Travel Vaccine Breaking News

The Houston Health Department (HHD) recently announced two measles cases associated with international travel. Both adults reside in the same Houston, Texas household and have unknown vaccination statuses.

HHD stated these are the first reported measles cases in Houston since 2018.

Texas experienced a travel-related measles outbreak in 2019, which led to 23 cases.

Measles was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000. However, as of late December 2024, 32 U.S. jurisdictions, led by Illinois and Minnesota, had reported 284 cases, many of which were travel-related.

Internationally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a global Watch-Level 1 Travel Health Notice identifying measles outbreaks in 59 countries last year.

As of January 19, 2025, HHD and the CDC say the most effective way to prevent measles virus infections is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Measles vaccination services are offered at most travel clinics and pharmacies. 

Despite spending $4 billion annually, the number of malaria cases and deaths has not significantly changed over the past decade, especially in Africa. Last year, the WHO's African Region reported the broadest malaria outbreak burden.

Based on today's U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Advisory, health agencies are not optimistic about seeing any improvement in this trend by 2025.

Today, the CDC confirmed an ongoing malaria outbreak in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, affecting all 14 country regions. More than 8.4 million malaria cases were reported, the highest number of cases ever reported within a year.

To bolster Ethiopia’s fight against malaria, the United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, donated 175 computer terminals to the Ethiopian Public Health Institute on January 15, 2025.

Additional U.S. support includes over $27.5 million of antiretroviral supplies, early infant diagnostics, quality assessment panels, lab equipment, and more.

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that spreads to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, commonly found in Africa.

If you plan to travel to Ethiopia in 2025, the CDC recommends speaking with a travel health expert about which antimalarial drug is best for you. And seek medical care immediately if you develop fever, chills, sweats, headache, vomiting, or body aches during or after travel to Ethiopia. 

In 2024, numerous international travelers brought malaria back with them.

As of the week ending November 23, 2024, the CDC confirmed 1,772 malaria cases, mostly among international travelers arriving in New York City (232), Texas, Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. 

While malaria vaccines are available in Africa, they are not FDA-approved in the U.S. and remain unavailable in the U.S.

Furthermore, innovative vaccine candidates, such as the RH5.1/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, are proceeding in late-stage clinical trials. Developed at the University of Oxford, this vaccine targets blood-stage malaria, unlike previously approved vaccines that target the pre-erythrocyte stage. 

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Government of Argentina, and others today announced a joint effort to facilitate local production and regional access to the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20).

This vaccine is expected to further protect against severe diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumonia  (pneumococcus), responsible for pneumonia, meningitis, and other serious infections, including those linked to antibiotic-resistant strains.

In 2021, 3,345 children under the age of 5 died due to pneumonia and meningitis caused by pneumococcus in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Through this initiative, not only will Argentina benefit from local production of the PCV20 (PREVNAR 20®), but countries across the Region of the Americas will be able to access vaccine doses through PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds, ensuring more rapid vaccine rollout at competitive prices.

The PCV20 vaccine will be available in Latin America and the Caribbean starting in early 2025. The first doses produced in Argentina are estimated to be available by 2026.

“PAHO is committed to boosting regional production of sustainable, innovative technologies by strengthening existing capacities and our regional purchasing mechanism, the Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines,” said PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa in a press release on January 15, 2025.

“This collaboration reflects our dedication to ensuring equitable access to safe, effective vaccines that prevent severe diseases and save lives,” he added.

According to media reports, the Republic of Cyprus cruise ship arrivals at the port of Limassol for 2024 were not fully realized due to the current geopolitical situation.

CBN reported last year that the management company of the passenger terminal at the port of Limassol, the principal seaport of the island, emphasized that it remains optimistic about a strong recovery in 2025 and 2026 in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Similar to this optimism, the U.S. Department of State updated its Travel Advisory for Cyprus, remaining at Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions as of January 13, 2025.

However, when visiting Cyprus, do not attempt to enter the United Nations buffer zone at any place other than a designated crossing point. The U.S. Embassy in Nicosia can only assist U.S. citizens in this area to a limited extent.

