Vaccine News

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced today that the CHP has recorded a total of 76 confirmed Chikungunya fever (CF) cases this year.

As of December 2, 2025, seven CF cases were local, and the rest were imported. Furthermore, the risk of imported cases persists.

Recently, the CHP also informed approximately 130 primary care doctors in Kwai Tsing District, located north west of Hong Kong, urging them to closely monitor patients with compatible symptoms and arrange blood tests for those concerned. The CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch will provide free virus testing services.

The CHP's media statement confirmed all relevant departments have comprehensively enhanced the mosquito control operations in Hong Kong since July 2025, and this has continued.

Controlling this mosquito-transmitted disease is essential as the symptoms are generally self-limiting and last for a few days, while in some cases, joint pain may persist for several months or even years. Severe symptoms and deaths from Chikungunya are rare and usually related to other coexisting health problems.

Although the northern hemisphere has entered the winter, temperatures in subtropical and some temperate regions remain elevated due to climate change, creating favourable conditions for mosquito breeding and the transmission of viruses, such as Chikungunya.

In addition, CF outbreaks continue to occur in many countries worldwide.

Since the beginning of 2025, and as of September 30, a total of 445,271 suspected and confirmed CF cases and 155 CF-related deaths have been reported in 40 countries/territories. Cases have been reported in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

To alert international travelers departing from the United States, the US CDC has published Level 2 - Practice Enhanced Precautions, Travel Health Advisories for countries in the Indian Ocean and Cuba.

In Florida, over 60 Chikungunya cases have been associated with visitors from Cuba.

The CDC advises travelers to consult a travel vaccine expert about Chikungunya immunization options before visiting these countries in 2025.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Jamaica's Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, CD MP, noted that while the Caribbean island country has managed the recent Leptospirosis outbreak following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, there is no great risk to tourists coming to Jamaica.'

According to the Minister on November 28, 2025, "We have discerned no great risk as it relates to facilities that cater to tourists, including hotels and attractions. There is a certification process that is required for these facilities, and this is done collaboratively with the local health and tourism authorities."

"We are not giving an advisory to discourage visitors, but to alert the vulnerable communities, which have been identified."

Jamacia reported that between October 30 and November 20, 2025, a total of 9 confirmed and 28 suspected cases of leptospirosis were reported in eight parishes, including St. Ann, St. Mary, St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, St. Catherine, and Trelawny.

According to the U.S. CDC, Leptospirosis is a disease caused by the bacterium Leptospira and can be transmitted through contaminated water or soil. Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, trouble breathing, and even death.

Leptospirosis is found worldwide, including throughout the United States. About 1 million cases occur globally each year, with nearly 60,000 deaths.

As of December 2, 2025, the CDC has not issued a Travel Health Notice regarding this outbreak in Jamaica, and reports that no preventive vaccines are currently available for this disease.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the appointment of Martin Kulldorff, Ph.D., as chief science officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the HHS's in-house think tank, providing policy advice to the Secretary.

Kulldorff is a biostatistician and epidemiologist with more than 200 peer-reviewed publications.

"Martin Kulldorff transformed ACIP from a rubber stamp into a committee that delivers gold-standard science for the American people," HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a press release on December 1, 2025.

He recently chaired the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and previously taught at Harvard Medical School.

Before his leadership on ACIP, Kulldorff helped build the CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine and drug safety surveillance systems by developing new statistical and epidemiological methods for the Vaccine Safety Datalink and Sentinel systems. He served on the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee and on the ACIP COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical Work Group.

The ACIP committee is scheduled to meet for two days later this week under new leadership. The agenda for Thursday's meeting focuses on the Hepatitis B vaccine.

Over the last few decades, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued recommendations on vaccine use for the civilian population of the United States.

According to the draft agenda for the ACIP meeting posted on December 1, 2025, this Thursday's topics will include updates from the CDC, specifically regarding the Hepatitis B vaccine.

The ACIP includes up to 19 voting members who make vaccine recommendations selected by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The CDC says, 'The best way to prevent hepatitis B is by getting vaccinated.'

Then, on December 5, 2025, presentations of the ACIP Workgroups, CDC Vaccine Risk Monitoring Evaluation, Vaccine Schedule History, Childhood/Adolescent Immunization Schedule Discussion and Considerations.

Previous ACIP meeting agendas and presentations are posted on this CDC webpage.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a Travel Health Notice regarding the expanding health risk of contracting the rabies virus when visiting India. And the CDC reaffirmed the risk of fake rabies vaccinations.

On November 25, 2025, the CDC posted a Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions notice stating a case of Rabies had been reported in the U.S. in a traveler from India. Travelers potentially exposed to Rabies in India should immediately seek local medical care.

This advice is essential as Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. Last year, India's National Centre for Disease Control recorded 54 suspected rabies deaths.

The CDC says upon returning home, travelers should follow up with their health care provider as soon as possible. And in the USA, infected bats are the leading source of infection in people.

To prevent contracting rabies, travelers to India should avoid all contact with dogs, cats, and other wild mammals.

And consider getting vaccinated against Rabies before traveling abroad.

In the United States, rabies vaccines are available at pharmacies and travel clinics.

In India, the circulation of counterfeit ABHAYRAB human rabies vaccine has recently been reported in major cities. Counterfeit vaccines may not be effective in the prevention of Rabies and could contain harmful ingredients, says the CDC.

Launched in early November 2025, the Walgreens Acute Respiratory Index (ARI) for 2025-2026 tracks influenza and COVID-19 hotspots using prescription, testing, and over-the-counter product purchase data from its locations nationwide.

As of November 22, 2025, the District of Columbia, New York, Texas, and Michigan lead Walgreens' ARI index.

Nationwide, the overall ARI score was 2.5 out of 5.0.

Walgreens' unique digital tool offers a more comprehensive view of respiratory illness trends across the U.S., enabling the public, healthcare providers, and health officials to make more informed decisions throughout the respiratory virus season.

Rick Gates, Walgreens' chief pharmacy officer, commented in a press release, "Vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to prevent highly contagious illnesses like flu, RSV, and COVID-19."

Previously, the U.S. CDC FluView for Week 47 will be posted on November 21, 2025, stating 'seasonal influenza activity in the United States remains low nationally but is increasing.'

Various flu shots are offered throughout the influenza season at most community pharmacies.

The Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) recently confirmed the death of an older adult from Grays Harbor County related to a specific type of 'bird flu.' The individual had underlying health conditions and was receiving treatment for an infection of the H5N5 avian influenza virus.

This report from WDOH, issued on November 21, 2025, marks the first human case of avian influenza A (H5N5) reported worldwide.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson stated in a Facebook post, "My condolences to this individual's family and loved ones. Thank you to the dedicated medical professionals who cared for them, and to the public health experts working to monitor the situation and educate the public."

This person had a backyard flock of mixed domestic birds. DOH sampling identified avian influenza virus in the environment of the flock, making exposure to the domestic poultry, their environment, or wild birds the most likely source of exposure for this patient. People who had exposure to the backyard flock and its environment are also being monitored by local health authorities for symptoms.

The WDOG says the risk to the public remains low as no other people involved have tested positive for avian influenza.

Public health officials will continue to monitor anyone who was in close contact with the patient for symptoms to ensure that human-to-human spread has not occurred. There is no evidence of transmission of this virus between people.

From a prevention perspective, at least 20 H5 influenza vaccines are licensed worldwide.

As of November 25, 2025, U.S. FDA-approved avian influenza vaccines are not commercially available in the USA.