Search API
The WHO's Weekly Epidemiological Update #144 provides an overview of the global, regional, and country-level COVID-19 cases and related fatalities.
As of May 25, 2023, nearly 2.3 million new cases and almost 15,000 fatalities were reported in the last 28 days, a decrease of 21% and 17%, respectively, compared to the previous 28 days.
The global situation is mixed at the regional level, with increases in reported cases seen in the WHO African and Western Pacific Regions and increases in fatalities in the African, the Americas, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific Regions.
Disaggregated data are still accessible on the WHO COVID-19 dashboard, where the entire dataset is available for download.
Biofabri and IAVI recently announced signing an agreement for the end-to-end development of tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate MTBVAC. This agreement provides a framework for the future collaboration that the partners first announced in 2021.
After securing sufficient funding, IAVI plans to begin an efficacy clinical trial in 2024.
MTBVAC is a highly promising vaccine candidate that has the potential to be used as an alternative to BCG vaccination in infants and for the prevention of TB disease in adolescents and adults.
"The world urgently needs a new, effective vaccine that can prevent TB disease in adults, adolescents, and infants," said Dr. Mark Feinberg, president, and CEO of IAVI, in a press release on May 17, 2023.
"We are honored to work with Biofabri and our other collaborators to advance MTBVAC."
"In addition, we are actively seeking the support of global health funders and other partners, public and private, to ensure that this promising vaccine candidate has the potential to be part of a solution to ending the TB epidemic."
Should MTBVAC be safe and efficacious, Biofabri will ensure that the TB vaccine is manufactured and supplied in sufficient quantities globally and is accessible at affordable prices in low- and middle-income countries.
Precision Vaccinations post other TB vaccine and outbreak news.
The U.S. State Department announced on May 22, 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum has suspended its operations and issued a Level 4, Do not travel to Sudan due to extensive civil unrest.
As a result, the embassy cannot provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Sudan.
Currently, there are no U.S. consular officers in Sudan.
However, consular services are available in neighboring countries for those who depart independently.
In addition, the U.S. government is providing information for U.S. citizens in Sudan, including exit options.
Specifically, U.S. citizens should not visit the Hotel Coral in Port Sudan or the Fenti Golf in Khartoum. The U.S. government is no longer present to assist in these locations.
We understand that border crossings into neighboring countries, such as Egypt, may be possible.
However, if you can travel to a border crossing and believe it is safe, please be aware that wait times and conditions at crossing points vary widely and could change quickly, wrote the State Department.
And enroll in the Smart Traveler Program to receive security updates.
U.S. citizens in Sudan who need assistance should contact the closest U.S. embassy or consulate.
The U.S. CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) requires cruise ships to log and report the number of passengers and crew who say they have symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.
As of May 24, 2023, the VSP has reported 12 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships.
Data are from ship surveillance reports and CDC-led investigations.
People often associate cruise ships with acute gastrointestinal illnesses such as norovirus. However, acute gastrointestinal illness is relatively infrequent on cruise ships.
Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes 19 to 21 million illnesses annually in the U.S.
You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis).
This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up, says the CDC.
According to a CDC norovirus tracking network, there were 735 outbreaks reported from August through April 23.
There were 907 during the same period of the 2021-2022 norovirus season.
While vaccines against norovirus diseases are in demand, noroviruses' genetic and antigenic diversity presents challenges. As a result, as of May 2023, no norovirus vaccines are authorized.
Prensa Latina recently reported Cuba's COVID-19 vaccines, Soberana 02, Soberana Plus, and Abdala, received the sanitary registration granted by the Center for State Control of Medicines, Medical Equipment, and Devices for their proven efficacy.
The experts and scientists ratified the safety that characterizes Cuba's COVID-19 vaccines, firstly due to the very nature of the technological platforms used and secondly, because they have high thermo-stability.
Unlike others requiring special storage conditions, Cuba's vaccines can be stored between two and eight degrees Celsius at freezing temperatures.
During the clinical studies, vaccine efficacy was higher than 90%.
As of May 24, 203, Cuba is among the world's top 10 countries with most citizens immunized against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which raises the level of protection to more than 90% of Cuban inhabitants.
The South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases recently confirmed a measles outbreak had been declared in all the provinces in South Africa except for the Eastern Cape since late 2022.
In week #18, seven new measles cases were reported from Limpopo province.
In total, 1004 measles cases have been reported as of May 18, 2023.
The measles strain detected in Limpopo province and North West province is genotype D8, similar to the strain in Zimbabwe in the 2022 outbreak.
Globally, measles outbreaks are occurring in numerous countries.
Therefore, the U.S. CDC suggests ensuring international travelers are protected before departure.
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, with various vaccines offered in most countries.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently stated the detection of bird flu outbreaks in Latin America and the Caribbean is a situation never recorded before.
The identified influenza type A Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HAPI) outbreaks are mainly located in areas of the Pacific flyway.
As of May 18, 2023, agricultural authorities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, U.S., Uruguay, and Venezuela have detected outbreaks of HPAI A(H5N1) viruses in domestic birds, farm poultry and/or wild birds, and in mammals.
Among the mammals identified, red foxes and skunks were the most frequently affected in North America, and fur seals in South America.
To date and since the introduction of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the Americas in 2014, three human infections caused by avian influenza A(H5N1) have been reported: the first in the U.S., reported in April 2022, the second in Ecuador, which was notified in January 2023, and the third in Chile, which was announced in March 2023.
In the U.S., the Audenz™ monovalent cell-based vaccine was authorized on January 31, 2020.
Recently, the U.S. FDA issued a Supplemental Approval in November 2021 for using Audenz in persons at increased risk of exposure to the influenza A virus H5N1 subtype.
The FDA confirmed annual flu shots are not designed to protect people from pandemic influenza.
