Travel Vaccine Breaking News

While most Mpox cases have been detected in Africa this year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recently reported several instances of both monkeypox virus clades.

On May 8, 2025, the UKHSA confirmed mpox clade Ib and clade IIb cases in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Up to the end of April 2025, 12 cases of mpox clade Ib have been reported in England this year. Most of these cases have reported direct or indirect links to travel to countries where mpox clade Ib is circulating, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.

From 2023 to April 2025, 508 cases of mpox clade IIb have been reported in the UK.

Of these, 470 were in England (212 cases were presumed to have acquired mpox in the UK, 155 were acquired outside the UK and 103 are awaiting classification), 19 were in Scotland (4 were supposed to have acquired mpox in the UK, 9 were imported cases acquired outside the UK and six are awaiting classification), 10 were in Wales (4 were presumed to have acquired mpox in the UK, 2 were imported cases acquired outside the UK and four are awaiting classification), and nine were in Northern Ireland (5 were presumed to have acquired mpox in the UK, 3 were imported cases acquired outside the UK and one is awaiting classification).

The UKHSA wrote, 'despite continuing and regular imports of mpox clade IIb, case numbers during 2023 to 2025 likely remain substantially lower than those seen in 2022 due to high levels of vaccine protection suppressing transmission.'

Since June 2022, the UK government has endorsed a vaccination strategy intending to interrupt transmission of the mpox virus in the subset of individuals at increased risk of exposure.

As of May 11, 2025, Bavarian Nordic JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN®, IMVAMUNE®) is available in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Since the first anthrax fatality in decades was reported in the Kingdom of Thailand in early May 2025, substantial confusion regarding a potential outbreak has been reported on social media.

To clarify the situation as of May 8, 2025, Dr. Pricha Worahan, Public Health Doctor of Nakhon Phanom Province, revealed that the anthrax situation in Mukdahan Province has been continuously monitored.

As for the latest disease situation, there are no confirmed anthrax patients. Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.

There was one suspected anthrax patient found, a 55-year-old female farmer who denied any underlying diseases. She had a blister on her right arm that broke in the middle, making the wound black like a cigarette burn.

The doctor initially diagnosed anthrax as suspected, so he collected samples of the blister from her skin and Hemoculture to send to the laboratory of Nakhon Phanom Hospital and Bamrasnaradura Institute. No one with symptoms that fit the definition of searching for contacts of the disease was found.

However, two people who had contact with the infected person did not show any symptoms, and animals in the area did not show any abnormalities or die of unknown causes.

There are no reports of human-to-human transmission of the disease.

The most common vectors are cows, buffalo, goats, and sheep. Infected animals will have fever, be lethargic, not eat, get sick for no apparent reason, and die. Most people get infected by direct contact with infected animals, such as butchering meat, consuming raw or undercooked meat, or coming into contact with animal skins or fur that contain spores of the disease.

The germs contaminate the area where an animal is sick or dies and can remain there for months or years. Patients will have fever, body aches, cough, difficulty breathing, a blue face, and die from respiratory failure.

According to the U.S. CDC, anthrax is rare in the United States, but outbreaks do happen in wild and domestic grazing animals such as cattle or deer. In the U.S., veterinarians recommend yearly livestock vaccination in areas where animals have had anthrax. Additionally, anthrax vaccines for people are available in 2025.

Recently, South Korea approved BARYTHRAX, the world's first recombinant anthrax vaccine, jointly developed by GC Biopharma and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

BARYTHRAX utilizes protective antigen (PA) proteins produced through genetic recombination techniques. With an anthrax infection, PA is a gateway for 2 Bacillus anthracis toxins, lethal factor and edema factor, to enter host cells. BARYTHRAX vaccination can train and stimulate an immune response to neutralize anthrax by utilizing PA proteins.

With millions of people planning to visit the Republic of the Philippines during the summer of 2025, the United States government has recently updated various travel advisories.

On May 8, 2025, the Department of State reissued its Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution due to civil unrest in some areas of the Philippines. This advisory says do not travel to:

The Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea and Marawi City in Mindanao,

And reconsider visiting other areas of Mindanao this year.

Due to these risks, the State Department wrote that U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to these areas.

If you visit the Philippines in 2025, enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive digital alerts and help locate you in an emergency.

Last month, the U.S. Embassy Manila announced 'Beat the Summer Rush – Renew Your Passport Today.'

Appointments for routine consular services are currently available with little to no wait at the U.S. Embassy and the Consular Agency in Cebu.  As summer approaches, demand will rise, making it harder to schedule convenient times. Apply now to avoid the busy season!

From a health risk perspective, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has included the Philippines in two Travel Health Advisories in 2025.

The CDC's dengue advisory was issued in April, and a global measles advisory was issued in March.

While dengue vaccines are unavailable in the U.S., MMR vaccines are readily offered at travel clinics and pharmacies.

Furthermore, the CDC says international travelers should check the list of routine vaccines and medicines and visit a healthcare provider at least a month before departing abroad this summer.

A large-scale, population-based cohort study with a long-term follow-up recently investigated the association between live zoster (shingles) vaccination and the risk of various cardiovascular events.

A study published in the European Heart Journal on May 5, 2025, found a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events in recipients of the shingles vaccine in the eight years following vaccination, with the most significant reduction observed 2–3 years post-vaccination.

The decrease in cardiovascular disease risk was more pronounced among males, individuals aged less than 60 years, those with unhealthy lifestyle habits, and those from low-income households and rural residents.

"A shingles infection can cause blood vessel damage, inflammation, and clot formation that can lead to heart disease," said study author Dong Keon Yon, PhD, from the Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, in a press release.

"By preventing shingles, vaccination may lower these risks."

These findings suggest that live zoster vaccination may be beneficial for reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease in the general population.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) has declared a communitywide outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV), a vaccine-preventable disease.

Since January 2024, 167 cases have been confirmed in LAC residents, including 29 in 2025. Typically, 30-50 cases are confirmed per year.

According to the U.S. CDC., the number of estimated new HAV infections increased annually in the U.S. beginning in 2015, peaked in 2019, and sharply decreased in 2020. This downward trend continued through 2023, reaching 3,300 estimated infections.

As of May 5, 2025, most LAC hepatitis A cases have occurred in people without typical risk factors such as travel, unstable housing, or illicit drug use.

Hepatitis A vaccine is widely available at primary care provider offices, pharmacies, and participating community sites serving uninsured people. It is also available at no cost at LAC DPH clinics. And private health insurance plans should cover the hepatitis A vaccine at no cost to beneficiaries.

The Brussels-based European Union (EU) and France today announced $566.6 million worth of incentives to lure scientists to the continent.

According to local media on May 5, 2025, the funds will support research projects and help universities cover the cost of recruiting foreign scientists.

"We call on researchers worldwide to unite and join us," French President Emmanuel Macron said at Paris' Sorbonne University alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The EU's President Von der Leyen also wants its member states to invest 3% of their gross domestic product in research and development by 2030.

Over the past Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasons, infants have been offered a new monoclonal antibody to protect them from lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs).

A cost-effectiveness analysis, published on May 3, 2025, estimates the economic benefits.

From the NHS perspective, over the first RSV season, Beyfortus™ (nirsevimab) in an all-infants population could be a cost-effective approach to preventing LRTIs.

These researchers concluded that a prophylaxis strategy against RSV infection targeting all infants with Beyfortus could represent a cost-effective option and support the implementation and equity of RSV prevention for all infants.

For the 2025-2026 RSV season in the United States, Beyfortus is FDA-approved and readily available.