If you travel to Cyprus, the State Department suggests enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive security messages and to help locate you in an emergency.

Since 1974, the southern part of Cyprus has been controlled by the internationally recognized Government of the Republic of Cyprus. The northern part of Cyprus proclaimed itself the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” in 1983.

From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC says visitors should be aware of current health issues in Cyprus, such as measles.

And speak with a vaccine expert at least one month before departure to discuss travel vaccine options.

Quebec's Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs recently advised the public that a raccoon infected with the rabies virus was found dead in Saint-Armand, in the Estrie region, on December 17, 2024.

As of January 15, 2025, this is the first case of raccoon rabies in Québec since 2015.

The animal was found about 1.4 kilometers from where a case had been discovered near the Québec border, in the municipality of Highgate, Vermont.

In a media release, the government stated that 'it should be noted that over the past year, several cases of raccoon rabies have been identified in northern Vermont.

The evolution of the situation is being closely monitored by the Gouvernement du Québec, which continues its close cooperation with American authorities to optimize control and surveillance efforts on both sides of the border. 

Raccoon, skunk, and fox vaccination interventions are planned for 2025. An analysis is underway to determine the best intervention strategy, which will be tailored to the situation. 

In the United States, most rabies infections are related to infected bat bites.

In December 2024, the Kentucky and California health departments reported people had died after being infected with the rabies virus.

Furthermore, rabies vaccines for people are offered at various clinics and travel pharmacies in 2025.

Today, Micron Biomedical announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded the company $2 million to continue its work on broadly protecting avian and seasonal flu vaccines.

The company won the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Patch Forward competition. The $2 million award will advance Micron’s work to co-develop needle-free versions of broadly protecting influenza vaccines with Zipcode Bio, a biotechnology company focusing on next-generation RNA medicines.

“Making all vaccines, including influenza vaccines, more broadly protecting and more accessible has the potential to save lives globally, and we are thrilled to be recognized by the HHS, BARDA, as one of the most important vaccine innovations rethinking how vaccines will be administered,” said Steven Damon, CEO of Micron Biomedical, in a press release on January 14, 2025.

“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Zipcode Bio and accelerate efforts to make the dream of needle-free, broadly protecting influenza vaccines a reality.”

Micron’s technology uses a dissolvable microarray “button” applied to the skin. The button painlessly delivers a vaccine or therapeutic directly into the uppermost dermal layers when pushed. The button can be self-administered or administered by a caregiver or parent. 

Micron previously announced that it had received a $7.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for a total of $43 million in support from the organization.

Over the past decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Academy of Sciences have written, A future influenza pandemic is inevitable.... are we ready?

From January 2003 to November 2023, the WHO reported 246 cases of human infection with the avian influenza A(H5N1) virus from four WHO Western Pacific Region countries. Of these, 138 were fatal, resulting in a case fatality rate (CFR) of 56%.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Agriculture, mammalian infections with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus will be a global concern in 2025.

As of early 2025, the U.S. government has invested in developing avian influenza vaccine candidates.

The Walgreens Flu Index® recently highlighted the top 10 areas in the United States with influenza activity.

As of January 4, 2025, the cities were primarily located in the south-central U.S.

1. Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas,
2. Knoxville, Tenn.,
3. Montgomery-Selma, Ala.
4. New Orleans, La.,
5. Jackson, Miss.,
6. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas,
7. Huntsville-Decatur (Florence), Ala.,
8. Nashville, Tenn.,
9. Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa), Ala.
10. El Paso, Texas (Las Cruces).

The Walgreens Flu Index provides state—and market-specific information regarding flu activity. It is compiled using retail prescription data for antiviral medications used to treat influenza at Walgreens's thousands of pharmacies nationwide, including Puerto Rico.

The Flu Index is not intended to illustrate flu activity levels or severity, but it complements the weekly data posted by the U.S. CDC. It is an interactive tool that allows users to search by market or state to see where their geographic area ranks for flu activity in any given week. 

In 2024, over 92 million flu shots were distributed in the U.S. As of January 13, 2025, various vaccine types remain available at most community pharmacies. They are recommended for most children and adults, and booster doses are often suggested for certain people.