Travel Vaccine Breaking News

As we approach Spring 2024, many individuals eagerly anticipate the end of the 2023-204 flu season. However, this flu season continues to pose a significant health risk for many people.

Globally, the World Health Organization recently released Influenza Update N° 464, indicating a decrease in influenza detections.

In North America, influenza activity is elevated, albeit declining.

The U.S. CDC reported on February 9, 2024, that seasonal influenza activity remained high across the nation, with certain regions, such as regions 5 and 7, experiencing significant increases.

Additionally, the Walgreens Flu Index®, which provides a state and market-specific overview of flu activity, identified its top 10 cities confronting flu outbreaks as of February 3, 2024.

These cities are as follows:

1. Oklahoma City
2. Dallas-Ft. Worth
3. Tyler-Longview
4. Little Rock-Pine Bluff
5. Corpus Christi
6. Waco-Temple-Bryan
7. San Antonio
8. Lafayette
9. Monroe, La.-El Dorado
10. El Paso, Texas, including Las Cruces, N.M.

Note: Walgreens data is limited to the markets with its 8,700 pharmacy locations.

Unfortunately, the CDC confirmed eight influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported during Week #5, bringing the 2023-2024 season total to 74 pediatric deaths.

The CDC continues recommending various flu shots for most people and encourages everyone to speak with a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist regarding any influenza questions.

As of late January 2024, over 157 million influenza vaccines were distributed in the U.S. this flu season.

The journal Eurosurveillance Rapid Communication published a study on January 25, 2024, that concluded Beyfortus™ (Nirsevimab) was about 69% effective at preventing pediatric respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalizations in infants.

In the context of moderate to high immunization coverage (84%) among neonates, this study provides early real-world evidence of nirsevimab immunization protecting infants from severe RSV disease in Luxembourg.

In 2023, 241 children under five years of age were hospitalized with a laboratory-confirmed RSV infection, compared with 389 cases in 2022, representing decreases of 38% (389 vs. 241) in cases under five years of age and 69% (232 vs. 72) in cases of infants under six months old.

The researchers concluded, 'Our study shows the impact of nirsevimab in mitigating severe RSV disease among infants during the first RSV season following the national implementation of passive immunization achieving high coverage in Luxembourg. There was a significant increase in the age of hospitalized children, and most severe RSV-related hospitalizations occurred in non-immunized children."

In previous clinical trials. nirsevimab showed between 74% and 86% efficacy against medically-attended lower respiratory tract infections caused by RSV in healthy infants.

As of February 2024, Beyfortus's availability in the U.S. has significantly improved.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Health Notice today confirming a chikungunya virus outbreak is impacting several municipalities in Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor.

Located about 2,000 miles north of Australia, local media recently reported about 183 chikungunya cases.

Timor-Leste's Vice-Minister of Health previously noted that "since the Restoration of Timor-Leste's Independence, we have faced many problems, including several diseases. Being a tropical country, our country is considered an endemic zone for several infectious diseases (malaria, dengue) caused by vectors (mosquitoes)."

On February 8, 2024, the CDC said people could avoid this mosquito-transmitted disease by using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, staying in places with air conditioning, or using window and door screens.

If infected, you should seek medical care if you develop fever, joint pain, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash during or after travel.

However, chikungunya can be fatal.

A recent study published by the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal found chikungunya disease is associated with an increased risk of death for up to 84 days after symptom onset.

Furthermore, the CDC stated in this Level 2 - Practice Enhanced Precautions Notice that if you are pregnant, reconsider travel to Timore-Leste, mainly if you are close to delivering your baby. Mothers infected around the time of delivery can pass the virus to their baby before or during delivery.

Newborns infected this way or by mosquito bites are at risk for severe illness, including poor long-term outcomes.

While the U.S. FDA recently approved Valneva SE's IXCHIQ® Chikungunya Vaccine, the CDC has yet to authorize its use in the U.S.

The CDC's vaccine committee is scheduled to review this vaccine on February 28, 2024. They intend to review proposed policy options for chikungunya vaccine use among U.S. adults traveling abroad.

As of February 2024, several countries have recently confirmed chikungunya outbreaks,

Numerous countries are reporting measles cases as the global resurgence extends into 2024.

For example, there has been a  measles outbreak in England.

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today announced that 118 laboratory-confirmed measles cases were confirmed in England last week, bringing the total number of measles cases to 465 since October 2023.

