Zika Breaking News

In his opening address to the Executive Board, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently noted that no wild poliovirus cases had been reported anywhere since September 2022.

"We are in a much better situation now than we were previously. But the last mile is the hardest."

"There can be no room for complacency. Now is actually the moment to double down on our efforts. So let's continue to push on."

Experts noted the unique window of opportunity to succeed in 2023, the target year for stopping all remaining poliovirus transmission globally. 

The WHO also provided guidance to develop a new vision for the polio transition that will go beyond 2023, supported by tailored regional action plans to drive country progress.

AN updated list of At-Risk Countries was posted.

Following that WHO meeting, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported on February 8, 2023, a summary of new polioviruses detections and polio cases this week:

• Afghanistan: two WPV1-positive environmental samples
• Algeria: one cVDPV2 case
• Chad: two cVDPV2 cases
• DRC: eight cVDPV1 cases, 22 cVDPV2 cases and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
• Mali: one cVDPV2 case
• Nigeria: two cVDPV2-positive environmental samples

To alert international travelers of their potential health risk, the U.S. CDC updated its Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions notice regarding polio outbreaks in 2023.

Other polio outbreak news is posted at Vax-Before-Travel.

Since no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccines are available to prevent Alzheimer's Disease (AD), can other vaccines reduce the risk of this old-age disease?

The Conversation published an article written by neurodegenerative disease experts on January 18, 2023, highlighting the potential value of existing FDA-approved vaccines to reduce AD aggravating factors from viral infections.

In previous studies, researchers identified that infections by varicella zoster (chickenpox and shingles) and influenza viruses could lead to a higher risk of AD.

However, researchers have been unable to consistently detect these suspect viruses in the brains of people who died of Alzheimer's. 

In other words, when researchers analyze AD patient brains, detectable viral components may have disappeared, and causation is difficult to establish.

The full unedited article published by The Conversation is posted at this link.

As of February 12, 2023, the FDA has not authorized any of the current Alzheimer's vaccine candidates.

According to research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), a monoclonal antibody (mAbs) treatment conferred protection in people against P falciparum (malaria) at low doses 

Published on January 25, 2023, this phase 1 clinical study found the mAbs CIS43LS protected 18 (82%) of 22 participants who received a dose. In addition, no participants developed parasitemia following dosing at 5 mg/kg intravenously or subcutaneously or at 10 mg/kg intravenously or subcutaneously.

All six control and four of seven participants dosed at 1 mg/kg intravenously developed parasitemia after controlled human malaria infection.

"The study demonstrates the feasibility of using mAbs therapies to help prevent malarial infection and holds promise for deployment to places where the disease is endemic," said Kirsten Lyke, MD, at UMSOM, in a related press release.

"This may allow us to revisit malaria eradication efforts."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by a parasite. 

Vaccines like Mosquirix™ (RTS,S), and R21/Matrix-M™ have been reported to be effective at preventing disease in Africa and India.

As of February 11, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had not approved a malaria vaccine.

According to the 2021 World Malaria Report, about half the world's population lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission.

There were 241 million malaria cases and 627,000 deaths reported worldwide in 2020 alone, a 12% increase from 2019.

However, outbreaks of locally transmitted malaria cases in the U.S. have been limited and relatively isolated. The FDA has approved Artesunate to treat severe malaria in adult and pediatric patients.

Malaria outbreak news is posted at Vax-Before-Travel.com/MalariaOutbreasks.

CBS News recently reported scientists in the U.S. are preparing to test the first poultry vaccine against bird flu (avian influenza). 

Biden administration officials informed CBS News on February 9, 2023, they have now begun weighing an unprecedented shift in the U.S. strategy to counter the outbreak of bird flu since 2022.

The United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) previously confirmed the Eurasian H5N1 strain appeared in North America in January 2022. 

Since then, APHIS reported over 6,000 H5N1 detections in wild birds affecting 47 states and losing over 58.3 million birds as of February 8, 2023.

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a bird flu vaccine for people, there is not one available for birds.

A spokesperson for Merck Animal Health indicated to CBS News the company has an "extensive, ongoing research program" developing vaccines that can work with Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated (DIVA) strategies.

This approach systematically searches for the virus among vaccinated flocks to prevent undetected spread among immunized birds.

The DIVA strategy uses an inactivated oil emulsion vaccine containing the same haemagglutinin (H) subtype as the challenge virus but a different neuraminidase (N).

