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The latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) technical briefing published on September 2, 2022, shows a further decline in the number of new monkeypox (MPX) cases identified in the United Kingdom.
Available data shows that the MPX virus continues to be transmitted primarily in interconnected sexual networks of gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (GBMSM).
Furthermore, there is no robust evidence of sustained transmission outside these networks.
The UKHSA confirmed 'close contacts of those with monkeypox no longer need to isolate for three weeks.'
As of August 26, 2022, there are 3,389 confirmed and highly probable cases of monkeypox in the UK, with about 70% of patients in London.
Out of 3,215 confirmed cases in England where gender information was available, 99% were men, with a median age of 36.
The UKHSA began reporting MPX cases in May 2022.
Globally, there are over 58,000 MPX cases and nineteen related fatalities.
Dr. Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections, UKHSA, commented in a media release, "It is encouraging that the number of new monkeypox cases in the UK continues to fall."
"However, the outbreak in the UK and worldwide is not over."
"If you have symptoms, which can take up to three weeks to appear, please call 111 or a sexual health clinic."
And "If you are eligible for an MPX vaccine (Jynneos®, MVA-BN, IMVANEX®), please wait to be called forward by the NHS, and you will receive one once supply is available in your area."
As of August 30, 2022, a total of 38,079 vaccine doses have been recorded in England.
A further 1,992 doses have been given to healthcare workers managing monkeypox cases, and 2,169 doses have been given to close contacts of cases.
Additional monkeypox outbreak news is posted on this Vax-Before-Travel webpage.
Note: The UK information was manually translated and curated for mobile readership.
London-based GSK plc's Thomas Breuer, Chief Global Health Officer, commented yesterday that the “World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification of Mosquirix™ (RTS,S) is a key step in reaching children with the first and only approved malaria vaccine."
"Malaria remains a significant cause of illness and death for children in many parts of the world, and it is a significant driver of inequality."
"So far, over one million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi have had at least one dose of Mosquirix."
The "WHO’s prequalification paves the way for more children to benefit from the (malaria) vaccine," stated Breuer in a related press release on September 6, 2022.
Mosquirix vaccination triggers the human immune system to defend against the first stages of disease when the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite enters the host's bloodstream through a mosquito bite and infects liver cells.
On October 6, 2021, the WHO recommended the RTS,S malaria vaccine for sub-Saharan Africa and regions with moderate to high malaria transmission.
GSK is currently working with partners to accelerate a product transfer for long-term antigen production, including technology transfer, to Bharat Biotech of India.
According to the U.S. CDC, Malaria is a vaccine-preventable mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite.
As of September 7, 2022, the U.S. FDA had not approved a malaria vaccine.
Additional malaria vaccine news is posted at Vax-Before-Travel.com/Malaria.
Sweden-based TikoMed today announced an in vitro study examining the ability of the company's lead drug candidate ILB® to inhibit infection of human cells by four serotypes of Dengue virus (DENV1-4), two strains of Zika virus (African and Asian), and Yellow Fever virus (vaccine strain YF17D).
In the non-peer-reviewed study published on September 2, 2022, ILB® potently inhibited infection by all the strains of Dengue, Zika, and Yellow Fever virus in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 for ILB® ranging from 31 to 343 μg/ml.
Professor Nicholas Barnes, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology & CEO, Celentyx Ltd, commented in a press release, "It is well recognized that infection by flaviviruses like Dengue, Zika, and Yellow Fever virus can lead to catastrophic, life-threatening conditions."
"This emphasizes the clinical need for safe and effective medicines to treat these infections."
"What I find particularly exciting about these results is the effects observed at ILB® concentrations achieved in humans following doses that have been well tolerated."
"These findings offer hope to the millions of patients that continue to be devastated by flavivirus infections."
While symptoms from Dengue, Zika, and Yellow Fever virus infection may be mild for some, they are severe and can be life-threatening.
