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Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) recently announced it is gravely alarmed over the depletion of the global oral cholera vaccine (OCV) stockpile.
As of March 6, 2024, all cholera vaccine doses currently in production have already been allocated, and their demand keeps increasing.
The predicted shortfall of at least 50 million vaccine doses worldwide.
As countries report cholera outbreaks, MSF says that existing and new manufacturers must urgently step up their efforts to boost the global supply of cholera vaccines.
MSF says immediate action is necessary to address this pressing global health concern.
"The world's oral cholera vaccine stocks have dried up," said Dr. Daniela Garone, MSF's international medical coordinator, on February 26, 2024.
"We're very worried that people are at much greater risk of getting and potentially dying from a disease that's preventable if there's no vaccine available to respond to an outbreak in their community, nor to prevent one from starting in the first place," Dr. Garone added.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded seven cholera pandemics over the past two centuries. The current (7th) cholera epidemic is considered to have started in 1961.
About 17 countries across four WHO regions reported over 40,000 cholera cases and 775 related deaths in January 2024.
The five countries reporting the most cases in 2024 are Zambia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Pakistan.
The U.S. CDC recommends that adults traveling to areas with active cholera transmission get vaccinated.
The WHO has pre-qualified three vaccines to address this need: Dukoral®, Shanchol™, and Euvichol®.
DUKORAL is authorized in Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Thailand, and the United Kingdom to protect people against cholera and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.
DUKORAL vaccine sales were reported to be €29.8 million in 2023 compared to €17.3 million in 2022, a 72% increase.
Many people are looking forward to Spring 2024, but the respiratory season still affects children's health in the United States.
On March 8, 2024, the U.S. CDC published an updated national outlook on respiratory diseases. According to the report, influenza percent positivity has remained stable compared to the previous week, but there have been flu outbreaks in some areas of the country.
In addition, last week, ten children died from influenza.
As of week #9 of 2024, the CDC has identified 103 influenza-associated pediatric deaths using underlying cause-of-death codes J09–J18. During the 2022-2023 flu season, 182 children died from influenza infections.
The vaccination status of these children was not disclosed.
The CDC continues to recommend a seasonal flu shot for anyone older than six months and suggests speaking with a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about flu shot options (egg, cell, nasal) in March 2024.
Recently, the Republic of Indonesia generously donated 10 million polio vaccine doses to Afghanistan. This initiative is a significant step towards eradicating the disease and ensuring the health and well-being of the Afghan people.
Afghanistan is affected by ongoing endemic wild poliovirus transmission. In 2023, there were six cases confirmed.
According to the government's news agency, on March 8, 2024, Bio Farma, an Indonesian pharmaceutical company, manufactured these oral polio vaccines.
UNICEF is collaborating with Afghan officials to facilitate the transportation and distribution of the vaccines.
Bio Farma produces the nOPV2 vaccine, which has been administered in more than 35 countries.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported on March 8, 2024, that at the Bost hospital, like every maternity facility in Afghanistan, babies are vaccinated in their first few hours of life.
In any 24 hours, the UNICEF-backed female vaccinators vaccinate dozens of babies in this hospital alone.
Some women are medically trained to administer intravenous vaccinations, and others are known as female mobilizer vaccinators (FMVs). They are not just vaccinators, but FMV are also the first-line advocates for polio eradication.
They are a familiar face to the local community who provides sound advice and information for good health of their children and family members.
Since the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) season began in the United States in Florida last year and peaked over the winter months, pregnant women have had two immunization options available to protect their future infants.
In August 2023, the CDC recommended Beyfortus™ (Nirsevimab-alip), a single-dose, long-acting monoclonal antibody offering passive immunization, to protect infants aged <8 months against RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection in their first RSV season.
The other option is maternal vaccination.
On March 7, 2023, the U.S. CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report offered encouraging news.
The CDC confirmed that Beyfortus was 90% (95% CI = 75%–96%) effective against RSV-associated hospitalization in infants in their first RSV season.
However, Beyfortus's effectiveness is expected to decrease after receipt because of antibody decay.
In clinical trials, nirsevimab remained highly efficacious against RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection in infants through 150 days, consistent with an extended half-life of 63–73 days.
This early estimate supports the current CDC recommendation for the prevention of severe RSV disease in infants.
As of January 2024, among females with an infant <8 months, 40.5% reported that their infant received nirsevimab. An additional 21.7% said that they plan to get nirsevimab for their infant.
