesterday that the Kingdom of Eswatini reported its first cholera case in April 2023, related to cross-border transmission from Mozambique and a second case without travel history.
In total, 24 countries have reported cholera cases since the beginning of 2023.
The overall capacity to respond to multiple and simultaneous outbreaks continues to be strained due to the global lack of resources, including shortages of the oral cholera vaccine.
Based on the current situation, the WHO assessed on May 11, 2023, the risk at the global level is very high.
Cholera outbreak news is posted by Vax-Before-Travel.
Before visiting Eswatini in southeast Africa, the U.S. CDC suggests various travel vaccinations, including yellow fever.
GSK plc today presented preliminary positive results from the phase III trial evaluating the immunological vaccine effectiveness and safety of its MenABCWY combination vaccine candidate.
On Mau 12, 2023, the vaccine candidate demonstrated non-inferiority in primary endpoints for five Neisseria meningitidis serogroups (A, B, C, W, and Y) compared to two doses of Bexsero® (meningococcal group B vaccine) and one dose of Menveo (meningococcal group A, C, W-135, and Y conjugate vaccine) in 10–25-year-olds.
In addition, the vaccine candidate was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with Bexsero and Menveo.
In a separate confirmatory arm of this phase III trial, the MenABCWY vaccine candidate showed immunological effectiveness against a panel of 110 diverse meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) invasive strains, which account for 95% of strains circulating in the US.
Professor Terry Nolan, principal investigator for the phase III trial and Head of the Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute, said in a press release, "Meningococcal vaccination can help save lives, and these results are significant in moving one step closer to protection against five meningococcal serogroups with a single vaccine."
"The potential for a simplified immunization schedule could improve accessibility for the target population susceptible to meningococcal disease."
Five Neisseria meningitidis serogroups (A, B, C, W, and Y) account for nearly all invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases worldwide.
Meningitis B is the most common serogroup in the US, accounting for more than half of meningococcal disease cases among 16–20-year-olds.
Currently, immunization coverage rates for Men B are estimated at approximately 31% of adolescents in the US.
GSK stated it is working closely with regulatory agencies to review the complete phase III data set, including the supplemental Biologics License Application for Bexsero, to confirm full licensure under the Accelerated Approval pathway. Detailed results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal later in 2023.
Precision Vaccinations publishes meningococcal vaccine news.
Data published by Sanofi today from the HARMONIE Phase 3b clinical trial show an 83.21% (95% CI 67.77 to 92.04; P<0.001) reduction in hospitalizations due to RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) in younger infants who received a single dose of Beyfortus® (Nirsevimab).
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a multi-dose, injectable monoclonal antibody (mAbs) therapy in 1998, this new therapy has been authorized in Canada, Europe, and the U.K. as of May 12, 2023.
The Hospitalized RSV Monoclonal Antibody Prevention (HARMONIE) study is a large (8,000), multi-country interventional clinical trial aiming to determine the efficacy and safety of a single intramuscular dose of nirsevimab, with data collected in a real-world setting during the 2022-2023 RSV season.
The data from HARMONIE also show that nirsevimab reduced the incidence of hospitalizations due to severe RSV-related LRTD (patients whose oxygen level is under 90% and require oxygen supplementation) by 75.71% (95% CI 32.75 to 92.91; P<0.001).
Additionally, nirsevimab demonstrated a reduction of 58.04% (95% CI 39.69 to 71.19; P<0.001) in the incidence of all-cause LRTD hospitalization compared to infants who received no RSV intervention.
Throughout HARMONIE, nirsevimab maintained a favorable safety profile, consistent with the pivotal trial results.
In a press release, Dr. Simon Drysdale, Consultant Pediatrician in Infectious Diseases at St. George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Co-Chief Investigator of HARMONIE, stated, “RSV-related chest infections lead to high numbers of infants under 12 months old being hospitalized every year."
"These data reinforce the potential public health benefit of nirsevimab in helping reduce the strain on hospitals caused each year by RSV.”
Additional RSV vaccine and monoclonal antibody news are posted by Precision Vaccinations.
The first participant recently received a dose of a Zika virus vaccine candidate in a phase 1 clinical trial conducted by the University of Liverpool at the Clinical Research Facility within the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
This study is essential since Zika remains an ongoing threat, with thousands of cases of the mosquito-borne virus reported annually, in countries such as Brazil, Belize, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
And in 2023, Puerto Rico reported 21 probable Zika cases.
