Vaccine News

The European Commission (EC), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a new financing partnership focused on eradicating polio and ensuring that innovations in health are more accessible to the people.

Confirmed on October 11, 2023, the expected $1.1 billion financing package aims to provide new funding to eradicate a human disease for only the second time in history: polio.

As implementing partners for the polio funding, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF will deploy the resources to eradicate polio, support the distribution of other childhood immunizations, and strengthen health systems to better respond to emerging health threats.

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), there are 35 countries with poliovirus detections, two polio-endemic endemic countries, and eight at-risk countries as of August 2023.

The total number of poliomyelitis samples collected in countries with poliovirus transmission was 12,259 from 40 countries in 2022, an increase from 36 countries in 2021.

These poliovirus detections included the southern part of New York.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen commented in a related press release, "We are about to wipe polio off the face of the Earth."

"The EC, the EIB and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are partnering to get through the final stretch."

"With 1 billion euros supported by our European investment strategy Global Gateway, we will invest in stronger health systems globally and local vaccine and medicines production, manufacturing and administration, where it is most needed."

According to the WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated Global Polio Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions Travel Health Notice, issued on September 11, 2023, polio outbreaks and poliovirus detections. are expected to continue.

The WHO confirmed on August 25, 2023, that the spread of poliovirus remained a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and extended the ongoing emergence for an additional three months.

There are several polio vaccines available worldwide in 2023. In the U.S., polio vaccines are generally available at health clinics and pharmacies.

Furthermore, the WHO and GPEI have led the distribution of about 750 million nOPV2 vaccines in Africa over the past few years.

New strategies to improve flu shot uptake were recently deployed during the recent pandemic in the United States.

Despite the clearly defined risks to children from influenza, pediatric flu shot rates have been suboptimal. 

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics evaluated the impact of an influenza vaccine mandate on schoolchildren's behavior in Massachusetts during the 2020–2021 flu season.

In August of 2020, Massachusetts mandated that all children aged six months and older attending daycare through college virtually or in person receive an influenza vaccine, allowing for certain exemptions.

However, Massachusetts's neighboring states of Maine and New Hampshire did not adopt similar mandates.

Published on October 10, 2023, this study found children, mean age of 9.7 years, had a higher predicted probability of receiving an influenza vaccine than those living in states without a mandate (47.7%, confidence interval 46.4%–49.0%, vs. 21.2%, confidence interval 18.8%–23.6%, respectively, for previous non-vaccinators.

And 78.2%, confidence interval 77.4%–79.0%, vs 58.2%, confidence interval 54.7%–61.7%, for previous vaccinators).

The difference was 6.5% greater among previous nonvaccinators (confidence interval 1.3%–11.7%).

Previously vaccinated children had a lower predicted probability of receiving an influenza vaccine if they lived in a county with the highest COVID-19 severity compared with a county with low COVID-19 severity (72.1%, confidence interval 70.5%–73.7%, vs 77.3%, confidence interval 74.7%–79.9%).

These researchers concluded that an influenza vaccine mandate appears to be an effective but insufficient strategy to achieve optimal vaccine coverage rates.

For the 2023-2024 flu season, over 116 million flu shots have been distributed throughout the U.S. About 173 million influenza vaccines were distributed in the U.S. during the 2022-2023 flu season.

Furthermore, the U.S. CDC recommends an annual flu shot for most people early in the evolving flu season. These vaccines are offered at most health clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

World Polio Day  is an opportunity to highlight efforts toward a polio-free world and honor the tireless contributions of those on the frontlines in the fight to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) confirmed World Polio Day is on October 24, 2023, and has launched a Make Polio History campaign to rally existing and new supporters of polio eradication..... through vaccination programs.

Over the past few years, the GPEI has led the deployment of the type 2 novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2), which is genetically more stable than existing oral polio vaccines, with a lower risk of reversion to neurovirulence.

Approximately 750 million nOPV2 doses have been administered in more than 35 countries worldwide.

Unfortunately, polio outbreaks have been confirmed in various countries in 2023, led by Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The World Health Organization confirmed on August 25, 2023, that the spread of poliovirus remained a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and extended the emergency notice for an additional three months.

"It's Time to Make Polio History,' says U.S. CDC Director Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, in a related video message posted on YouTube on October 4, 2023. "It won't be easy, but making history never is. We have the tools and knowledge to ensure no child is paralyzed by polio again."

In the United States, the IPV polio vaccine is offered at most health clinics and pharmacies.

While the United States community is debating where and when the 2023-2024 flu season will arrive, the Walgreens Flu Index® ranks the top markets and states for flu activity, including Puerto Rico.

As of September 30, 2023, cities in the southern U.S. led the Top 10 Designated Market Areas with Flu Activity.

1. Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, Texas
2. Puerto Rico (San Juan)
3. El Paso, Texas (Las Cruces, N.M.)
4. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
5. New Orleans, La.
6. Columbus-Tupelo-West Point-Houston, Miss.
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
8. Corpus Christi, Texas
9. Houston, Texas
10. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

From a more clinical perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today published its week #39 Influenza Surveillance Report.

