Vaccine News

The U.S. Department of State recently reaffirmed its Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution for the Kingdom of Spain.

On December 23, 2024, the State Department stated visitors to Spain should exercise increased due to civil unrest. Furthermore, demonstrations are common and may occur in response to political or economic issues, on politically significant holidays, and during international events.

International travelers visiting Spain should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive digital alerts, which makes locating you in an emergency easier.

When in Spain, U.S. citizens can visit the U.S. Embassy at Calle Serrano, 75, 28006 Madrid.

From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC and the UK say visitors should check the list of vaccines and medicines needed at least a month before visiting Spain. For example, the ECDC reported locally acquired dengue cases in Spain in 2024.

Dengue is an Aedes-borne disease established in Spain's Catalonia region. 

Colin Johnston, Senior Medical Entomologist at UKHSA, informed local media, "The increasing number of dengue (8) and malaria cases that we are seeing now in the UK are travel-related."

As of December 25, 2024, Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease.

Despite decades of public health vaccination programs, invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) continues to cause substantial disease burden, primarily due to Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes not included in pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV).

Various pharmaceutical companies say next-generation PCVs can extend vaccine coverage of disease-causing serotypes.

To accelerate solutions addressing this health need, Sanofi and SK bioscience announced on December 23, 2024, that they entered into a new collaboration in pneumococcal vaccines with an expanded agreement to develop, license and commercialize next-generation PCVs for pediatric and adult populations.

This expansion builds on the companies’ existing collaboration to develop and commercialize a PCV21 pediatric vaccine, for which the phase 3 clinical program commenced last week. This vaccine candidate is the first-ever PCV containing more than 20 serotypes to enter a phase 3 clinical study in infants and toddlers.

The PCV21 phase 3 program, based on positive phase 2 results communicated in 2023, will include infants, toddlers, young children, and adolescents across multiple geographies, including the US, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Latin America.

Thomas Triomphe, Executive Vice President of Vaccines at Sanofi, commented in a press release on December 23, 2024, “Given the vast unmet public health needs in IPD, we’re delighted to expand this collaboration and continue our pursuit of innovative work in PCV. Our collaboration leverages SK bioscience’s capabilities and Sanofi’s expertise in developing and bringing innovative vaccines to people worldwide to reduce the global impact of pneumococcal disease.”

The World Health Organization says pneumococcal vaccinations continue to prevent pneumococcal disease. While vaccines can not prevent every kind of community-acquired pneumonia, they work against the most common bacteria types. 

The Galveston County Health District recently informed the Texas Gulf Island community about a Hitchcock High School staff member who has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB).

On December 20, 2024, the District confirmed the patient received treatment at a local hospital. It is actively investigating the situation and has contacted 120 students and staff who may have been exposed to the infectious bacterial disease to arrange evaluations and testing. 

Free screening is offered at the Galveston County Health DistrDistrict'sunicable Disease Office by calling (409) 938-2354.

The District wrote in a media release, 'We understand this situation may be concerning, and we want to reassure the community that we are taking all necessary precautions.'

Over the past few years, the state of Texas, like the entire United States, has reported an increase in TB cases.

Texas reported 1,235 TB cases in 2023, compared to 1,100 cases in 2022. 

In 2023, Galveston County reported 11 TB cases, while fifty miles north in Harris County, 269 TB cases were confirmed last year.

The U.S. CDC reports a 16% increase in TB cases nationwide in 2023 compared to 2022.

While TB is a vaccine-preventable disease, the 100-year-old BCG vaccine is about 50% effective and is generally offered at public health departments. However, several enhanced BCG vaccine candidates are conducting late-stage clinical trials, with aspirations for approval in 2025.

The global outbreak of the Chikungunya virus continues into late 2024, impacting various Asian countries, such as India.

To alert international travelers, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 - Practice Enhanced Precautions, Travel Health Advisory, regarding outbreaks of Chikungunya in Maharashtra and Telangana, India.

On November 8, 2024, the CDC issued an advisory for Telangana, a region in India's south-central region with a population of about 35 million and millions of annual visitors from the U.S.

