Search API
The state of Florida's Week#4 Arbovirus Surveillance report disclosed no new locally-acquired dengue cases had been confirmed in 2023.
However, there were 68 cases of locally acquired dengue last year.
And Florida confirmed on January 28, 2023, international travelers continue returning to Florida infected with dengue.
So far, in 2023, 14 travel-associated dengue fever cases have been reported.
Last year, 871 travel-associated dengue cases were reported in Florida.
Since most of these dengue cases have been found in south Florida, the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory during the summer of 2022.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease. However, dengue vaccination in the U.S. with Dengvaxia requires pre-administration testing and counseling.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, has marked 32 districts at risk of the Nipah virus infection and has identified ten cases in 2023.
According to local media on February 4, 2023, the Dhaka North City Corporation's hospital in Mohakhali has also been instructed to prepare 20 beds for treating Nipah virus patients.
"This is because anywhere a Nipah virus patient is also likely to have bats and palm sap. Therefore, all parts of the country are vulnerable to the Nipah virus, but the districts where it has been detected are advised to take extra precautions."
The World Health Organization says Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness transmitted from animals, through contaminated food, or from person to person.
As of February 5, 2023, the U.S. FDA has not approved a Nipah virus preventive vaccine candidate.
However, The Lancet published results from a vaccine candidate study in December 2022 that concluded the VSV-NiVG vaccine offers broad protection against NiV disease.
The U.S. CDC does suggest various vaccinations, including for dengue, before visiting Bangladesh in 2023.
The Canadian government recently confirmed visitors to Buenos Aires, Argentina, should exercise high caution due to civil unrest.
As of January 31, 2023, Canada stated when in the Buenos Aires tourist areas of La Boca, Congreso, Florida Street, the Retiro bus station area, and San Telmo, be aware of your surroundings.
And in La Boca, always remain on Caminito Street, as thefts often occur on neighboring streets, and avoid the area after dark.
Furthermore, since 2019, several incidents of tourists have been followed from Buenos Aires' Ministro Pistarini International Airport to their hotels and robbed. In some cases, the criminals responded violently when the victims resisted.
If you are the victim of a crime, call the local police at 911, as the U.S. Embassy cannot take custody of U.S. citizens or intervene in Argentine legal procedures. All U.S. citizens are subject to the laws of the Government of Argentina.
The Embassy suggests enrolling in the STEP program to receive important information about safety conditions, helping you make informed travel plans.
The U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires is located at Av. Colombia 4300 (C1425GMN). Telephone: (54-11) 5777-4533.
From a health perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there are no travel health notices in effect for Argentina as of February 5, 2023.
However, the CDC suggests various travel vaccinations, including yellow fever.
Yellow fever vaccination with either Stamaril or YF-Vax is recommended for travelers ≥9 months of age going to Corrientes and Misiones Provinces. And is not recommended for travelers going to Formosa Province and designated areas of Chaco, Jujuy, and Salta Provinces.
And the U.K.'s travel advisory for Argentina includes notices regarding dengue and Zika virus transmission.
Bangladesh Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque recently confirmed to local media eight people were infected with the Nipah virus in 2023. Of them, five people died.
".... drinking raw date juice, contaminated by bats carrying Nipah virus. And some Nipah virus-infected people can transmit the disease.
The minister said people should avoid eating fruits that are half eaten by birds and urged people not to drink raw date juice.
In 2022, Bangladesh reported three Nipah virus cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness transmitted to people from animals and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly from person-to-person.
In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses.
During the first recognized outbreak in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999, most human infections resulted from direct contact with sick pigs or their contaminated tissues.
This outbreak resulted in nearly 300 human cases and more than 100 related fatalities.
In subsequent outbreaks in Bangladesh and India, consuming fruits or fruit products (such as raw date palm juice) contaminated with urine or saliva from infected fruit bats was the most likely source of infection.
As of January 31, 2023, no Nipah virus vaccines are available, says the U.S. CDC.
