Travel Vaccine Breaking News

While the global dengue outbreak continues in 2024, many parts of the Americas are at risk. A trendy vacation destination in Central America reports a significant surge in dengue cases this year.

According to the Costa Rica Ministry of Health, there have been 4,787 confirmed cases of dengue during the first six reporting periods of this year.

As of February 23, 2024, Costa Rica's Central North region concentrates the highest accumulated notification of dengue cases this year with 1,228 cases, followed by the Central Pacific with 832 and the Central South with 762 cases.

During 2023, there were over 24,914 dengue cases, an increase from the 7,485 dengue patients in 2022.

To alert international travelers of this mosquito-transmitted health risk, Costa Rica was included in the U.S. CDC's Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions, dengue notice on February 09, 2024.

The Ministry of Health has called on the population to constantly clean and empty the containers in which water is stored for domestic use. Likewise, residents are urged to collaborate with our officials when they visit your homes for fumigation, presenting proper identification.

The Vector Control Program team recently carried out 16,645 fumigations in the towns of La Carpio, Pavas, and Alajuela.

As of 2024, the Dengvaxia® vaccine was sold in private pharmacies in Costa Rica. The price is around $130. 

However, the second-generation QDENGA® dengue vaccine is not offered in Costa Rica.

Bavarian Nordic A/S, a leading pharmaceutical company, announced news today regarding its investigational chikungunya vaccine, CHIKV VLP.

The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has granted accelerated assessment for this chikungunya vaccine candidate's Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA).

The CHMP has recognized that the vaccine candidate is of significant interest to public health and therapeutic innovation. 

With this positive development, the company is taking steps toward addressing the unmet medical needs of millions worldwide affected by the Chikungunya virus.

Chikungunya outbreaks continue to be reported in 2024.

Before 2013, chikungunya virus cases and outbreaks had been identified in countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In late 2013, the first local transmission of chikungunya virus in the Americas was identified in Caribbean countries and territories, according to the U.S. CDC.

Bavarian Nordic also confirmed on February 23, 2024, that it is on track to submit its MAA for CHIKV VLP to the EMA during H1 2024. As a result, the review of the MAA may now take as little as 150 days instead of the usual 210 days.

This means that the vaccine could be available in Europe sooner than expected.

"We are pleased to receive the accelerated assessment in recognition of our chikungunya vaccine candidate and our efforts to bring this novel product to the market. With this, we can accelerate the approval and launch timelines for the vaccine in Europe. As part of our global strategy, we also plan to submit our biologics license application (BLA) for the vaccine candidate to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration later this year," said Paul Chaplin, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic, in a press release.

In 2023, Bavarian Nordic successfully completed two Phase 3 studies of CHIKV VLP. 

The CHKV-VLA vaccine candidate received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Fast Track designation in May 2018.

Recently, the FDA issued approval for Valneva SE's IXCHIQ® Chikungunya Vaccine. However, the CDC has not given its approval.

According to the AP, Zimbabwe has initiated a polio vaccination campaign to protect over four million children after identifying three polio cases caused by a rare mutation of the weakened virus found in an older version of the oral vaccine.

On February 20, 2024, the authorities confirmed they would use the type 2 novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2) polio vaccine designed to minimize virus mutations and reduce polio outbreaks.

Zimbabwe aims to provide this vaccine to approximately 4 million children in February and March 2024.

About 1.4 billion nOPV2 doses have been produced since March 2021. 

Since its launch, approximately 1 billion nOPV2 doses have been administered in more than 35 countries worldwide.

As of February 2024, the nOPV2 has not been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, the U.S. CDC's vaccine committee is reviewing its use case on February 28, 2024.

Zimbabwe is one of 31 countries the CDC lists in its January 2024 global polio outbreak travel alert.

Novavax, Inc. and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), today announced they have reached a settlement related to the 2021 Advance Purchase Agreement (APA) for Novavax's prototype COVID-19 vaccine.

To further a joint commitment to public health, Novavax and Gavi have agreed to terms that will prioritize Gavi's and Novavax's shared mission to save lives and protect people's health by increasing equitable and sustainable use of vaccines.