As of October 6, 2023, seasonal flu rates last week were low nationally, with 444 (1%) positive specimens reported last week.

Additionally, 1,040 patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza were admitted to a hospital, an increased number since the previous CDC report.

And the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics mortality surveillance data distributed on October 5, 2023, confirmed that 11 additional influenza-related deaths were reported last week.

Of the flu-related deaths reported from October 2, 2022, to September 9, 2023, 9,697 (4%) listed influenza. 

This data exceeded the average number of influenza-coded deaths (8,530) from 2015-16 through 2019-20.

Among 5,390 hospitalized adults with information on underlying medical conditions, 96.8% had at least one reported underlying medical condition; the most commonly reported were hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorder, and obesity. 

The CDC's new Director, Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, recently answered questions and offered the most up-to-date information and common-sense solutions so you can protect yourself and your loved ones this respiratory season.

This week's updated flu shot availability news indicated that over 100 million influenza vaccines had been distributed to health clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

An independent committee of vaccine experts unanimously endorsed removing one influenza virus strain from future influenza vaccines.

On October 5, 2023, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted to eliminate the influenza B/Yamagata lineage viruses since it has not been detected for about three years.

The VRBPAC vote follows the World Health Organization's recent announcement that it endorsed eliminating the influenza B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage component from the 2024 Southern Hemisphere flu shot formulation.

Flu seasons in the Southern Hemisphere usually occur between April and September, while the Northern Hemisphere's is generally between October and May.

This change should not impact the effectiveness of flu shots.

A recent U.S. CDC report found the adjusted vaccine effectiveness against severe acute respiratory infection hospitalization associated with any influenza virus during the 2023 Southern Hemisphere flu season was 51.9% (95% Confidence Interval 39.2%–62.0%).

For the 2023-2024 flu season in the U.S., there should be ample supply of vaccines at health clinics and pharmacies. According to a report by the Global Healthy Living Foundation and IQVIA, about 60% of vaccinations during the 2022 flu season took place at pharmacies in the U.S.

Vaccine manufacturers have projected to supply as many as 156.2 million to 170 million doses of influenza vaccines for the 2023-2024 season.

As of September 23, 2023, the CDC says about 100 million doses had been distributed in the U.S. All influenza vaccines are quadrivalent for this flu season, such as FLUMIST® and FLUCELVAX®.

While there is currently no cure for cat allergy, a prevalent, life-long condition, an innovative therapeutic vaccine for humans has begun clinical trials.

Angany Inc. today announced that it has received clearance from U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for the first clinical study to be conducted on its vaccine candidate ANG-101 to treat human allergy to cats.

ANG-101 is a therapeutic vaccine that provides a disruptive disease-modifying approach for treating cat allergy.

Derived from its proprietary eBioparticle-Potentiated Immunotherapy™ technology, ANG-101 active immunotherapeutic ingredient is a unique 140 nm enveloped bioparticle (eBioparticle™) that mimics a virus in shape and size with its surface covered with thousands of copies of cat major allergen Fel d 1.

This clinical study is a first-in-human, open-label, and single-site evaluation of the new vaccine's safety, allergenicity, and immunogenicity in adult patients allergic to cat dander.

This early-stage clinical trial will be conducted under the guidance of Professor Stephen Durham and Dr Guy Scadding, two leading clinical allergy experts from Imperial College London.

Professor Durham commented in a press release on October 5, 2023, "The potential treatment of cat allergy using an auto-adjuvanted vector builds upon its known ability to induce strong allergen-specific IgG antibody responses, as observed in animal models."

Unlike prophylactic vaccines, Angany’s therapeutic vaccines are a new generation of immunotherapy biologics used to treat established pathologies.

They are meant to restore or boost natural immune mechanisms and create sustainable immune protection and vigilance.

Human allergies to cats and dogs affect 10 to 20% of the world’s population, says the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

When you have a pet allergy, you are not allergic to the pet’s hair, fur, or feathers but to the protein found in the pet’s dander, saliva, and urine.

Across both prepandemic and pandemic years, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreaks in the United States began in Florida, the southeast, and later in the north and west regions. 

Florida's RSV season is longer than the rest of the U.S. and has distinct regional patterns, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Florida Department of Health reported as of week #39, September 30, 2023, RSV activity was increasing with higher test positivity, hospital admissions, and emergency room rates, with three previous outbreaks but no current RSV outbreak. 

Furthermore, NREVSS data show Florida's PCR positivity 3-week moving average was about 7.7% as of September 28, 2023.

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) Influenza Update N° 454 indicates RSV activity was found to be generally low, except in some parts of Western Australia and some Central and temperate South American countries.

Additional WHO and CDC RSV outbreak data are posted at Precision Vaccinations.

As of October 4, 2023, RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies are available in the U.S.