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A Yale University-led study published today in the journal Pediatrics announced the rate of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children decreased by about 72% (incidence rate ratios 0.28, 95% CI 0.18–0.45) over twenty years.

This research found IPD rates continued to decline after the replacement of PCV7 with PCV13.

And during the recent pandemic, the rate of IPD among children aged <18 years reached 1.6 per 100,000, the lowest incidence observed over the 20 years.

In the PCV13 vaccine era, approximately one-third of the IPD cases in children aged >5 years had at least one underlying condition.

Serotypes 19A and 7F contributed 342 (48.9%) of all cases before implementation of PCV13 (2002–2010).

Serotype 3 (31, 8.6%), and non-PCV13 serotypes 15B/C (39, 10.8%), 33F (29, 8.0%), 23B (21, 0.8%), and 35B (17, 4.7%) were responsible for 37.8% of cases in PCV13 era (2011–2021).

Furthermore, penicillin nonsusceptibility declined (9.8% vs. 5.3% in the pre-/late PCV13 era, P = .003). However, it has become more common among non-PCV13 serotypes than vaccine serotypes (14.8% vs 1.4%, P < .001).

These Yale Child Health Research Center researchers concluded that robust ongoing surveillance networks are critical for identifying emerging pneumococcal serotypes and developing next-generation vaccine formulations.

As of December 2023, various pneumococcal vaccines are available at clinics and pharmacies in Asia, Europe, Japan, the U.S., and the United Kingdom. 

Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced that enrollment of the first participants has been completed in a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical study evaluating the company's RSV PreF-Trimer subunit vaccine candidate, SCB-1019. 

"We are pleased to be the first vaccine company based in China developing an RSV prefusion-stabilized F (PreF) vaccine to enter the clinical trial stage, establishing our leadership position in the space, which demonstrates the value of our validated Trimer-Tag platform and capabilities of our R&D team," said Joshua Liang, Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of Clover, in a press release on December 12, 2023.

"RSV vaccines remain a high unmet medical need, especially in China where no domestic RSV PreF vaccines have entered the clinical stage to date, but also globally where there is an opportunity for differentiation."

SCB-1019 is a bivalent RSV-A/RSV-B vaccine candidate based on the prefusion-stabilized F (PreF) protein leveraging the validated Trimer-Tag platform and proprietary stabilizing PreF mutations.

The new clinical trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of SCB-1019 in young and older adults at multiple dose levels and in different formulations. Safety and immunogenicity results are expected by the second half of 2024.

As of December 13, 2023, there are approved RSV vaccines in various countries, and several vaccine candidates are conducting clinical trials.

More than 20 anthrax-related deaths have been reported in five countries in Africa since the start of 2023.

As of December 11, 2023, a total of 1,166 suspected and 37 confirmed cases have been recorded in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, according to data reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Of the five countries, Zambia is witnessing its largest anthrax outbreak since 2011, with 25 confirmed cases and four deaths. Only sporadic cases have previously been reported in animals and humans in the country.

Over 400,000 vaccine doses have been earmarked for high-risk districts in Zambia's western province.

Annually, human anthrax infections are the highest in Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South Asia, says the WHO

"To end these outbreaks, we must break the infection cycle by first preventing animal disease. We are supporting the ongoing national outbreak control efforts by providing expertise as well as reinforcing collaboration with partner agencies for a common approach to safeguard human and animal health," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a press release.

Humans become infected with anthrax, a zoonotic disease, through contact with disease carrying animal carcasses or exposure to contaminated animal products. Rare person-to-person transmissions have been reported with cutaneous anthrax, which accounts for more than 95% of human cases worldwide.

Cutaneous anthrax usually develops 1–7 days after exposure, but incubation periods up to 17 days have been reported.

A study published by the journal Nature Biology estimated that 1.83 billion people (95% credible interval (CI): 0.59–4.16 billion) live within regions of anthrax risk, but most of that population faces little occupational exposure. 

Individuals potentially exposed to anthrax spores may be provided with prophylactic treatment. Anthrax responds well to antibiotics, says the WHO.

In the United States, Emergent BioSolutions Inc.'s CYFENDUS™ (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed, Adjuvanted) was approved on July 20, 2023, as a two-dose anthrax vaccine for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis use.

However, the U.S. CDC says vaccination against anthrax is not recommended for travelers and is not available for civilian travelers.

GSK plc today announced the recipients of the inaugural grant program of the COiMMUNITY Initiative, a multipronged effort to support the design of a more systematic, collaborative and equitable approach to helping increase adult immunization rates in the United States.

Grant recipients include but are not limited to the American Lung Association, American Pharmacists Association (APhA), APhA Foundation, Asian Health Coalition, Global Health Living Foundation, Immunize Kansas Coalition, Pharmacy Quality Alliance, and The Arizona Partnership for Immunization.

Each grant-funded project receives between $50,000 and $175,000 out of a total of $1 million to help address long-standing barriers to adult immunization in the U.S.

Rob Truckenmiller, Senior Vice President, Head of U.S. Vaccines, GSK, commented in a press release on December 12, 2023, "Getting ahead of vaccine-preventable disease starts by investing in organizations who know their communities best, and I can't think of a more deserving group of recipients for our first-ever COiMMUNITY Initiative grants."

"With these grants, our goal is to support innovative ways to encourage adult vaccination and help mitigate health inequities at both the local and national levels."

The organizations that received funding submitted proposals that demonstrated innovative, ambitious, and actionable ideas for boosting adult vaccination, such as building vaccine confidence among underserved patient populations through trusted community partners, creating engaging multilingual educational materials, and developing resources to support pharmacists and local health departments.

Through the COiMMUNITY Initiative, GSK will continue to build on its commitment to help support long-lasting solutions to address adult immunization challenges through ongoing investments to empower stakeholders with actionable data, models, and best practices in adult vaccine confidence and delivery.