Zika infection can have catastrophic consequences for pregnant women following the passing of the virus to their fetus with miscarriage or congenital disabilities, including microcephaly, that can be fatal.
As of September 7, 2022, the U.S. FDA has not approved a Zika vaccine.
Additional Zike vaccine news is posted at ZikaNews.com/Vaccine.
Note: This announcement was manually translated and curated for mobile readership.
Gothenburg-based Alzinova AB announced today that a second external safety review had been completed with a positive assessment to continue the phase 1b clinical study with ALZ-101 in patients with early Alzheimer's disease (AD).
The study investigates two different dose strengths of ALZ-101 during a treatment period of 20 weeks. In total, 26 study participants based in Finland will receive four doses of either ALZ-101 or a placebo.
Alzinova's approach is to develop a therapeutic vaccine that specifically targets the toxic accumulations of amyloid-beta in the form of oligomers in the brain, which has several advantages compared to other methods.
This AD vaccine candidate is designed to provoke an immune response specific to soluble oligomeric Aβ assemblies but not monomeric or fibrillar Aβ.
A proprietary protein-engineering technology uses disulfide bonds to cross-link Aβ peptides into a conformation that assembles into stable, soluble oligomers or protofibrils. These assemblies are formulated into the ALZ-101 vaccine.
This means people vaccinated with ALZ-101 generate their antibodies, specifically against toxic accumulations of amyloid-beta oligomers in the brain.
Kristina Torfgård, CEO at Alzinova, commented in a press release on September 7, 2022, "We are happy to have received continued positive feedback from the independent expert group and that the study shows that the treatment is well tolerated with no signs of that it is harmful."
"Furthermore, the vaccine is prepared to be produced in larger volumes for phase 2 development. "
"We are convinced that we will make it possible for Alzheimer's patients to live an independent and active life."
According to the Alzheimer's Association, AD is a degenerative brain disease caused by complex brain changes following cell damage, leading to dementia.
Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life.
Many different types of dementia exist, and many conditions cause it.
As of September 7, 2022, the U.S. FDA had not approved an AD vaccine.
However, there are several Alzheimer's vaccine candidates conducting clinical studies.
Note: This announcement was manually translated and curated for mobile readership.
England-based GSK plc announced today that the World Health Organization (WHO) had awarded prequalification to the malaria vaccine Mosquirix (RTS,S/AS01).
This is the first WHO prequalification for a malaria vaccine and is an essential step in rolling out the vaccine in countries with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission.
Pre-qualification for Mosquirix results from a rigorous regulatory process with the assessment of clinical, safety, and technical data, ensuring that the vaccine meets standards of quality, safety, and efficacy and is suitable for the target population.
The WHO prequalification decision is a mandatory prerequisite for United Nations agencies to procure Mosquirix in partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and eligible countries.
Thomas Breuer, Chief Global Health Officer, GSK, commented in a press release on September 6, 2022, "WHO prequalification of Mosquirix is a key step in reaching children with the first and only approved malaria vaccine."
"Malaria remains a significant cause of illness and death for children in many parts of the world, and it is a significant driver of inequality."
"So far, over one million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi have had at least one dose of Mosquirix, donated by GSK, through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme."
"The WHO's prequalification paves the way for more children to benefit from the vaccine."
In 2021, the WHO recommended broader use of GSK's Mosquirix to reduce childhood illness and deaths from malaria in children living in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high transmission.
GSK secured its first commercial supply contract for its malaria vaccine, courtesy of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in August 2022.
UNICEF will pay up to $170 million to access 18 million doses of Mosquirix over the next three years.
As of September 6, 2022, the U.S. FDA has not authorized the Mosquirix vaccine.
About 2,000 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the USA annually, mostly in returned travelers.
In May 2022, the FDA approved artesunate for injection to treat severe malaria in adult and pediatric patients.
The FDA says that treating severe malaria with intravenous artesunate should always be followed by a complete treatment course of an appropriate oral antimalarial regimen.