The year 2024 has already witnessed a resurgence of measles outbreaks in cities across the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently confirmed that 45 cases of measles have been reported by 17 jurisdictions, including the states of Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.
After a brief pause, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed another case of measles in a resident at a new arrivals shelter in Pilsen, Illinois, on March 8, 2024.
The initial measles case was reported yesterday.
Illinois had five measles cases in 2023. Those cases were the first in the state since 2019.
As of today, CDPH is asking all shelter residents at 2241 S. Halsted St. to remain in place until it can be determined whether they are vaccinated against measles and, therefore, immune to the infectious disease.
Those who are vaccinated can do their regular business, while those who have not been vaccinated must remain indoors to watch for symptoms.
However, all unvaccinated residents (number not disclosed) will be screened for symptoms and offered the measles vaccine.
While most Chicagoans were vaccinated in childhood and, therefore, are not at high risk, anyone who is unvaccinated against measles should do so as soon as possible.
Under Illinois law, the MMR vaccine is available at most doctor’s offices and pharmacies, and children as young as ten can get vaccinated at community pharmacies.
For more information on measles please visit the CDPH web site.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) today reported a significant surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across Europe.
The latest Annual Epidemiological Reports on STIs in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), published on March 7, 2024, reveal a sharp increase in reported STI cases in 2022 compared to the previous year.
Gonorrhea cases rose by a staggering 48%, syphilis by 34%, and chlamydia by 16%. This is a concerning trend that requires immediate action to prevent further escalation, wrote the ECDC.
ECDC Director Andrea Ammon expressed deep concern over the rising STI rates in a press release: "Addressing the substantial increases in STI cases demands urgent attention and concerted efforts."
"Testing, treatment, and prevention lie at the heart of any long-term strategy."
While no approved vaccines for these STIs exist, the United Kingdom (U.K.) has launched an innovative immunization program targeting gonorrhea.
In 2023, the U.K.'s JCVI considered the evidence presented regarding program cost-effectiveness and likely impact on gonorrhea epidemiology.
The committee agreed that a targeted program should be initiated using the 4CMenB vaccine (Bexsero®) to prevent gonorrhea in those at most significant risk of infection.
It is essential for individuals offered vaccination to understand that real-world studies have estimated that the 4CMenB vaccine is effective against gonorrhea between 32.7% and 42%.
Therefore, although vaccination would be expected to reduce the chance of becoming infected with gonorrhea, it would not eliminate the possibility.
Vaccinated individuals could expect to have some reduction in their own risk of contracting gonorrhea.
However, the JVCI wrote that the main benefit of a vaccination program is expected to be at the community level, with a significant reduction in the overall number of cases.
According to an article published by MIT News, a new study shows metal-organic particles can both deliver vaccines and act as an adjuvant to generate a strong immune response at a lower dose.
Anne Trafton wrote on March 6, 2024, that many vaccines, including vaccines for hepatitis B and whooping cough, consist of fragments of viral or bacterial proteins.
These vaccines often include other molecules called adjuvants, which help to boost the immune system’s response to the protein.
Most of these adjuvants consist of aluminum salts or other molecules that provoke a nonspecific immune response.
A team of MIT researchers has now shown that a type of nanoparticle called a metal-organic framework can also provoke a strong immune response by activating the innate immune system — the body’s first line of defense against any pathogen — through cell proteins called toll-like receptors.
The unedited article is posted at the MIT News link.
AstraZeneca today announced plans to invest £650 million in the United Kingdom (UK), helping boost the UK's Life Sciences sector and grow the economy.
On March 6, 2024, AstraZeneca confirmed it intends to invest £450 million to research, develop, and manufacture vaccines in Speke, Liverpool. The facility will be operationally net zero, with power supplied from renewable energy sources.
A further £200 million investment announced to expand AstraZeneca's presence in Cambridge, employing potentially 1,000 people.
In a government press release, AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer Sir Pascal Soriot said, "AstraZeneca's planned investment would enhance the UK's pandemic preparedness and demonstrate our ongoing confidence in UK life sciences."
"We will continue to support the UK in driving innovation and patient access, building on the strong foundations which have been put in place."
AstraZeneca's investment decision is contingent upon mutual agreement with the UK Government and third parties, and successful completion of regulatory processes. Any final commitment is not solely subject to AstraZeneca's discretion.
Currently, AstraZeneca produces vaccines targeting influenza and RSV.
