Travel Vaccine Breaking News

In the shadow of COVID-19, the stage has been set for a global resurgence of one of the most contagious pathogens, measles.

Viruses are again flourishing, with measles poised for global resurgence, says William Moss, MD, director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For example, India has recently reported 61,562 measles cases.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease. About 90% of unprotected people will become infected when exposed to the measles virus.

Measles cases worldwide increased by about 80% during 2022 compared with 2021.

Recent measles outbreaks in Ohio and Kentucky have brought this concern back to the U.S.

In this Q&A written by Joshua Sharfstein, adapted from April 26, 2023, the Public Health On Call episode, Moss speaks with Josh Sharfstein, MD, about how significant setbacks in global vaccine coverage over the past few years have seeded the deadly threat of a measles resurgence. 

While wearing a face mask offers some protection from the highly transmittable virus, the CDC prioritizes vaccination.

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, with vaccination services offered at most clinics and community pharmacies in the U.S.

Novavax Inc. today announced the full results from the pediatric expansion of the Phase 3 PREVENT-19 clinical trial were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open on April 26, 2027.

The study's expansion evaluated the safety and effectiveness of Novavax's COVID-19 prototype vaccine (NVX-CoV2373) in adolescents aged 12 through 17 across the U.S.

Novavax's U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine achieved its primary effectiveness and efficacy endpoint in the trial when the Delta variant was the predominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain. 

There was no increase in reactogenicity in younger (12 to <15 years old) adolescents compared to older (15 to <18 years old) adolescents.

Non-inferior neutralizing antibody responses compared to young adults in the main adult study were demonstrated, which was the critical regulatory endpoint for authorization.

And safety data showed the vaccine to be generally well-tolerated in the placebo-controlled portion of the study.

As of April 27, 2023, Novavax protein-based COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized in more than 30 markets worldwide, known as Nuvaxovid™, CovoVax™, and NVX-CoV2373.

Merck today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2023. In addition, Merck stated it realized lower sales of the oral COVID-19 antiviral Lagevrio™ (Molnupiravir), which decreased 88% to $392 million.

This decrease was primarily attributable to sales in the U.S. and U.K. markets in the first quarter of 2022 that did not recur in the first quarter of 2023.

LAGEVRIO's decline was also attributable to lower sales in Japan and Australia.

LAGEVRIO is approved or authorized for use in more than 25 countries. It helps reduce how sick people become when diagnosed with COVID‑19. 

Additional COVID-19 antiviral news is posted at Coronavirus Today.

The World Health Organization Africa Region recently reported Mpox cases in the Central Africa Republic, the DRC, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria.

As of April 16, 2023, fourteen newly confirmed Mpox cases were reported, resulting in a 5.6% increase.

And three new Mpox-related fatalities were reported.

The top three African countries with the most confirmed Mpox cases include Nigeria, 833, the DRC 450, and Ghana, 124. Together, the three countries have reported 93.7% of all confirmed Mpox cases in Africa.

To alert international travelers of potential health risks when visiting Africa, the U.S. CDC has published Watch - Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions notices for the DRC and Nigeria.

Globally, over 86,000 Mpox cases have been reported by 110 countries since the outbreak began in May 2022.

While the Mpox outbreak has receded in the U.S., the CDC recommends Bavarian Nordic's JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN) vaccination when visiting at-risk countries in 2023.

Additional Mpox outbreak research is posted at Precision Vaccinations.

Bloomberg Law News recently reported that Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed beginning April 29, 2023, China will no longer require visitors to provide a negative PCR test result.

Instead, visitors can show negative rapid antigen test results, and airlines will not be required to check for proof.

China previously eliminated testing requirements for countries such as New Zealand and Malaysia.

In 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began requiring a negative COVID-19 test result or proof of recovery from the virus for all travelers aged two years and older to the U.S. on flights originating from the People's Republic of China (PRC),

As of April 26, 2023, the U.S. CDC recommends various routine and travel vaccinations before visiting the PRC.

Previously, the U.S. Department of State issued a notice stating 'reconsider travel' to the PRC, including the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws.

HilleVax, Inc. today announced the completion of enrollment of the NEST-IN1 clinical trial for children, with over 3,000 subjects enrolled in six countries.

NEST-IN1 is the company’s ongoing Phase 2b trial for HIL-214, its investigational virus-like particle-based vaccine candidate for preventing moderate-to-severe norovirus-related acute gastroenteritis in infants (AGE). 

This study was last updated on April 7, 2023. Topline safety and clinical efficacy data from NEST-IN1 are expected in the first quarter of 2024.

“I am excited to announce the completion of enrollment of our NEST-IN1 study, which brings us one step closer to topline results in the first quarter of 2024,” said Rob Hershberg, MD, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of HilleVax, in a press release on April 25, 2023.

“There are no approved vaccines for norovirus, which results in approximately 700 million cases of acute gastroenteritis and 200,000 deaths per year.”

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus, says the U.S. CDC.

Globally, norovirus is estimated to result in approximately 700 million cases of AGE and 200,000 deaths per year, resulting in over $4 billion in direct health system costs and $60 billion in societal costs per year. 

ImmunityBio, Inc. today announced the opening of a clinical trial to study its investigational Tri-Ad5 vaccine combination and its IL-15 superagonist N-803 for people with a hereditary condition known as Lynch syndrome.

An estimated 1 in every 300 people may be carriers of a mutation in a gene associated with Lynch syndrome. 

This Phase 2b clinical trial, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), will study whether Tri-Ad5, in combination with N-803, works to prevent colorectal and other cancers in study participants.

Tri-Ad5 vaccines target three tumor-associated antigens: brachyury, carcinoembryonic antigen, and mucin-1. 

The vaccine combination studies whether activating dendritic cells and training the immune system to recognize those proteins will destroy the precancer cells before the cancer advances.

N-803 is designed to enhance the effects of the vaccines by increasing the proliferation and activation of natural killer and T cells, thereby increasing the potential for cancer prevention in study participants.

"We are excited to partner with the NCI on this important cancer vaccine study to potentially prevent or delay the onset of cancer for people who carry the gene associated with Lynch syndrome," said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Executive Chairman and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at ImmunityBio, in a press release on April 25, 2023.

"Lynch syndrome affects tens of thousands of people each year, and the average age of cancer diagnosis for them is just 44."

"People known to have the gene for Lynch syndrome can be followed closely by their doctors with regular examinations and scans to watch for cancer development, but, currently, there is no treatment that prevents cancer development in these patients."

Lynch syndrome is one of the most common hereditary cancer syndromes, says the U.S. CDC.

Not only can people with Lynch syndrome develop colorectal cancer some twenty years before the average age of diagnosis for this cancer, but they are also at an increased risk of developing multiple types of other cancers, including endometrial, stomach, ovarian, pancreas, ureter, and renal pelvis, biliary tract, brain, and small intestinal cancers.

Colorectal cancer is the second-deadliest cancer type in the U.S., and approximately 3% to 5% of the 153,000 cases of colorectal cancer annually are thought to be due to Lynch Syndrome.

As are 2% to 3% of all cases of endometrial cancer.

"The Tri-Ad5 vaccine trial will be the largest Lynch syndrome cancer prevention study done in the U.S.," commented Asad Umar, D.V.M., Ph.D., a senior advisor to the director for translational research in NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention and a scientific lead for the trial.

Note: ImmunityBio is also conducting a bladder cancer vaccine study.