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The Global Vaccine Impact Conference in Madrid evaluated the past two years of implementation of the Vaccine Alliance's five-year strategy.
As of June 15, 2023, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, confirmed it surpassed 1 billion children vaccinated since its founding in 2000.
This announcement came as Gavi published its new Mid-Term Review report, Raising Generation ImmUnity, which looked at data from the first two years of the Alliance's 2021-2025 strategic period.
In June 2019, the Gavi Board approved a new five-year strategy ("Gavi 5.0") with a vision of "Leaving no one behind with immunization" and a mission to save lives and protect people's health by increasing the equitable and sustainable use of vaccines.
Novavax, Inc. today announced it participated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee's (VRBPAC) meeting.
This VRBPAC meeting resulted in a unanimous vote recommending updating the current COVID vaccine composition to a monovalent XBB-lineage.
"Novavax expects to be ready for the commercial delivery of a protein-based monovalent XBB COVID vaccine this fall in line with today's VRBPAC recommendation," said John C. Jacobs, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax, in a press release on June 15, 2023.
"In partnership with regulators and public health authorities, Novavax has been developing and manufacturing this vaccine candidate, and now that we are nearing harmonization on guidance from the FDA, the World Health Organization, and European Medicines Agency, we believe we are in a better position to offer an alternative vaccine choice for individuals worldwide."
Novavax presented data at the VRBPAC meeting that supports the recommendation to vaccinate this fall (2023) with a monovalent XBB strain.
Novavax data showed that its XBB.1.5 COVID vaccine candidate induced functional immune responses for XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, and XBB.2.3 variants, indicating a broad response that could be applicable for forward-drift variants.
The journal Vaccine published study results on June 2, 2023 that found correlates of protection imply a fourth (5 µg SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein + 50 µg Matrix-M™ adjuvant) post-boost efficacy of ≥ 82% for Omicron variants and did not increase local/systemic reactogenicity in those aged 18–84 years.
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine brands include Nuvaxovid, CovoVax, NVX-CoV2373, and TAK-019, and are available in about 40 markets globally.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently confirmed local transmission of Zika in countries and territories in the Region of the Americas.
As of June 10, 2023, up to EW 21, 8,758 Zika cases were reported in the Region of the Americas.
The highest proportion of Zika cases were reported in Brazil (7,352), followed by Bolivia and Belize.
Furthermore, per Brazilian authorities, over 1,638 babies have been born with microcephaly-related health issues since 2014.
Previously, the U.S. CDC stated that because the mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus are found throughout Puerto Rico, people living on the island who have not already been infected are at risk for infection.
Puerto Rico's Weekly Arboviral Diseases Report #22 shows 26 probable Zika cases as of June 13, 2023.
As of June 15, 2023, the U.S. FDA has not approved a Zika vaccine candidate.
The U.S. Department of State today announced it had issued a Level 3: Reconsider Travel for the Republic of Uganda.
As of June 12, 2023, the State Department suggested reconsidering visiting Uganda due to civil unrest and anti-LGBTQI+ legislation.
Violent crime, such as armed robbery, home invasion, and sexual assault, presents a serious, random threat to those visiting and residing in Uganda, especially in larger cities, including Kampala and Entebbe, in the Karamoja region, and along Uganda’s western and northern borders.
And the May 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act raises the risk that LGBTQI+ persons, and those perceived to be LGBTQI+, could be prosecuted and subjected to life imprisonment or death based on provisions in the law and may be subject to mandatory reporting to the police if they are suspected of committing or intending to commit acts in violation of the law, and could face harassment or attacks by vigilantes.
From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC suggests various travel vaccines before visiting Uganda. Furthermore, proof of a yellow fever vaccination is required for most people visiting Uganda in 2023.
The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported five additional H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) detections in mammals.
As of June 12, 2023, a total of 196 mammals have been recently infected with bird flu in the U.S.
Mammalian infections with the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HAPI) virus are a global concern, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Various bears, cats, dogs, dolphins, ferrets, foxes, minks, penguins, sea lions, skunks, and other mammals were infected with HAPI viruses in 2023.
Bird flu HAPI outbreaks have been confirmed since 2003. Updated bird flu news is posted at Precision Vaccinations.
Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection today confirmed another H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) infection from Jiangxi province.
On June 13, 2023, VOLUME 19, NUMBER 23, reported a 7-month-old boy with the onset of bird flu on May 1, 2023.
Earlier in 2023, two other H9N2 cases were confirmed, one in Jiangxi Province and another in Hunan Province.
Differing from highly pathogenic H5 and H7 subtype AIV, H9N2 viruses have not been a priority for the disease control agencies in many countries.
Although H9N2 viruses are of low pathogenicity to birds and have only sporadically infected humans.
During influenza surveillance in poultry farms and live poultry markets of mainland China from 2019 to 2020, 22 H9N2 viruses were isolated from chicken populations in seven provinces of China, reported a Correspondence published by The Lancet Microbe in 2022.
Other bird flu outbreak news is posted by Precision Vaccinations.
The Florida Health Department reported as of week #23, four additional travel-associated dengue cases were reported this year.
As of June 14, 2023, there have been 84 dengue cases confirmed related to international travelers.
In 2022, 903 travel-associated dengue cases were reported in Florida.
And Miami-Dade and Broward Counties remain under a mosquito-borne illness alert, as locally acquired dengue cases were confirmed in 2023.
Recent data published by the U.S. CDC indicates U.S. states have reported about 129 travel-related and three locally-acquired dengue cases this year.
Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease with two authorized vaccines available in certain countries in 2023.
