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The World Health Organization (WHO) reported this week respiratory syncytial virus RSV activity was generally low worldwide except in Australia and a few countries in the Region of the Americas.
And as of June 26, 2023, RSV activity increased in a few tropical and temperate South American countries.
Furthermore, in the United Kingdom, the RSV detection rate among children under five years of age remained at a low level in June 2023.
In the U.S., Florida's RSV season is longer than the rest of the country, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For this reason, Florida is a good bellwether state for the forthcoming RSV season.
According to the Florida Department of Health, RSV activity was low in all five regions, with no outbreaks but an increased positivity rate as of June 24, 2023.
From a prevention perspective, the CDC approved RSV vaccines for people ages 60 and older, using shared Clinical Decision-Making.
This means these individuals may receive a single dose of the RSV vaccine based on discussions with their healthcare provider about whether RSV vaccination is right for them.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) today announced the current C.D.C. Director adopted the 2023-2024 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) recommendations on annual influenza (flu) vaccination for everyone six months and older in the U.S.
As of June 29, 2023, there are minor changes to the ACIP's flu shot recommendations, including, but not limited to, an acknowledgment of the updated flu vaccine composition for the 2023-2024 flu season.
And a change in the recommendations for vaccination of people with egg allergies.
Flu vaccination has many benefits. It has been shown to reduce the risk of getting sick with the flu and also to reduce the risk of more serious flu outcomes that can result in hospitalization or even death, says the CDC.
Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H.'s adoption of the ACIP recommendations makes them official C.D.C. policy. Providers should begin vaccinating patients according to C.D.C.'s recommended timing, which has not changed for the 2023-2023 influenza season in the U.S.
The C.D.C. says September and October are the best times for most people to get vaccinated.
Furthermore, flu vaccination in July and August is not recommended for most people, but there are several considerations for specific groups.
While influenza viruses are detected year-round, the exact timing and duration of flu seasons vary by country, says the World Health Organization (WHO). What happens in the Southern Hemisphere does not necessarily predict what will happen in the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the U.S.
The WHO recently published Influenza Update N° 448, which confirmed influenza detections remained low globally. Still, in the southern hemisphere, some countries reported variable changes in influenza detections in recent weeks, while detections in others seemed to have peaked as of June 26, 2023.
Additionally, Precision Vaccinations published an updated list of influenza vaccines and candidates conducting clinical trials.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today published an updated COVID-19 data dashboard indicating COVID-19 cases and related fatalities continue to decrease in most WHO Regions.
As of June 28, 2023, the African region reported a slight increase in COVID-19 fatalities but a 26% decrease in cases, while the other five WHO regions reported declines in both cases and deaths.
At the regional level, the number of newly reported 28-day cases decreased across the South East Asia Region (-78%), the Eastern Mediterranean Region (-71%), the Region of the Americas (-70%), the European Region (-46%), and the Western Pacific Region (-33%).
As of June 29, 2023, various COVID-19 vaccines remain available in most countries and may be required to enter some countries.
The MedAfrica Times recently reported that the Republic of Brazil donated 80 thousand vaccines against HPV and yellow fever to Cabo Verde.
The Cape Verdean Ministry of Health announced on June 27, 2023, 50 thousand doses of HPV and 30 thousand doses of yellow fever arrived in Praia.
"The yellow fever vaccine is used to prevent yellow fever, a disease caused by an arbovirus. It is recommended for prevention in endemic areas or for travelers", said this article.
The U.S. CDC recently wrote that no (health) notices are currently in effect for Cape Verde.
However, the CDC suggests prospective visitors to Cape Verde speak with a healthcare provider regarding travel vaccinations, such as yellow fever and medicines.
Located 900 miles south of the Canary Islands and 350 miles from the African mainland, Cape Verde's nine inhabited islands offer vacationers many relaxing options.
Cabo Verde has witnessed significant economic progress since 1990, driven in large part by the rapid development of tourism (25% of GDP).
And remember to pack essential health supplies in case of travel delays, says the CDC.
The U.S. Department of State recently published an updated Level 2 Travel Advisory for the Republic of Maldives, a nation located in the Indian Ocean.
On June 22, 2023, the State Department confirmed visitors to the Maldives should exercise increased caution due to civil unrest at tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities.
