Travel Vaccine Breaking News

In Europe, the mosquito vector Aedes albopictus, established in many parts of Europe for years, transmits both chikungunya and dengue viruses.

Recently, France's Public Health Ministry stated that detecting additional dengue and chikungunya cases in 2024 has prompted epidemiological and entomological investigations.

As reported on October 9, 2024, the majority of locally-acquired and travel-related cases have been detected in southern France.

From January to April 30, 2024, 2,271 travel-related dengue fever cases and six imported chikungunya cases were reported.

From May 2024 to October 8, 2024, 1,634 imported cases of dengue fever, including 1,468 in departments where the establishment of Aedes albopictus has been documented, and 16 imported cases of chikungunya.

Overall, France reported 78 locally acquired dengue cases in 2024. In 2023, France reported nine outbreaks of dengue involving 45 cases of autochthonous human dengue virus infections.

In the past, local dengue outbreaks have been reported in Italy, Spain, and Croatia.

As of October 15, 2024, the U.S. CDC says chikungunya and dengue are a year-round risk in many parts of the world, and international travelers should take action to prevent infections. The CDC has identified more than expected mosquito-transmitted cases among U.S. travelers returning from various countries.

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is one of two countries left in the world where poliovirus continues to threaten the health and well-being of its 250 million residents.

According to the weekly report published by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Pakistan confirmed four new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases. WPV1 is the only circulating wild poliovirus serotype.

The latest instances of paralysis were in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh provinces.

Furthermore, 50 WPV1-positive environmental samples were recently confirmed from Balochistan, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.

As of October 14, 2024, Pakistan has reported 28 cases of WPV1 this year.

Since 1994, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program has been fighting to end poliovirus infections. Through its efforts, case numbers in Pakistan have declined by up to 99% from the 20,000 cases reported in the early 1990s.

Unfortunately, the WHO reconfirmed in August 2024 that the spread of the poliovirus remained a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The U.S. CDC reported in September 2024 that routine immunization coverage with oral polio vaccines (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in Pakistan has improved in recent years, as IPV protects against paralysis.

However, because it is an inactivated vaccine that does not replicate in the intestinal tract, as does OPV, it does not prevent the spread of poliovirus.

This could partly explain the relatively low number of WPV1 cases reported in the context of widespread WPV1 circulation as evidenced by environmental surveillance.

However, one-half of all WPV1 patients had never received OPV through routine immunization, indicating population immunity gaps. Whenever feasible, vaccination activities need to be synchronized with those of neighboring Afghanistan, says the CDC.

In Africa and Asia, the nOPV2 vaccine has been offered in 2024.

In the United States, the IPV has been offered since 2000, and booster doses are recommended for certain international travelers in 2024.

In early October 2024, the Republic of Rwanda began vaccinating frontline health workers in a Phase 2 rapid response open-label clinical trial to combat the reaction to the ongoing Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak, which has already claimed 14 lives.

Sabin Vaccine Institute’s single-dose Marburg vaccine candidate was selected to be administered in accordance with the clinical protocol reviewed and approved by Rwandan ethics and regulatory authorities. However, this is not a U.S. FDA-approved vaccine.

As of October 12, 2024, Sabin announced it had delivered approximately 1,700 investigational vaccine doses to Rwanda. 

“In an outbreak, every moment counts, and our seamless collaboration with the Rwandan government was key to accelerating the process. On our side, we moved quickly by leveraging our experience with other outbreaks and having vaccine doses and supporting documents ready, thanks to a strong partnership with ReiThera,” says Sabin's CEO Amy Finan in a press release.

Sabin has extensive expertise in advancing vaccines for filoviruses, with two programs currently in Phase 2 clinical trials—one for Marburg and the other for Sudan ebolavirus.

The U.S. government has obligated $235 million to Sabin to advance vaccine research and development against Sudan ebolavirus and MVD.

As of October 13, 2024, other MVD vaccine candidates are conducting clinical research.

Previously, the U.S. CDC announced that people should reconsider nonessential travel to the Republic of Rwanda and that those who arrive in the U.S. may be screened for the virus at certain airports.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection rapidly emerging as a pandemic-prone viral disease across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the incidence of dengue has increased 30-fold over the last 50 years, especially during rainy seasons.