The possibility of using the heterologous N subtype to differentiate between vaccinated and naturally infected birds was investigated by developing an "ad hoc" serological test to detect specific anti-N1 antibodies.

In addition, the FDA confirms the annual flu shot is not designed to protect people from avian influenza viruses.

Other bird flu vaccine news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.

Nykode Therapeutics ASA today announced a collaboration with the GOG Foundation, Inc. to conduct a clinical trial of VB10.16 in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor for treating advanced cervical cancer in the U.S.

VB10.16 is a potentially first-in-class off-the-shelf therapeutic cancer vaccine candidate in development for treating human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16)-positive cancers.

The VB-C-04 trial will evaluate the combination therapies in patients with cervical cancer that have progressed following first-line treatment.

Nykode previously reported positive interim data from the Phase 2 VB-C-02 trial in Europe with women with heavily pre-treated advanced cervical cancer.

“Based on the positive interim data and in line with our potential registrational trial strategy, we look forward to starting the VB-C-04 trial in the U.S. The trial aims to provide a fast path to making VB10.16 available to patients,” stated Klaus Edvardsen, Chief Development Officer of Nykode Therapeutics, in a press release on February 10, 2023.

The cancer vaccine is designed based on Nykode’s Vaccibody™ technology platform of targeting antigens to antigen presenting cells.

VB10.16 has reported positive interim data from a Phase 2 trial in heavily pre-treated cervical cancer patients (NCT04405349).

The analysis demonstrated a favorable safety profile, with responses observed in both PD-L1 positive and negative patients (ORR 27% and 17%, respectively).

The vaccine-induced significant HPV16-specific T cell responses were associated with clinical responses.

The candidate has also demonstrated favorable clinical data in a Phase 1/2a study in pre-cancerous HPV16-induced high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL; CIN 2/3), demonstrating a statistically significant correlation of immune responses and clinical responses.

Since 1970, the GOG Foundation has conducted more than 350 clinical trials in the U.S. with 400 participating sites and 115,000 patients. The results of the GOG Foundation’s clinical trials have influenced the standard of care for numerous malignant gynecologic neoplasms.

Additional HPV vaccine news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/HPV.

The Bayelsa State Government in Nigeria recently announced it would do everything within its power to ensure that Bayelsans have access to yellow fever (YF) vaccines.

Nigeria offers the Stamaril® live, attenuated YF vaccine.

The Tribue Online reported on February 3, 2023, Commissioner for Health Dr. Pabara Newton Igwele stated the YF disease was more frightening than COVID-19 as it does not have any special drugs for curative measures.

He further noted that YF is caused by a virus transmitted through bites of infected mosquitoes.

And a life-threatening disease, explaining that its symptoms manifest in bleeding from the mouth, eye, and nose, which, if not properly managed, could resolve to death.

According to the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has been reporting yellow fever outbreaks in multiple states (Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Enugu) since 2020.

Beginning in late January 2018, more than 25 million people were scheduled to be vaccinated in Nigeria.

As of 2023, the CDC says travelers to Nigeria should take steps to prevent yellow fever by getting vaccinated at least ten days before travel and taking steps to prevent mosquito bites.

The Stamaril vaccine is not offered in the U.S. However, certified clinics and pharmacies offer the YF-Vax® vaccine in the U.S.

Following vaccination, the yellow fever card (International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis) becomes certified.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced 18 meningitis-related fatalities (3.2% of cases) had been reported in the Zinder Region, southeast of Niger, over the past three months.

The vast majority of cases are due to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (NmC).

The WHO confirmed on February 8, 2023, a reactive vaccination campaign with the trivalent ACW meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine has been implemented.

Niger has been affected by several meningitis epidemics resulting in 1,369 deaths (6.6% of cases) since 2015.

Niger is located mainly in the African meningitis belt, with seasonal outbreaks recurring yearly.

However, the ongoing outbreak shows an increased number of cases and an increased growth rate compared to the previous seasons.

Furthermore, the Zinder region shares a border with Jigawa State in Nigeria, where an NmC outbreak is also ongoing.

The WHO assesses the risk posed by the current meningitis outbreak in Niger as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level, and low at the global level.

And the WHO does not recommend any restriction on travel and trade to Niger based on the current event.

Separately, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccination for travelers two months old or older visiting areas of Niger that are part of the meningitis belt during the dry season.

While the CDC has not issued a Travel Alert for Niger's latest meningitis outbreak, it previously issued notices for polio and measles outbreaks.

These travel vaccines are available at select clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.