Vaccine News

According to the World Health Organization, the Republic of Yemen, a country with 34 million residents located in southern Arabia, has reported the highest burden of cholera this year.

As of December 2024, Yemen had reported 249,900 suspected cases of cholera, with 861 associated fatalities this year, accounting for 35% of the global cholera burden and 18% of global reported mortality.

"The outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera and acute watery diarrhea imposes an additional burden on an already stressed health system facing multiple disease outbreaks. The WHO and humanitarian actors are strained in their efforts to address the increasing needs due to severe funding shortages," said WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Yemen, Dr Arturo Pesigan, in a media release on December 23, 2024.

Oral cholera vaccination campaigns have protected 3.2 million people in 34 districts of 6 governorates in Yemen.

As of December 18, 2024, the WHO reported that the multi-year cholera vaccine shortage may end.

Cholera vaccines are available in the United States at travel clinics and pharmacies. They are also recommended by the WHO / U.S. CDC for international travelers when visiting cholera outbreak areas.

The CDC also recommends measles, polio, and routine vaccinations before visiting Yemen, 

As of December 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of State maintains a Level 4 Travel Advisory for Yemen that says 'do not travel' to Yemen due to civil unrest.

In the Region of the Americas, the Republic of Haiti has reported active cholera transmission is widespread. The CDC says visitors should avoid unsafe food and water and wash their hands to help prevent cholera. Vaccination may be considered for children and adults traveling to areas of active cholera transmission, such as Port-au-Prince.

The U.S. Department of State updated its travel advisory to Level 3 for the Republic of Vanuatu, a nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Australia comprising roughly 80 islands.

The advisory was updated due to infrastructure damage from a recent earthquake. Numerous buildings in Vanuatu sustained severe damage, and curfews are in effect in some areas.

On December 20, 204, U.S. citizens were advised to reconsider travel. The government's ability to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Vanuatu was limited, and departure options were disrupted.

The nearest U.S. Embassy is in Harbour City Road, Konedobu, Port Moresby, NCD, 121, Papua New Guinea.

Regarding departure options, Port Vila's Bauerfield Airport is reopening on December 22, 2024. Therefore, visitors should contact their airlines to confirm travel plans.

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive Alerts and make locating you in an emergency easier.

And from a health perspective, the U'S. U'S writes, 'Ensure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. And some travel vaccines may be needed to protect visitors from chikungunya and dengue. These vaccines are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in 2024.

With over 1.1. billion doses already delivered, the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) recently honored the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) development consortium with its 2024 Innovating for Impact Award.

The GHTC awards, issued annually in December, recognize multisectoral partnerships and policymakers helping to transform breakthrough scientific research into lifesaving drugs, diagnostics, vaccines, and other health tools for unmet global health challenges.

Dr. Ananda Bandyopadhyay, Deputy Director of Technology, Research, and Analytics, Polio Team, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, commented in an announcement, "The fight against polio has always been a story of partnerships…So many countries, partners, and people came together to develop this vaccine. This nOPV2 journey is an example of pushing the boundaries of innovation and doing it as a global team."

nOPV2 is derived from the live, infectious virus and has been 'triple-locked' using genetic engineering to prevent it from producing mutations and causing paralysis. As a result, nOPV2 is reported to be more genetically stable than previous oral polio vaccines.

The WHO's SAGE recently recommended that, where feasible, the concomitant use of Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and nOPV2 be used for initial poliovirus outbreak response vaccination campaigns.

The IPV has been offered in the U.S. since 2000, while the nOPV2 has been provided in Africa in 2024.

Polio is a very contagious infectious disease that can lead to permanent paralysis. Worldwide polio cases have dropped by 99% since 1988 thanks to global vaccination efforts.

After 42 days without detecting a new case, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda had ended.

The outbreak, confirmed in late September 2024, was the first Marburg Virus Disease outbreak Rwanda has experienced. A total of 66 confirmed cases and 15 deaths (23%) were recorded. Almost 80% of the cases were among infected health workers while providing clinical care to their colleagues and other patients.

"The robust response by Rwanda shows how committed leadership, concerted efforts by partners, and a strong health system are crucial in addressing public health emergencies, saving and protecting lives, as well as safeguarding the health of individuals and communities," said Dr. Brian Chirombo, WHO Representative in Rwanda, in a media release issued on On December 20, 2024.

The virus which causes Marburg is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola Virus Disease. Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces, and materials. 

In October 2024, the Sabin Vaccine Institute announced it dispatched investigational vaccine doses for a randomized clinical trial targeting Rwanda's outbreak.

As of December 2024, there are no approved Marburg virus vaccines.

LimmaTech Biologics AG announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted Fast Track designation to the company's multivalent toxoid vaccine candidate, LBT-SA7.

This innovative vaccine is designed to prevent skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) caused by the bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).

It is estimated that more than 1 million deaths are attributed to S. aureus each year. Notably, 90% of all community-acquired S. aureus infections are SSTIs.

S. aureus has been designated as a "high priority" pathogen by the World Health Organization, highlighting the urgency for innovative vaccine approaches and effective treatment strategies.

Dr. Franz-Werner Haas, CEO of LimmaTech, commented in a press release on December 19, 2024, "Staphylococcus aureus infections are a major cause of global mortality and morbidity, with traditional antibiotic treatments becoming increasingly ineffective due to rising antibiotic resistance."

LBT-SA7 will be tested in a Phase 1 study at a clinical trial center in the U.S., including 130 adult participants, with initial results anticipated in the second half of 2025.

Several cases of East African sleeping sickness have been reported among travelers returning from areas in Zambia and Zimbabwe, which often conduct safaris for visitors.

According to the WHO, sleeping sickness, also called African trypanosomiasis, is caused by a parasite transmitted by an infected tsetse fly, which is found only in sub-Saharan Africa.

There are two types of sleeping sickness, East African and West African. East African sleeping sickness progresses more quickly, within one to several weeks of exposure.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on December 18, 2024, that it had issued a Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Advisory regarding this unusual, potentially fatal situation.

Expidiated diagnosis and treatment can be lifesaving.

According to the WHO, anti-trypanosomals are donated and distributed free to endemic countries.

The CDC wrote that people should seek medical care immediately if they develop headache, fever, fatigue, skin rash, muscle aches, or a red sore, called a chancre, during or after travel to safari regions of Zambia or Zimbabwe, and they think a tsetse fly may have bitten you.

As of December 2024, no vaccines are authorized to prevent either type of sleeping sickness.

Merck today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Biologics License Application (BLA) for clesrovimab, the company’s investigational prophylactic long-acting monoclonal antibody designed to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease during their first RSV season.

The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of June 10, 2025.

Dr. Paula Annunziato, senior vice president of infectious diseases and vaccines, Global Clinical Development, Merck Research Laboratories, commented in a press release on December 17, 2024, “We look forward to working alongside the FDA on the review of clesrovimab, which, if approved, would be the first and only single-dose immunization for infants regardless of weight designed to protect them for the duration of their first RSV season.”

If approved, Merck anticipates that clesrovimab shipments will arrive in time for the 2025 RSV season.

Currently, Beyfortus™, an FDA-approved extended half-life monoclonal antibody, is available in the U.S.