Vaccine News

In 2025, the United States reached an unfortunate milestone with a record number of measles cases, leading many patients to look for medication.

According to a press release issued today by NanoViricides, Inc., the company has made significant progress in developing a drug to combat measles.

On July 21, 2025, NanoViricides stated NV-387 showed strong antiviral effectiveness against the measles virus.

"NV-387 is on its way to become the very first drug to treat Measles," commented Anil R. Diwan, PhD, adding, "Measles cases are skyrocketing globally, and the world needs a drug."

NV-387 is a clinical-stage, broad-spectrum antiviral drug designed to act as a decoy for a cell, presenting to the virus the very features it requires for binding to the cell. Upon binding, the virus particle is destroyed, preventing infection.

While most measles cases can be prevented through vaccination, the percentage of the population that would not benefit from vaccination continues to increase due to chronic diseases and immunological deficiencies.

Thus, a treatment for measles is of paramount importance to the global health community.

The United States is currently in the midst of the annual tick season; however, new data indicate fewer tick bites than in most seasons.

This data is very positive as it indicates the number of Lyme Disease cases in the U.S. will be reduced.

As of July 21, 2025, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a decreasing tick-bite trend when compared to the previous year.

While there are nearly 900 species of ticks globally, only a handful pose a significant risk to humans, such as those that cause Lyme Disease.

However, since 1995, the range of Lyme disease cases has expanded significantly, migrating from Lyme, Connecticut, decades ago, now reaching into the upper Midwest, such as Michigan, which reported 1,215 cases in 2024.

From a disease prevention perspective, without an approved vaccine, the best tactic is to take precautions to avoid being bitten by ticks when outdoors in 2025.

The Republic of Mauritius today announced its adoption of an innovative strategy to combat mosquito-borne diseases through the implementation of the Sterile Insect Technique.

This method involves releasing sterilised male mosquitoes into the wild to mate with females, thereby reducing the mosquito population and containing the spread of diseases such as Chikungunya and Dengue.

This program is essential as the island of Mauritius has already reported over 1,500 Chikungunya cases in 2025.

Furthermore, France's neighboring departments reported a surge in Chikungunya cases in the Indian Ocean, east of Africa.

In a statement published on July 18, 2025, the Minister highlighted that the Sterile Insect Technique has proven effective during a pilot phase and is safer than traditional methods such as larviciding and fogging, which rely on chemical insecticides.

He noted that while current cases of mosquito-borne diseases remain low—around 40 cases of Chikungunya and none of Dengue—now is the time to prepare for the high-risk summer season.

The Sterile Insect Technique has been implemented over the past two to three years and has resulted in a 70% reduction in the mosquito population across a 20-hectare area in Port Louis.

While there is no specific treatment for Chikungunya infections, two vaccines are currently available in various countries, including the United States.

In 2025, the Americas Region reported over 7,100 measles cases, including 13 deaths, according to data recently published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The Plurinational State of Bolivia has already reported 60 cases of measles this year.

Of the total confirmed cases, 95% have been in the department of Santa Cruz, distributed in 10 municipalities.

According to the PAHO information available in July 2025, from confirmed cases, the age group with the highest proportion of cases corresponds to the 10-19 years old group (24%),

In response to this outbreak, Bolivia has declared a National Health Emergency.

To help reduce this measles outbreak, ANI reported on July 17, 2025, that India has supplied 300,000 MR vaccines to Bolivia.

"India stands by its friends in the Global South," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.

To alert international travelers, the U.S. CDC included in its Global Measles Travel Health Advisory issued on May 28, 2025.

The CDC recommends that anyone visiting Bolivia in 2025 be fully protected from the highly contagious measles virus.

Additionally, Bolivia is included in the CDC's Chikungunya and Yellow Fever outbreak alerts.

The Pacific Community has recently reported that mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, are rising sharply throughout the various island nations in the Western Pacific Region.

As of July 16, 2025, the SPC reported American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu had confirmed dengue cases in 2025.

Of note, the American Samoa Department of Health declared the dengue outbreak in the country a public health emergency as of early July. A red alert for DENV-1 and DENV-2 serotypes has been added.

To alert international travelers of this serious health risk, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reissued its Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Advisory on July 17, 2025.

For 16 countries, the CDC recommends that travelers visiting dengue outbreaks should prevent mosquito bites by using an EPA-registered insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors, and sleeping in an air-conditioned room or a room with window screens.

While many of these countries offer access to dengue vaccines, the United States does not, except for children in Puerto Rico, where dengue has become endemic.

During the summer of 2025, the global Chikungunya outbreak continues to expand, with reported travel-related cases on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China.

China's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced today that an outbreak of the mosquito-transmitted Chikungunya fever (CF) has occurred in Shunde, Guangdong, which began in July 2025 and was triggered by imported cases.

As of July 15, 2025, a total of 478 confirmed cases have been reported, all of which exhibited mild symptoms.

According to the information provided by Guangdong Province, the current CF outbreak mainly occurred in the towns of Lecong, Beijiao, and Chencun in Shunde, which are not popular tourist destinations for Hong Kong citizens.

While no confirmed cases of CF have been reported in Hong Kong so far this year, the risk of imported cases has increased due to frequent travel between Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a favorite destination for international travelers, welcoming over 40 million visitors in 2024. 

Between 2016 and 2019, the number of imported CF cases recorded in Hong Kong ranged from one to 11 each year. There have been no CF cases in Hong Kong since 2020.

The CHP is closely monitoring the trend of CF in neighboring areas. 

Off China's east coast, Taiwan has reported Chikungunya cases in 2025.

As of July 16, 2025, Chikungunya vaccines were unavailable in China; however, they have become commercially available in various countries, such as the United States. Since Chikungunya is a vaccine-preventable disease, health agencies recommend vaccination before visiting Chikungunya outbreaks.

As the prolonged civil unrest continues to challenge the government of Haiti, the western part of the island of Hispaniola remains at risk for international visitors.

Haiti has been under a State of Emergency since March 2024.

According to the U.S. Department of State's updated Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory, as of July 15, 2025, civil unrest continues, and access to healthcare services in Haiti remains very limited for both residents and visitors.

Furthermore, the U.S. government has limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Haiti. Local police and first responders often lack sufficient resources.

U.S. government employees working in Haiti must obtain special permission to travel outside the embassy compound due to security risks, and Embassy personnel are prohibited from traveling on foot in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Additionally, do not cross the land border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as the roads from major Haitian cities to the border pose significant dangers. 

In addition to the U.S., the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has issued similar advice for Haiti in 2025. If you choose to travel, obtain appropriate travel insurance that covers your itinerary, planned activities, and expenses in the event of an emergency.

From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC recommends that international travelers planning to visit Haiti speak with a travel vaccine consultant at least one month before departure to obtain the necessary vaccinations and medical supplies.

The CDC highlights travel vaccines, including those for chikungunya, cholera, and rabies, before visiting Haiti.