And attacks may occur on remote islands, which could lengthen the response time of authorities.
Furthermore, U.S. citizens can obtain assistance from the U.S. Embassy Colombo in Sri Lanka.
If you travel to Maldives in 2023, the U.S. government suggests enrolling in the Smart Traveler Program to receive alerts during an emergency.
Moreover, getting to the Maldives is now easier.
The capital city of Malé recently announced the launch of Saudi Arabia's airline Flynas.
In 2022, Maldives welcomed over 1.6 million tourists.
From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC says no notices currently exist for Maldives.
However, the CDC encourages visitors to be current on several travel vaccinations, such as yellow fever, measles, and typhoid.
While most of the media attention has been focused on the state of Florida's recent malaria outbreak (4) on its west coast, another mosquito-transmitted disease continues its multi-year impact on Florida's southeastern coast.
As of June 24, 2023, Florida Weekly Arbovirus Report revealed another 18 travel-associated dengue cases had been confirmed.
This data increased Florida's dengue outbreak to 100 cases in 2023, led by Miami-Dade (64) and Broward (8) countries.
These dengue-infected travelers primarily originated in Brazil and Cuba.
Furthermore, 2 cases of locally acquired dengue have been reported this year.
In 2022, 903 travel-associated and 68 locally-acquired dengue cases were reported in Florida.
To notify residents and visitors, the Florida Department of Health issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory on June 26, 2023.
Furthermore, Florida continues to conduct statewide surveillance for mosquito-borne illnesses, including West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, and chikungunya.
The Department confirmed aerial and ground mosquito spraying continues in these areas to mitigate the risk of further virus transmission.
There are approved vaccines for both dengue and malaria, but access is limited in the U.S.
As of June 28, 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the U.K. Foreign Office have issued travel advice when visiting Florida.
GSK plc today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted a Fast Track designation for its Neisseria gonorrhoeae investigational vaccine (NgG).
Fast Track designation is intended to facilitate the development and expedite the review of potentially important new drugs and vaccines to treat or prevent serious conditions with unmet medical needs.
As of June 27, 2023, the vaccine candidate is conducting a Phase II clinical trial and aims to demonstrate proof of concept by assessing the efficacy of the NgG vaccine in healthy adults.
Phil Dormitzer, Global Head of Vaccines R&D, GSK, commented in a related press release, "This designation recognizes the potential for a vaccine that could help protect millions of people across the world against the serious health consequences of infection with a bacterium that is considered a 'high priority' pathogen by the World Health Organisation."
Gonorrhoea is the second most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide, with an estimated 82 million new cases yearly.
In the U.S., rates of reported gonorrhea have increased by 118% from 2009 to 2021.
Furthermore, antimicrobial resistance to gonorrhea has increased over the past 80 years, rendering many classes of antibiotics used to treat the disease ineffective.
Vaccines can play a critical role in the fight against AMR by helping prevent bacterial, viral, and other infections.
Currently, no gonorrhea-specific vaccines are approved anywhere in the world, says GSK.
However, in France, the meningococcal (MenB-4C) vaccine is recommended against gonorrhea.
And Intravacc's Avacc 11® is the prophylactic intranasal gonorrhea candidate vaccine.
As of June 28, 2023, gonorrhea vaccine and treatment news have been published by Precision Vaccinations.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today republished an expanded global polio outbreak Travel Health Notice.
On June 26, 2023, the CDC identified thirty destinations with circulating poliovirus.
And, before travel to any destination listed, adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series may receive a single, lifetime booster dose of a polio vaccine.
In the U.S., the IPV vaccine has been offered since 2000. Oral polio vaccines are provided in various countries in 2023.
For example, the new nOPV2 vaccine has been administered over 620 million times in recent years.
The CDC says polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system.
Because the virus that causes polio lives in the feces of an infected person, people infected with the disease can spread it to others when they do not wash their hands well after defecating.
People can also be infected if they drink water or eat food contaminated with infected feces.
Most people with polio do not feel sick. Some people have only minor symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, stiffness in the neck and back, and pain in the arms and legs.
In rare cases, polio infection causes permanent loss of muscle function. Polio can be fatal if the muscles used for breathing are paralyzed or if there is an infection of the brain, says the CDC.