In 2023, over 500,000 dengue cases and 750 deaths were reported from eight countries/territories/areas in the WHO Western Pacific Region, which includes Vietnam.

The WHO reported on October 3, 2024, Vietnam confirmed 76,838 dengue cases, including 12 deaths this year.

According to local news published on September 21, 2024, Vietnam launched its dengue vaccination program in mid-September 2024.

In a media article, Dr. Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of VNVC Vaccination System, said that the Ministry of Health approved Takeda's QDENGA dengue vaccine in May 2024 for children from 4 years old and adults.

'The vaccine is particularly effective in preventing reinfection in individuals who have previously contracted dengue fever, which is crucial for Vietnam due to the high prevalence of such cases. Subsequent infections are often more severe than initial ones. Therefore, timely vaccination is essential for safeguarding patients' health and lives.'

This second-generation dengue vaccine will help Vietnam reduce the disease burden and minimize the number of hospitalizations.

Takeda's dengue vaccine is offered in about 40 countries in 2024.

Orlance, Inc. today announced it was awarded the National Institutions of Health (NIH) Fast Track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop an Enhanced Seasonal Influenza Vaccine.

This vaccine is intended to provide better protection against disease even in years when predicted vs. actual circulating strains are highly mismatched.

The award includes $300,000 for Phase 1, with the total funding for the Phase 1 and 2 combined program amounting to $3.3 million.

This Fast Track SBIR grant will enable Orlance to leverage its innovative MACH-1 powdered vaccine and immunotherapy platform to address seasonally changing and highly conserved influenza immunogens in ways that are impossible with other platforms.

Specifically, this program builds upon Orlance's universal influenza vaccine, which targets conserved antigens consistent across multiple virus lineages and adds seasonally changing influenza antigens to maximize protection.

The MACH-1 platform is a high-performance microparticle 'gene gun' technology that efficiently and uniquely delivers DNA or RNA vaccine-coated microparticles directly into cells in the uppermost layer of the skin.

MACH-1 delivery harnesses this environment and the natural machinery of its immune cells to deliver DNA and RNA vaccines encoding proteins that trigger potent immunity, including antibodies to block an infection and T cells that can eliminate infected cells.

Unlike currently licensed mRNA vaccines, MACH-1-delivered vaccines are stable at room temperature, painless, and needle-free. Orlance MACH-1 vaccines also trigger protective immunity levels with the smallest doses achieved within the field.

"NIH's continued funding support of the MACH-1 platform, including this enhanced seasonal influenza vaccine, reinforces the potential impact and significant step forward MACH-1 can bring to vaccine technology," adds Kristyn Aalto, Orlance CEO, in a press release on October 10, 2024.

This award brings Orlance's SBIR funding to $16.8M for next-generation generation DNA and RNA vaccines and therapeutics.

The U.S. FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research is conducting the 187th meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) today.

This committee of vaccine experts will discuss the strain selection for Influenza Virus Vaccines for the 2025 Southern Hemisphere flu season on October 10, 2024. Each year, the VRBPAC discusses how the influenza virus is evolving and if it impacts exciting flu shot efficacy.

On October 3, 2024, the U.S. CDC reported that five Southern Hemisphere countries reported flu shots were about 35% effective during the last flu season.

Previously, on September 27, 2024, the World Health Organization announced its recommendations for the viral composition of influenza vaccines for the 2025 influenza season in the Southern Hemisphere.

Another presentation on the agenda is the 'Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5Nx) Virus Surveillance and Characterization' in the U.S. and globally, and review recommendations for candidate vaccine virus development.

Over the past few months, the U.S. government has substantially invested in developing preventive vaccines for a potential avian influenza pandemic.

Instructions on listening to this VRBPAC meeting are found at this FDA link.

Novavax, Inc. today announced that the European Commission granted Marketing Authorization for Novavax's updated 2024-2025 Nuvaxovid™ COVID-19 Vaccine for use in individuals aged 12 and older to prevent COVID-19 in the European Union.

As of October 9, 2024, Novavax's vaccine is in line with guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization to target the SARS-CoV-2 virus JN.1 lineage during the fall of 2024.

In the U.S., Novavax is the only protein-based vaccine available in pharmacies such as CVS Pharmacy, Giant, Publix, and Rite Aid.