Under the terms, Novavax has made an initial payment of $75 million to Gavi and has agreed to make deferred payments of $80 million annually through December 31, 2028, which are due in quarterly installments and total up to $400 million.

Novavax's annual cash obligation would be offset or reduced pursuant to an $80 million yearly vaccine credit, which may be used for qualifying sales of any of the Company's vaccines funded by Gavi for supply to low-income and lower-middle-income countries.

Using the annual vaccine credit for qualifying sales would reduce Novavax's annual cash obligation.

In addition to the annual obligation, Novavax will provide an additional vaccine credit of up to $225 million, should there be additional demand, which can be applied towards qualifying dose purchases of any of the Company's vaccines in such countries throughout the five-year term.

"Novavax is pleased to have reached this agreement with Gavi as it gives us the ability to continue to work together toward our shared mission of ensuring equitable access to safe and effective vaccines," said John C. Jacobs, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax, in a press release on February 22, 2024.

"We look forward to a long-term partnership with Gavi to provide continued access to our protein-based non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine."

This agreement brings the pending arbitration related to the APA to a close.

As of February 2024, Novavax's COVID-19 Vaccine (Nuvaxovid™XBB.1.5 dispersion for injection, NVX-CoV2601) is the leading protein-based vaccine used in various countries, including the United States.

As of February 22, 2024, Nuvaxovid is one of 13 COVID-19 vaccines Listed by the WHO.

Gavi is a public-private partnership that worked with the World Health Organization and various countries to supply vaccines during the recent pandemic.

The global tuberculosis outbreak continues to impact millions of people in 192 countries and areas. As of 2023, the United Kingdom is no exception.  

According to the annual report of UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on tuberculosis, there was a 10.7% increase in the number of tuberculosis cases in England in 2023, compared to 2022.

Dr Esther Robinson, Head of the TB Unit at UKHSA, said in a press release on February 15, 2024, "A cough that usually has mucus and lasts longer than three weeks can be caused by a range of other issues, including TB."

"Please speak to your GP if you think you could be at risk."

In 2022, TB notification rates varied widely across England, with the highest in London (1,575 individuals, rate of 17.9 per 100,000) and the lowest in the South West.

People with TB continue to be concentrated in large urban areas, with the highest TB notification rates being in Newham (London) and Leicester City (East Midlands).

In 2022, non-UK-born individuals continued to account for 79.1% of TB notifications in England.

People born in countries in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Nigeria, and Romania experience the highest number of cases.

The UKHSA continues to work with partners on a TB action plan, which sets out steps to improve the prevention and detection of TB.

However, the U.K. has reduced access to TB prevention vaccines.

In the United States, the U.S. CDC reported in November 2023 that TB cases increased by 5% in 2022, with 60 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and territories provisionally reporting 8,331 TB cases.

Furthermore, about 13 million people in the U.S. are living with latent TB infection. 

According to data recently reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), syphilis cases have been increasing in most states, and Alaskans are experiencing surges in this sexually transmitted disease (STD).

As of February 20, 2024, the CDC says syphilis is one STD that lacks a preventive vaccine.

"As recently as 2016, Alaska had just 20 cases of syphilis in a year. In 2022, Alaska had 424 syphilis cases or more than a twenty-fold increase," said a written statement from the Alaska Department of Health.

According to an opinion by Claudia Haines published by the Anchorage Daily News, Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska's chief medical officer, wrote, "Everyone of reproductive age who is sexually active should be tested for syphilis if they are unsure of their syphilis status."

"Everyone should get retested each time they have a new sexual partner, and every 3-6 months if they have multiple partners."

Alaska's epidemiology team identified several barriers faced by the increasing number of people testing positive for syphilis and women birthing babies with congenital syphilis. 

The complete, unedited ADN news article is posted at this link.

According to the CDC, the national congenital syphilis rate of 102.5 cases per 100,000 live births in 2022 represents a 30.6% increase relative to 2021. From 2021 to 2022, the rate of P&S syphilis increased by 17.2%.

In 2022, 3,755 cases of congenital syphilis were reported nationwide, including 282 congenital syphilis-related stillbirths and infant deaths.