However, because malaria prevention recommendations and the availability of antimalarial drugs vary, travelers should consult healthcare providers in their respective countries, says the U.S. CDC.
Note: This information was manually translated and curated for mobile readership.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 's Global Entry program was recently expanded to include the Government of Brazil, joining Argentina, Colombia, Germany, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the U.K.
The entire arrangement, announced in February 2022, comes after a pilot program launched in November 2019 and will increase the number of Brazilian citizens eligible to participate in Global Entry services.
The Global Entry program enables expedited clearance for pre-approved travelers upon arrival in the USA.
The program is approaching 10 million participants and could enroll over 3.5 million applications this fiscal year.
"After years of dedication, conversation, and collaborative efforts, CBP welcomes Brazil and its citizens to full partnership and membership in Global Entry," said Matthew Davies, Executive Director, CBP Admissibility and Passenger Programs, in a press release.
Global Entry Members enter the USA through automatic kiosks at numerous airports within the U.S. and at Preclearance locations worldwide.
And the Enrollment on Arrival (EoA) program allows Global Entry applicants who are conditionally approved to complete their interviews upon arrival in the USA.
A list of participating EoA airports is posted on this webpage, last modified on August 18, 2022.
While Global Entry's goal is to speed travelers through the process, members may still be selected for further examination when entering the USA.
Furthermore, as of September 5, 2022, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport security checkpoint travel activity has returned to pre-pandemic volume.
During the Labor Day 2022 holiday, the TSA screened 8.76 million travelers.
Maryland-based Emergent BioSolutions Inc. today announced that it had dosed the first participant in its Phase 1 study evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of EBS-LASV, a recombinant VSV-vectored Lassa virus vaccine candidate being developed for the prevention of disease caused by Lassa virus infection.
This is essential news since the U.S. FDA has not approved any Lass fever vaccine for use as of September 6, 2022.
Kelly Warfield, Ph.D., SVP for research and development at Emergent BioSolutions, commented in a related press release, “We are proud to deploy our product development and partnering capabilities to address emerging infectious diseases like Lassa fever, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or therapeutic, and to advance our pipeline for patients.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus.
Though first described in the 1950s, the virus causing Lassa disease was not identified until 1969.
Humans usually become infected with the Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or feces of infected Mastomys rats.
Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in health care settings in the absence of adequate infection prevention and control measures.
The disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa.
Lassa fever is endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria but probably exists in other West African countries.
Among patients hospitalized with severe clinical presentation of Lassa fever, case fatality is estimated at around 15%.
However, early supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival, says the WHO.
Lassa fever is one of the pathogens in the WHO R&D Blueprint list of epidemic threats.
The R&D Blueprint is a global strategy and preparedness plan that allows the rapid activation of research and development activities during epidemics.
The European Civil Protection And Humanitarian Aid Operations reported yesterday that health stakeholders in Zimbabwe are attempting to contain a measles outbreak that has already killed about 700 children since April 2022. Unfortunately, more than 50% of the registered fatalities had not been vaccinated, according to the government's Tweet on September 5, 2022.
The outbreak started in the Manicaland providence and is exponentially increasing throughout Zimbabwe.
The World Health Organization has already warned about the increase in measles in vulnerable countries due to a disruption of services due to COVID-19.
Almost 41 countries have already put off, or may put off, their measles campaigns for 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This increases the risk of more significant outbreaks worldwide, including in the United States.
Measles can enter the United States through infected travelers entering or traveling through the USA and infected travelers returning from other countries.
Although measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, almost 1,300 cases were reported in 2019.
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, with several types of vaccines offered in the USA.
In addition to measles, the U.S. CDC encourages international travelers to speak with their healthcare provider regarding other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Certified travel pharmacies offer pre-departure vaccination services for yellow fever, polio, and cholera.
Note: As of August 8, 2022, the U.S Department of State maintained a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution notice when visiting Zimbabwe.