Of these cases, 71% (329 of 465) have been reported in the West Midlands, 13% in London, and 7% in Yorkshire and The Humber. The remaining cases were reported in other regions of England.

The majority (66%) of these cases are in unvaccinated children under the age of 10.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA Consultant Epidemiologist, stated in a press release on February 8, 2024, "MMR vaccine uptake has been falling over the last decade with 10% of children starting school in England not protected."

"Parents should be aware that measles is a nasty illness for most children and, sadly for some, can be very serious and life-changing, but it is completely preventable."

"I strongly urge parents to take up the offer as soon as possible and protect their child now."

According to the U.S. CDC, measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.

All international travelers, including young children, should be fully vaccinated against measles, as infected people can spread measles up to four days before and after a rash. 

Worldwide, there was a 64% increase in measles cases in 2023 compared to 2022. 

As of 2024, the CDC maintains a global Watch-Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Notice, identifying measles outbreaks in 47 countries.

When the U.S. government approved the first two respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines in 2023, the indication was for people 60 years and older to prevent lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSV.

Based on recent filings, it appears adults 50 years and older may have access to these important vaccines in time for the next RSV season.

Increasing access to RSV vaccines is viewed as a global public health goal. As of early February 2024, the percentage of U.S. adults age 60+ who report receiving an RSV vaccine this season is 20.8%.

GSK plc announced on February 6, 2024, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted under Priority Review an application to extend the indication of AREXVY™ adjuvanted RSV vaccine to adults aged 50-59 who are at increased risk for RSV disease.

The Prescription Drug User Fee Act date, the FDA action date for their regulatory decision, is June 7, 2024.

Previously, on December 12, 2023, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare accepted a similar application for AREXVY.

If approved, AREXVY would be the first RSV vaccine available to help protect this population during the 2024-2025 RSV season.

As of February 2024, RSV activity was stable or decreased in North America, and most European reporting countries reported the World Health Organization Influenza Update N° 462.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's RSV detection graphs display the 5-week moving average, recently indicating decreased cases in certain states.

CSL and Arcturus Therapeutics today announced the results of a follow-up analysis of a Phase 3 study evaluating a booster dose of ARCT-154, the world's first approved self-amplifying messenger RNA (sa-mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine, compared to a conventional mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

The new analysis at six months post-vaccination shows that ARCT-154 induces a longer immune response than Comirnaty® for both the original Wuhan strain and Omicron BA.4/5 variant and an advantage in antibody persistence.

ARCT-154 was administered at one-sixth the dose of Comirnaty® (5 μg vs 30 μg, respectively).

"These results further support sa-mRNA's differentiating attribute to provide prolonged protection against COVID-19 at lower doses," said Jonathan Edelman, M.D., Senior Vice President, Vaccines Innovation Unit, CSL, in a press release on February 5, 2024.

"Protecting the global public from viral respiratory diseases remains a top priority for us, and we look forward to continuing to collect and share data at the twelve-month post-booster mark."

Unlike standard mRNA vaccines, these companies commented that self-amplifying mRNA vaccines instruct the body to make more mRNA and protein to boost the immune response.

The Central American country of Costa Rica has been battling an outbreak of dengue fever, both classic and hemorrhagic, for the past few years. This mosquito-transmitted virus continues to impact Costa Rica residents and visitors in 2024.

On February 2, 2024, the Costa Rica Health Ministry reported that 1,076 dengue cases led by Central Norte have been confirmed this year.

Throughout 2023, there were about 24,914 dengue cases reported, a significant increase from the 7,485 patients in 2022.

Costa Rica is not alone in the Region of the Americas with the acceleration of dengue cases.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently issued various dengue Risk Assessments that said dengue is endemic in most countries of South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. In 2023, the Americas experienced a 57% increase in dengue cases compared to 2022.

As of December 2023, the PAHO issued a Situation Report that assessed the risk of dengue outbreaks in the Americas as high at the regional level due to the widespread distribution of the Aedes spp. Mosquitoes.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued Travel Health Notices regarding dengue outbreaks in the Americas. The CDC reported on January 3, 2024, that there were 2,343 dengue cases reported by 52 U.S. jurisdictions during 2023.

The CDC says dengue is endemic in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease, with two vaccines currently in use in the Americas and several dengue vaccine candidates in development in 2024.