Travel Vaccine Breaking News

During the summer of 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued several alerts that revealed a spike in Oropouche disease cases, including fatalities, in the Region of the Americas.

As of January 31, 2025, the U.S. CDC confirmed recent outbreaks of Oropouche in Espírito Santo, Brazil, and Darién Province, Panama. To notify travelers of this health risk, the CDC issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice.

It says all travelers to these areas should prevent bug bites during travel to protect themselves from infection. They should also prevent bug bites for 3 weeks after travel to avoid possibly spreading the virus to others if they are in areas where mosquitoes and biting midges are active.

Furthermore, healthcare providers should inform women who are pregnant and considering travel to areas with reported Oropouche virus transmission of the possible risks to the fetus. If a pregnant woman decides to travel, counsel her to prevent bug bites.

This new Travel Health Notice follows a Level 1 alert issued in 2024.

The CDC says there is no evidence of Oropouche virus transmission in the United States, but various states (Florida) have reported cases detected in international travelers.

In 2024, 108 neuroinvasive and non-neuroinvasive Oropouche cases were reported in six U.S. jurisdictions. The CDC also says that the extent to which the Oropouche virus could spread in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is unknown.

From a prevention perspective, since no approved vaccines are available in February 2025, avoiding bug bites is a person's best option.

Merck announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the approval of CAPVAXIVE™ (Pneumococcal 21-valent Conjugate Vaccine) for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease and pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in individuals 18 years of age and older.

Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. There are about 100 types of pneumococcal bacteria, and they can affect adults differently than children.

“Invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal pneumonia remain critical public health challenges worldwide,” said Dr. Paula Annunziato, senior vice president of infectious diseases and vaccines, Global Clinical Development, Merck Research Laboratories, in a press release on January 31, 2025.

The CHMP’s recommendation for marketing authorization in the European Union (EU), Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway will now be reviewed by the European Commission. A final decision is expected by the second quarter of 2025.

If approved in the EU, it would mark the fourth authorization of CAPVAXIVE for preventing invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal pneumonia in adults.

CAPVAXIVE was first approved in the U.S. in June 2024, Canada in July 2024, and Australia in January 2025. It is being reviewed in Japan, and other worldwide regulatory filings are underway.

In the U.S., pneumococcal vaccines are recommended for most people and are available at most community pharmacies. These vaccines may not work for everyone.

Takeda today announced earnings results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 (nine months ending December 31, 2024), showing continued advancement and demand for its dengue virus vaccine, Qdenga®.

The Company reported Qdenga's FY2024 H1 revenue was JPY 19.9B, reflecting 863% growth.

As of January 30, 2025, Qdenga is available in 27 countries, including 19 European countries, with travel recommendations to support using Qdenga to help protect travelers to dengue endemic areas.

For example, over the past year, dengue outbreaks have set new records in countries throughout the Region of the Americas.

In 2024, cities in the United States reported local dengue infections, including Los Angeles, California, and Miami, Florida.

Previously, the World Health Organization added Qdenga to its List of Prequalified Vaccines, which should expand the number of countries offering this second-generation dengue vaccine.

Unfortunately, Qdenga is not available in the United States.

On July 11, 2023, Takeda voluntarily withdrew the Biologics License Application following discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As of 2025, there has been no indication approval discussions were pending.

Note: This VBT news article was update don January 5, 2025, to include current country authorizations.

Following the confirmation of an outbreak of Sudan virus disease in the Republic of Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it is mobilizing efforts to support the national health authorities in containing a potential outbreak in Kampala.

The identification of the case in a densely populated urban requires a rapid and intense response, says the WHO.

As of January 30, 2025, a nurse from Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital, Kampala, a city with about 1.8 million residents, has been reported with this disease.

A total of 45 contacts, including health workers and family members of the confirmed case (deceased), have been identified and are currently under close monitoring. No other health workers or patients have shown symptoms of the disease.

“We welcome the prompt declaration of this outbreak, and as a comprehensive response is being established, we are supporting the government and partners to scale up measures to quickly identify cases, isolate and provide care, curb the spread of the virus, and protect the population,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a press release.

Eight previous outbreaks of the Sudan virus disease have occurred, five in Uganda and three in Sudan. Uganda last reported an outbreak in 2022.

Sudan virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. It is caused by Orthoebolavirus Sudanese (Sudan virus), a viral species belonging to the same genus as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. 

Case fatality rates of Sudan virus disease have varied from 41% to 100% in past outbreaks.

While no licensed vaccines for the Sudan virus disease exist, the WHO coordinates with developers to deploy candidate vaccines and other public health measures.

The WHO stated that experimental vaccines would be deployed once all administrative and regulatory approvals were obtained.

As vacationers plan their winter 2025 holiday trip to Florida's beautiful beaches to enjoy the warm weather, taking steps to prevent mosquito bites remains essential. In Florida, 14 species of Anopheles mosquitoes have been found to transmit diseases to humans.

As of early January 2025, mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, have been reported again in Florida.

The Florida Department of Health (FDH) updated its Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Surveillance Report on January 25, 2025, confirming twenty-two cases of dengue were reported among persons who had international travel, and one locally acquired dengue case was reported.

Last year, 999 travel-associated dengue cases were reported, mainly among Brazil, Cuba (567), and Puerto Rico visitors.

Furthermore, 91 locally acquired dengue cases were reported from ten counties in 2024, led by Miami-Dade (50).

While dengue preventive vaccines remain unavailable in the United States, FDH and the U.S. CDC encourage all visitors to dengue-endemic areas to avoid mosquito bites. This CDC advice is particularly relevant for pregnant women, as the dengue virus has been detected in unborn infants. 

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today announced a confirmed case of influenza A(H5N1) in a person in the West Midlands region of Enhland.

The person acquired the infection on a farm, where they had close and prolonged contact with many infected birds. The birds were infected with the DI.2 genotype, one of the viruses circulating in birds in the UK this season.

As of January 27, 2025, the individual was admitted to a High Consequence Infectious Disease unit.

Despite extensive recent surveillance, no human-to-human transmission has been demonstrated. Therefore, the UKHSA has been tracing all individuals in contact with the confirmed case of avian influenza. 

The first confirmed human case of A(H5N1) in England was in January 2022.

The UKHSA says the risk to the broader public remains very low in late January 2025.

In a press release, Minister for Public Health and Prevention Andrew Gwynne commented, "We recently added the H5 vaccine, which protects (people) against avian influenza, to our stockpile as part of our preparedness plans."

This person was infected with a different H5N1 strain circulating among mammals and birds in the United States.

The U.S. government has invested in avian influenza vaccines for people in the past few years.

The Florida Health Department recently confirmed a record number of Vibrio vulnificus (V. vibrio) cases and deaths in 2024. While infections are rare, this increase was related to hurricanes in the year's second half.

As of January 3, 2025, Florida reported 83 V. vibrio cases and 18 deaths last year. Pinellas County (Tampa Bay) led all counties with 15 cases and three deaths.

In 2023, there were 46 cases and 11 related deaths.

About 80,000 cases of vibriosis happen each year in the United States.

Vibrio is a naturally occurring bacterium in warm seawater. Brackish water is a mixture of salt and fresh water often found where rivers meet the ocean. People can get vibriosis after swallowing Vibrio or getting it in a wound.

Florida and the U.S. CDC recommend not to enter the salt water if you have fresh cuts or scrapes.

Furthermore, there are no protective V. vibrio vaccines available in 2025.

However, various travel vaccines are available to protect people when visiting Florida.