As of December 19, 2024, the CDC wrote, 'Vaccination against chikungunya is recommended for (eligible) adults traveling to a destination with a current Chikungunya outbreak.'

In addition to India, the CDC says Chikungunya outbreaks have occurred in countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Chikungunya disease is caused by the chikungunya virus and spread to humans through mosquito bites. According to the CDC, symptoms usually begin 3–7 days after an infected mosquito bite. Most people infected with the virus develop some symptoms.

While there is no specific treatment for Chikungunya in 2024, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends a vaccine for some travelers.

Valneva SE's IXCHIQ® monovalent, single-dose, live-attenuated vaccine was the first vaccine approved to address Chikungunya infections. This innovative vaccine is commercially available at travel clinics and pharmacies in the U.S. IXCHIQ is also offered in numerous countries.

A shipment of 11,200 vaccine doses, donated by the United States of America, has been shipped to Abuja, Nigeria, to curtail the ongoing clade 1 mpox outbreak.

This shipment, announced on December 20, 2024, follows agreements signed in November by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to facilitate the donation of 305,000 mpox vaccine doses to support the global and continental response.

In September 2024, the U.S. announced its intention to donate up to 1 million JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN®) doses to support the mpox emergency.

Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Dawn O'Connell commented in a press release, "Viruses don't respect borders, and both international and domestic mpox coordination remains a top priority for ASPR."

Two types of the virus cause mpox, clade I and clade II. Both types spread the same way and can be prevented using innovative vaccines.

The first case of clade I mpox in the U.S. was detected in November 2024 following the patient's travel to an affected area. No additional cases were reported.

The initial case of clade IIb mpox in the U.S. (Boston) was in May 2022. According to the U.S. CDC, the ongoing global outbreak of clade II mpox has caused more than 100,000 cases in 122 countries and continues in the U.S.

Bavarian Nordic's JYNNEOS® two-dose vaccine is based on a live, attenuated vaccinia virus, Modified Vaccinia Ankara, and is commercially available in the U.S. 

As the end-of-year festive season is traditionally associated with social gatherings and traveling, the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says these endeavors pose additional risks for intensified respiratory virus transmission.

On December 18, 2024, almost all countries reporting data to ECDC (week 49, 2024) observed sharp increases in indicators of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity.

The EU/EEA 10% primary care test positivity threshold signaling the start of the influenza season has been reached.

Furthermore, the impact of influenza may be worse if an A(H3N2) subclade that is less well matched with the northern hemisphere vaccine(s) dominates.

Co-circulation of influenza viruses and RSV could substantially impact healthcare services. Hospital admissions could occur in all age groups, with very young children (due to RSV) and older adults particularly affected.

The ECDC joins the U.S. CDC in encouraging all eligible people to protect themselves with approved vaccines for the 2024-2025 respiratory season.

The U.K. Travel Health Pro confirmed today that all travelers to areas where the Zika virus is known to occur are at risk of infection, although determining the actual level of risk is complex.

For example, travelers who spend even short-term vacations in endemic areas may be exposed to the mosquito-transmitted virus.

On December 18, 2024, the U.K. highlighted Zika cases in the Region of the Americas, specifically in the Federative Republic of Brazil.

So far this year, over 40,891 cases have been reported. Last year, the PAHO had 35,962 Zika cases.

This PAHO data indicates a 14% increase in Zika cases over 2023.

Seperately, the U.S. CDC reported 19 non-congenital Zika cases in U.S. residents (1 imported case in Texas) in 2024. In 2023, the CDC reported five non-congenital cases in U.S. residents and 27 in U.S. territories.

In the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico, the Department of Health says that Zika-spreading mosquitoes are found throughout the island.

The CDC says that if you are pregnant, you should avoid traveling to Zika outbreak destinations. If travel is unavoidable, you should strictly follow Zika prevention recommendations.

From a disease prevention perspective, Zika vaccine candidates continue conducting clinical trials, but none have been approved for use in the U.S.