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The journal Vaccine published results from a peer-reviewed study that concluded a fourth dose of Novavax Inc.'s NVX-CoV2373 protein-based COVID-19 vaccine enhanced immunogenicity for ancestral and variant SARS-CoV-2 strains without increasing reactogenicity, indicating that updates to the vaccine composition may not be currently warranted.
Furthermore, correlates of protection imply post-boost efficacy of ≥ 82% for Omicron variants.
Published on June 2, 2023, this study reported a fourth dose of NVX-CoV2373 (5 µg SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein + 50 µg Matrix-M™ adjuvant) did not increase local/systemic reactogenicity, enhanced immune response to SARS-CoV-2 variants, and NVX-CoV2373 fourth dose induced robust immunogenicity in those aged 18–84 years.
In conclusion, despite the call for variant-specific vaccines, an increase in the number of vaccine booster doses with NVX-CoV2373 enhances immunogenicity for the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain and its variants without a notable increase in reactogenicity. Therefore, these data suggest that further boosting with the ancestral sequence used in NVX-CoV2373 should retain meaningful utility in preventing variant virus-associated illness, wrote these researchers.
This work was supported by Novavax, Inc. and initially by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
As of June 5, 2023, Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine (Nuvaxovid, CovoVax, NVX-CoV2373) was authorized in forty markets.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today announced it is closely monitoring a human case of avian influenza A(H5N6) in the Mainland.
On June 5, 2023, the CHP stated this new (bird flu) case involves a 54-year-old female living in Nanchong, Sichuan, who had exposure to live domestic poultry before the onset of symptoms.
She developed symptoms on May 19, 2023, and was admitted for treatment on the same day. She remains in serious condition.
From 2014 to date, the CHP says Mainland health authorities have reported 84 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6).
"All novel influenza A infections, including H5N6, are notifiable infectious diseases in Hong Kong," a spokesman for the CHP said in a press release.
Travelers to the Mainland or other affected areas must avoid visiting wet markets, live poultry markets, or farms. They should be alert to backyard poultry when visiting relatives and friends.
And they should strictly observe personal and hand hygiene when visiting any place with live poultry.
Furthermore, travelers returning from affected areas should consult a doctor promptly if symptoms develop and inform the doctor of their travel history for prompt diagnosis and treatment of potential diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published its Influenza Pandemic Framework's Partnership Contribution High-Level Implementation Plan III outlining a strategy for strengthening global pandemic influenza preparedness from 2024 to 2030.
Furthermore, the WHO confirmed the annual flu shot is not designed to protect people from bird flu viruses.
Queensland Health recently reported the number of potential rabies exposures in returned travelers has increased in 2023, impacting 116 Queenslanders in 2023.
Chief Health Officer Dr. John Gerrard said in a government press release on June 1, 2023, "It is important to seek advice from your doctor or a travel health clinic about the best way to protect yourself before heading overseas, especially if you are traveling to a country where rabies is present."
"For humans, rabies can be deadly - once symptoms develop, it's almost always fatal," Dr Gerrard added.
Unfortunately, almost 60,000 people worldwide die from rabies annually.
"The risk of rabies infection varies depending on the country you visit and what activities are planned while abroad."
"While the preexposure rabies vaccine can effectively prevent infection, an additional course of post-exposure rabies vaccines may be required in these circumstances."
Rabies is a virus that can be transmitted to humans through the bite or scratch of an infected animal or by being exposed to infected animals' saliva through the eyes, nose, mouth, or broken skin.
In the U.S., bat bites generate more rabies infections than dogs.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its recommendations for rabies preexposure prophylaxis for humans, replacing the three-dose vaccination schedule with a two-dose program.
Several rabies vaccines are available worldwide in 2023.
Note: Article updated with corrected phase on June 12, 2023.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health recently announced that a new WPV1 polio case was reported in the Behsud district of Nangarhar, increasing the total number of polio cases to four in 2023.
In 2022 alone, Afghanistan conducted 12 polio vaccination campaigns, making it the highest number of campaigns worldwide, according to Dr. Nek Wali Momin, the director of the National EOC, in a press release on June 2, 2023.
As per the findings of the public health ministry, the entire eastern part of Afghanistan is facing a significant polio threat due to previous instances of environmental polio cases and the confirmed presence of the virus in contaminated water and polluted surroundings.
Afghanistan is classified by the International Health Regulations as a state infected with WPV1 with a potential risk of international spread.
To alert international travelers, the U.S. CDC included Afghanistan in its later polio outbreak alert.
To protect against poliovirus, vaccination alone is not enough, as poliovirus can survive for a significant period in unsanitary environments, Dr. Momin added.
The necessary steps should be taken to strengthen routine practices and improve hygiene facilities, including safe drinking water and people’s access to essential health services in remote parts of the country.
The WHO’s International Travel and Health recommends that all travelers to polio-affected areas be fully vaccinated against polio.
And residents (and visitors for more than four weeks) from infected areas should receive an additional dose of oral or inactivated polio vaccine within four weeks to 12 months of travel.
Polio outbreak news in June 2023 is posted by Vax-Before-Travel.
Moderna, Inc. and Merck today announced distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) results from the Phase 2b randomized KEYNOTE-942/mRNA-4157-P201 study, a clinical trial evaluating mRNA-4157 (V940), an investigational individualized neoantigen therapy (INT), in combination with KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with resected high-risk melanoma (stage III/IV).
In the overall intention-to-treat (ITT) population, adjuvant treatment with mRNA-4157 (V940) in combination with KEYTRUDA demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in DMFS, a key secondary endpoint of the study, compared with KEYTRUDA alone and reduced the risk of developing distant metastasis or death by 65% (HR=0.347 [95% CI, 0.145-0.828]); one-sided p value=0.0063).
The secondary endpoint of DMFS, defined as the time from the first dose of KEYTRUDA until the date of first distant recurrence or death from any cause, was pre-specified for statistical testing following the positive primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival.
"We are excited to share these results with the oncology community and thrilled to see such an exceptional result in distant melanoma recurrence or death. Patients who experience metastases at distant sites typically have worse survival outcomes and a poor prognosis, thus, these results showing a reduction in the risk of distant recurrence underscore the potential of neoantigen therapy," said Kyle Holen, M.D. Moderna's Senior Vice President and Head of Development, Therapeutics, and Oncology, in a press release on June 5, 2023.
Companies plan to initiate a Phase 3 study in the adjuvant setting in patients with high-risk melanoma in 2023 and rapidly expand to additional tumor types, including non-small cell lung cancer.
Based on data from KEYNOTE-942/mRNA-4157-P201, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation and the Priority Medicines scheme, respectively, for mRNA-4157 (V940) in combination with KEYTRUDA for the adjuvant treatment of patients with high-risk melanoma following complete resection.
