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CNA reported yesterday another young woman living in Taiwan was diagnosed with the A H1N2 variant (H1N2v) of the novel swine influenza virus.
As of May 11, 2023, this is only the third swine flu case ever seen in Taiwan, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
This zoonotic influenza case came into contact with swine from working at a pig farm. But the virus was not detected in any of the pigs on the farm where the girl worked.
Close contacts were identified, but none tested positive for the H1N2v virus.
Taiwan's first human H1N2v infection was reported in April 2021.
Unlike swine flu, avian influenza Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HAPI) viruses have been detected in birds, mammals (cats, bears, dogs), and humans during 2022-2023.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Technical Report issued on March 17, 2023, confirmed the current risk to the public from HPAI A(H5N1) viruses remains low.
However, continued sporadic human infections are anticipated because of the potential for influenza viruses to evolve.
As of April 6, 2023, about 240 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus have been reported from four countries within the Western Pacific Region since January 2003.
Of these bird flu cases, 135 were fatal, resulting in a case fatality rate of 56%.
Should a human pandemic occur in 2023, the U.S. government has already stockpiled U.S. FDA-approved bird flu vaccines, and other development efforts have been funded as of May 12, 2023.
Furthermore, the CDC says annual flu shots are not designed to protect people against either bird or swine flu infections.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scheduled for today at 2 pm ET a Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call with updated recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine use.
During this COCA Call on May 11, 2023, presenters will discuss updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations by age group and for those with immunocompromise.
Sara Oliver, MD, MSPH, and Evelyn Twentyman, MD, MPH, will also highlight optional COVID-19 vaccine doses for specific populations.
With a simplified schedule, the CDC recommends that everyone stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccines to better protect themselves from severe illness.
Most people in the United States have not yet received an updated (bivalent) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, with less than 17% uptake.
The Webinar Link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1619378091; ID: 161 937 8091; Passcode: 499465.
Vakzine Projekt Management GmbH (VPM) today announced the successful licensing of the novel R21/Matrix-MTM Malaria Vaccine by the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority.
On May 10, 2023, VPM confirmed in a press release that the R21/Matrix-M™ vaccine has emerged as the most effective vaccine against malaria.
This innovative malaria vaccine was initially developed by the lab research team of Adrian Hill, Director of the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute.
Based on available clinical data in 2023, the R21/Matrix-M™ vaccine's efficacy is greater than 75%, far above the effectiveness of the other approved malaria vaccine, Mosquirix™ (RTS,S/AS01).
Notably, the manufacturing capacity of 200 million doses/year by SII will increase the current supply capacities by >20-fold globally.
Malaria is one of the leading causes of pediatric morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. And that children under five account for approximately 80% of all malaria-related fatalities, says the WHO Africa.
Four African countries accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide: Nigeria (31.3%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6%), the United Republic of Tanzania (4.1%), and Niger (3.9%).
And in the Northern Hemisphere, Costa Rica recently reported 105 positive malaria cases.
Malaria outbreak news is posted by Vax-Before-Travel.
Sinovac Biotech Ltd. today announced it would provide its CoronaVac® vaccine to self-paying groups in Hong Kong and confirmed a donation plan.
Additionally, the company will collaborate with local charity groups to provide donations, giving more children in Hong Kong access to free its inactivated original strains COVID-19 vaccine.
On March 31, 2023, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced that beginning April 20, 2023, high-risk groups would be able to receive free doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
Whereas low-risk groups, including children, can only receive their vaccines via the private market through self-pay.
"SINOVAC's ongoing fight against COVID-19 is based on our mission to 'supply vaccines to eliminate human diseases,'" said Yin Weidong, Chairman, President, and CEO of SINOVAC, in a press release on May 10, 2023.
"From developing the COVID-19 vaccine to obtaining market approvals, from the first CoronaVac® shipment landing in Hong Kong 800 days ago to the rollout of a massive public vaccination program, SINOVAC and Hong Kong have taken steps together to emerge from the shadows of the pandemic."
CoronaVac® is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be used in children from as young as three years old, under the World Health Organization's Emergency Use List.
As of March 2023, CoronaVac® has been authorized for use in more than 60 countries, regions, and international organizations. But not in the U.S.
The cumulative global vaccine supply exceeds 2.9 billion doses.
Novavax, Inc. today announced that its COVID-Influenza Combination (CIC), stand-alone influenza, and high-dose COVID vaccine candidates all showed a reassuring preliminary safety profile and comparable reactogenicity to individual Novavax influenza and COVID vaccine candidates or authorized influenza vaccine comparators.
Additionally, all three vaccines demonstrated preliminary robust immune responses.
