Travel Vaccine Breaking News

The Texas Department of State Health Services today is reporting an expansion of the measles outbreak in Texas.

As of February 18, 2025, the South Plains region has confirmed that 58 cases have been identified with symptom onset within the last three weeks. Fifty-four of these measles patients are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.

Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional outbreaks are likely to occur in Gaines County, Lubbock, Lynn, Terry, and Yoakum countries in western Texas.

DSHS released a media release stating it 'is working with South Plains Public Health District and Lubbock Public Health to investigate the outbreak.'

Just a few miles west of this Texas outbreak, the New Mexico Department of Health reported three residents tested positive for measles in February 2025.

Earlier in 2025, two measles cases were reported in the greater Houston area.

In 2024, the leading measles outbreaks in the U.S. were reported in Minnesota (70) and Illinois (67).

From a prevention perspective, the MMR vaccine has been found to be very effective against measles outbreaks. This vaccine is generally available at clinics and pharmacies throughout the United States.

CSL and Arcturus Therapeutics recently announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for KOSTAIVE ®, a self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, for individuals 18 and older.

KOSTAIVE (ARCT-154)is the first sa-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to receive approval from the EC.

"KOSTAIVE and sa-mRNA technology signify a major advancement in vaccine innovation, providing the potential for broader and more enduring protection," said Joseph Payne, CEO of Arcturus, in a press release on February 14, 2025.

"This approval highlights the clinical promise of KOSTAIVE and its ability to protect against the ever-changing COVID-19 virus."

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

KOSTAIVE is currently marketed in Japan against COVID-19.

Zoetis recently announced it received a conditional license from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Center for Veterinary Biologics, for its Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus for use in chickens, not people.

On February 14, 2025, the company wrote that the decision to vaccinate commercial poultry flocks against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) rests solely with national regulatory authorities in partnership with the poultry industry.

"When a new strain of HPAI was identified in the U.S. in early 2022, our scientists immediately began work to update our previous avian influenza vaccine," said Mahesh Kumar, Ph.D., senior vice president of global biologics research and development at Zoetis, in a press release.

"We first worked on HPAI vaccines in 2001-02 when outbreaks occurred in flocks in Southeast Asia."

"Our readiness with this most recent vaccine is another example of how we continue to live our purpose to nurture the world and humankind by advancing care for animals, ultimately providing solutions to global animal health challenges."

In 2016, the company received a conditional license for its H5N1 vaccine and a contract award for the USDA's National Veterinary Stockpile; this vaccine was first used by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2023 to help protect California condors. Zoetis also holds a USDA license used to help protect endangered birds in New Zealand in 2024.

As the 2025 Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series starts-off today at Daytona International Speedway, over 150,000 people will be in attendance, many arriving by air.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects heavy travel volume from Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) after the 500-mile race. The average daily passenger volume at DAB, around 1,000 passengers per day, will grow to an expected 2,200 on February 17, 2025.

"Planning is critical when traveling home after large events like this," said Brian Cahill, TSA Federal Security Director for DAB, in a press release. "Arriving at the airport with extra time and knowing what can and can't be packed in carry-on and checked bags will save you time and help keep things moving at checkpoints."

The good news for these travelers is that no health alerts have been issued for this area of central Florida.

The Volusia County Health Department has not issued any disease advisories this year.

However, travel-related and local diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, malaria, and Oropouche may impact race fans arriving from Miami-Dade County, located about 250 miles south along the east coast. Over the past few years, Florida's southeast coast has been a hot spot for mosquito-transmitted diseases.

As of February 2025, the U.S. CDC recommends two disease-prevention options: avoid mosquito bites and speak with a travel vaccine expert about U.S. FDA-approved immunization options. The CDC has issued Travel Health Advisories for numerous countries, but no alerts have been issued for the greater Miami area.

The Quezon City Government, through the City Health Department (QCHD), declared a dengue outbreak today as cases and related fatalities have surged in the city. 

From January 1 to February 14, 2025, the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division of QCHD recorded 1,769 dengue cases, nearly 200% higher than last year. Ten citizens, including eight minors, have already died from the mosquito-transmitted disease.

Fifty-eight percent of the reported cases involve school-aged children (5 to 17 years old).

Mayor Joy Belmonte has mobilized all assets and resources and ensured that programs and services are established and accessible for QCitizens to curb the outbreak.

“Our declaration of a dengue outbreak ensures that we are on top of the situation, and we are doing everything we can to protect our residents from this deadly disease, especially our children,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a press release on February 15, 2025.

Quezon City, a tourist top destination located northeast of Manila, is the most populous city in the Republic of the Philippines, with a population of about 2.9 million.

To alert international travelers of their health risks when visiting the Philippines, the U.S. CDC includes this Southeast Asia country in its Global Travel Health Advisory. Other disease risks in 2025 included chikungunya and measles.

A recent study confirms that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination prevents the development of invasive cervical cancer, regardless of dosage.

Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on January 22, 2025, this analysis concluded that even one or two doses one month apart confer benefit if given at 12-13 years of age. At older ages, three HPV doses are required for statistically significant vaccine effectiveness.

No cases of invasive cancer were recorded in women immunized at 12 or 13 years of age, irrespective of the number of doses.

Women vaccinated at 14 to 22 years of age and given three doses of the bivalent vaccine showed a significant reduction in incidence compared with all unvaccinated women (3.2/100 000 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.1 to 4.6] vs. 8.4 [95% CI = 7.2 to 9.6]).

Unadjusted incidence was significantly higher in women from most deprived (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 1) than least deprived (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 5) areas (10.1/100 000 [95% CI = 7.8 to 12.8] vs 3.9 [95% CI = 2.6 to 5.7]).

Women from the most deprived areas showed a significant reduction in incidence following three doses of vaccine (13.1/100 000 [95% CI = 9.95 to 16.9] vs 2.29 [95% CI = 0.62 to 5.86]).

Dr. Kirsty Roy, Consultant in Health Protection, Public Health Scotland, and co-author of this encouraging study, said in a press release, "This study involves every woman in Scotland who is eligible for the cervical cancer screening program and demonstrates the impact of the HPV vaccine in preventing cervical cancer."

"It shows how effective the HPV vaccine is as there have been no cervical cancer cases to date in fully vaccinated women who were given their first dose at age 12-13 years.    

"Vaccination against HPV is shown to be effective in preventing cervical cancer, and along with regular screening for early detection and treatment, it is possible to make cervical cancer a rare disease." 

In the United States, Merck's GARDASIL 9® vaccine has been found to protect women and men ages 9 to 45 against diseases caused by nine types of HPV. GARDSIL is generally available at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

A recent study by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) shows that the Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine Seqirus injektioneste protects people against the disease caused by the currently circulating avian influenza viruses.

Since the summer of 2024, avian influenza vaccinations have been offered to occupational groups in the Republic of Finland at increased risk of the disease, such as those working with fur animals and poultry. They were offered Seqirus's vaccine, which the European Medicines Agency authorized.

Announced on February 13, 2025, the study showed that the vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies identified the vaccine virus and the avian influenza viruses that caused the outbreaks on fur farms in Finland in 2023 and on dairy farms in the United States in 2024.

About half of the previously unvaccinated individuals received one vaccine dose, which induced antibody levels that were estimated to protect against the disease caused by the avian influenza virus. Two doses induced protective antibody levels in the majority. The results suggest that the vaccine protects against currently circulating avian influenza viruses. 

In the United States, the FDA has authorized one avian influenza vaccine, and the government has funded various vaccine candidates.

These 'bird flu' vaccines are not commercially available in the U.S.