And pregnant women continue at the highest risk for the infection as the virus can cause severe fetal congenital disabilities, such as microcephaly, a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than expected.
It's hoped that the vaccine, designed to be suitable for use during pregnancy, wrote these researchers on May 2, 2023.
“Zika should not be forgotten, especially since climate change contributes to the spread of the Aedes mosquitoes to countries without immunity. Vaccines like ours will enable us to be better prepared for the next Zika outbreak,” commented Dr. Krishanthi Subramaniam in a press release on April 27, 2023.
The vaccine originates from a 2016 Zika Rapid Response grant awarded to Dr. Tom Blanchard and colleagues at the University of Manchester in collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency.
Dr, Blanchard has since developed several iterations to enhance the vaccine's effectiveness and manufacturing scale-up.
Liverpool researchers have been driving this project forward since 2017. The team has used an approach to develop a vaccine based on studies to understand immunity to Zika and other related viruses.
As of May 11, 2023, there are no U.S. FDA-approved Zika vaccines.
The recent Aboviral Diseases Report of the Puerto Rico Department of Health indicates the Zika virus has returned in 2023.
As of May 5, 2023, Report #17 data indicates 21 probable Zika cases were confirmed in 2023.
Since its first detection in March 2014, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has confirmed local transmission of Zika in all countries and territories in the Region of the Americas, except for continental Chile, Uruguay, and Canada.
In 2022, Barbados had the highest Zika incidence and case fatality rate. Other Zika outbreak countries were Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.
Zika is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, says the PAHO. About 25% of infected people may develop symptoms. The illness is usually mild, lasting between two and seven days.
However, the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the U.S. CDC surveyed women who gave birth to infants from August to December 2016.
This survey determined there are no known ways to prevent the adverse effects of Zika infection during pregnancy.
One is Microcephaly, a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than expected.
As of May 11, 2023, there are no approved vaccines to prevent Zika infections.
The Republic of Costa Rica Ministry of Health continues to monitor work on dengue cases in different areas such as Sarapiquí and Río Cuarto.
As of May 9, 2023, epidemiological week #16, a total of 1,179 cases of dengue were reported, with the Huetar Caribe and Central Sur regions presenting the most cases.
Given the previous declaration of a dengue outbreak by the North Central Region, a total of seven officers were displaced to work in the town of Santa Rita and Río Cuarto to assist with fumigation efforts.
Costa Rica was included in the U.S. CDC's recent dengue outbreak travel advisory for the Americas.
Almost half of the world's population, about 4 billion people, live in areas with a risk of dengue. Moreover, dengue is often a leading cause of illness in high-risk areas, says the U.S. CDC.
Dengue is caused by one of four related viruses. For this reason, people can be infected with dengue multiple times in their life.
Approximately 1 in 20 patients with dengue virus disease progress to develop a severe, life-threatening disease called severe dengue.
Dengue vaccines are approved and available in certain countries as of May 11, 2023.
Additional Costa Rica disease outbreak news is posted by Vax-Before-Travel.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that the Fifth Meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the Multi-Country Outbreak of Mpox decided to end the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
As of May 11, 2023, data sources indicate about 87,000 Mpox cases have been confirmed globally, with 30,395 cases and 42 related fatalities in the U.S. since early May 2022.
The WHO committee stated having considered the significant decline in the global spread of mpox and the gains achieved in the control of the outbreak in many countries; the Committee advised that the event requires a transition from a PHEIC to a robust, proactive and sustainable mpox response and control program.
The Committee emphasized the need for long-term attention and support, including financial aid, particularly for countries where Mpox occurs regularly, and advised that Standing Recommendations would now be a more appropriate tool to manage the immediate, short, and long-term public health risks posed by Mpox.
In the U.S., an initial Mpox outbreak was declared in August 2022. On October 27, 2022, the Mpox public health emergency in San Francisco ended, followed by New York City in November 2022.
And on January 31, 2023, the U.S. HHS did not renew the Mpox public health emergency declaration.
However, recent Mpox outbreaks have been reported in Chicago.
Furthermore, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously approved vaccines can prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases such as Mpox.
And the oral TPOXX® (Tecovirimat) treatment remains available in the U.S.