The CDC does recommend several vaccinations, such as dengue, before visiting Bangladesh in 2023.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently confirmed the Aedes aegypti mosquito is the primary source of dengue transmission in Limón, Costa Rica, including the coastlines along the Caribbean Sea.
As of January 30, 2023, the PAHO's data dashboard indicates 18 dengue cases have been confirmed this year, with about 7,400 in 2022.
Geographically, this dengue outbreak has impacted Talamanca and Guacimo areas.
In the Region of the Americas, 46 countries and territories reported dengue cases in 2022.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Level-1 Travel Advisory in 2022 does not identify Costa Rica as a dengue risk, it says this mosquito-spreading disease is an ongoing risk in many parts of Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
However, the UK's National Travel Health Network and Centre website confirm dengue fever risks will continue in Costa Rica this year. And the number of reported cases of dengue is increasing.
The worst affected areas are Limon and Puntarenas.
If you're in Costa Rica, you should take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, says the UK.
Furthermore, dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease, with two authorized vaccines available in certain countries in 2023.
Local media (Costa Rica Star) recently reported Sanofi Pasteur's Dengvaxia® vaccine is sold in pharmacies in Costa Rica for approximately $130. Three doses are required to fully protect people against the serotypes found in the country in 2023.
According to new data published today by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Region of the Americas reported 3,113,022 arboviral disease cases in 2022.
Of those cases, 90.1 % were dengue, 8.7 % were chikungunya, and 1.2 % were Zika virus.
Regarding related fatalities, dengue infections produced 1,289 deaths, chikungunya was 87, and Zika produced 2 deaths last year.
It is worth noting that in 2022 dengue peaked at week #17, whereas chikungunya peaked in week #18, and the Zika virus circulation was more robust in the first semester.
Country-specific data on case counts and completeness can be found at https://www.paho.org/plisa.
While dengue has two approved preventive vaccines available in certain countries, chikungunya and Zika candidates remain in various stages of human clinical trials as of January 26, 2023.
A clinical-stage biotechnology company announced today good news regarding its Zika virus (ZIKV) vaccine candidate, which was recently found very effective in a preclinical study.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued GeoVax Labs Inc. a Notice of Allowance for Patent Application No. 17/000,768 titled, "Method for Generating a ZIKV Immune Response Utilizing a Recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara Vector Encoding the NS1 Protein."
The claims to be granted in the patent cover GeoVax's MVA vector comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a ZIKV nonstructural (NS1) protein, of which the GEO-ZM02 vaccine candidate is designed.
"Our novel Zika vaccine, GEO-ZM02, is constructed using our modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector platform," stated GeoVax CEO David Dodd in a press release on January 25, 2023.
"Preclinical studies demonstrated a single dose of GEO-ZM02 provided 100% protection against a lethal dose of Zika virus."
"Addressing many of the world's most threatening infectious diseases is part of our vision and corporate priorities for MVA's applications, including an MVA-based next-generation COVID-19 vaccine currently in Phase 2 clinical trials."
With an outstanding safety record, MVA has great potential to address the unmet need to vaccinate women of childbearing age and newborns against ZIKV.
A pathogen endemic in various areas of the world, ZIKV is linked to an increase in infant microcephaly and neurodegenerative disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, in adults.
Numerous public health officials recommend avoiding exposure to ZIKV, delaying pregnancy, and following basic supportive care (fluids, rest, and acetaminophen) after infection.
GEO-ZM02 is designed to function through the induction of T-cell responses rather than antibodies to eliminate the risk of Antibody Dependent Enhancement, a serious side effect observed in flavivirus infections when an individual does not have a fully protective immune response from vaccination or a previous infection that causes a more serious disease if infected.
ZIKV is a member of the Flaviviridae family, which includes other significant pathogens such as dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis, and West Nile viruses.
GeoVax Labs, Inc. is developing novel therapies and vaccines for cancers and many of the world's most threatening infectious diseases.
As of January 25, 2023, the U.S. FDA has not approved a Zika prevention vaccine.
Note: The USPTO provides inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses with free resources on how to protect their intellectual property.