In all groups, no adverse events (AE) of special interest, no potentially immune-mediated medical conditions, and no treatment-related serious AEs.
"The reactogenicity results support our previous observations that this technology is well suited for combination vaccines because large amounts of antigen can be incorporated without impacting tolerability," said Filip Dubovsky, President, Research and Development, Novavax, in a press release on May 9, 2023.
"The immune responses we observed were robust, and the data we have shared today significantly increase the probability of Phase 3 success."
Furthermore, the highest dose stand-alone COVID vaccine candidate achieved statistically significant anti-S IgG and neutralization responses, approximately 30% higher than Novavax's prototype COVID vaccine while maintaining comparable safety and reactogenicity to the currently authorized dose level of Nuvaxovid™.
Various CIC vaccine candidates are in late-stage development as of May 9, 2023.
CureVac N.V. today announced that the first participant was dosed in a combined Phase 1/2 study of multivalent, modified mRNA seasonal flu vaccine candidates developed in collaboration with GSK is being conducted in the U.S. and Belgium.
The tested multivalent vaccine candidates address all four WHO-recommended flu strains.
"Our clinically validated technology platform and second-generation mRNA backbone give us great confidence as we continue clinical development of novel vaccine candidates to address seasonal flu," said Dr. Myriam Mendila, Chief Development Officer of CureVac, in a press release on May 8, 2023.
"There are still unmet needs as seasonal flu is ever-evolving and immune responses to current vaccines remain a challenge, particularly in older adults."
"The flexibility, speed, and scalability of CureVac's end-to-end mRNA capabilities position us well to develop and deliver seasonal flu vaccines together with GSK that combat dominant strains of the season as they emerge."
As previously reported, in CureVac and GSK's ongoing Phase 1 trial in older and younger adults of a monovalent, modified mRNA seasonal flu vaccine candidate, preliminary data showed a favorable tolerability profile and no concerning safety signals. In addition, the preliminary immunogenicity data indicated strong hemagglutinin inhibition immune responses in line with a licensed flu comparator vaccine beginning at the lowest tested dose.
The CureVac-GSK infectious disease collaboration was first announced in July 2020.
The U.K. Health Security Agency today announced that parents in England should check their children's measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine records following an increase in measles cases.
As of May 4, 2023, HPR volume #17, issue 5, revealed from January to April 20, 2023, there were 49 lab-confirmed measles cases in England.
Thirty-three (67%) of these measles cases were in London, 40% in children under five years, and 27% in those 15 to 34 years.
An analysis of data published by Public Health England highlighted that population immunity levels in the U.K. were below those required to interrupt measles transmission in many birth cohorts.
Uptake for the first dose of the MMR vaccine in children aged two years in England is 89%, and uptake of two MMR doses at age five years is 85.5%.
This data is below the 95% target the World Health Organization set as necessary to achieve and maintain elimination.
In a related press release, NHS Director of Vaccinations and Screening Steve Russell commented, "The MMR vaccine has helped prevent the development of potentially life-threatening illness among millions, and it is clear that when uptake falls, infections rise."
"So I strongly urge parents to review the status of their child's vaccinations to protect them and others from MMR."
In the U.S., the CDC recently reported ten measles cases in eight jurisdictions (Kentucky, Utah) so far in 2023 and 121 measles cases (Ohio) in 2022.
Internationally, measles outbreaks have been confirmed in various countries, such as India, with over 60,000 cases.
Measles is a very contagious disease but is preventable by vaccination.
Various MMR vaccines are generally available in clinics and community pharmacies in the U.S.
The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) published its latest global update confirming highly pathogenic avian influenza (HAPI) outbreaks continue in various countries.
As of May 3, 2023, the current HPAI epidemic season continues, with 48 outbreaks reported in poultry and 33 in non-poultry birds over the three weeks covered by the report.
About 1.5 million poultry birds died or were culled worldwide.
These HAPI detections were mainly in Europe (36), the Americas, and Asia.
And the first occurrence of HPAI in non-poultry birds in the Republic of Gambia (Africa) at the end of March 2023 is noteworthy and shows that the HAPI disease is spreading to new areas.
Furthermore, based on the HPAI seasonal pattern, the number of outbreaks in animals (mammals) is expected to have passed the peak and decline.
However, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported six more H5N1 detections in mammals, bringing the total to 176 during this outbreak.
From a human risk perspective, official health authorities of the People's Rep. of China notified the World Health Organization on March 27, 2023, of one confirmed case of human infection with an avian influenza A(H3N8) virus.
This is the third reported case of human infection with an avian influenza A(H3N8) virus reported by China.
While the annual flu shot does not offer protection against HAPI viruses, there are approved bird flu vaccines and vaccine candidates in development.
