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In the United States, influenza activity began earlier than usual this season, increasing in October 2022. However, influenza infections have steadily diminished since a peak in late December 2022.
According to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published today by the U.S. CDC, Influenza A(H3N2) represented most of the viruses detected and subtyped during this period.
The best news is that this virus is the same genetic subclade as and antigenically similar to the viruses included in the 2022–23 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine.
This is important since the effectiveness of seasonal flu shots varies by season, as influenza virus subtype and antigenic match with circulating viruses.
This MMWR interim report used data from two concurrent studies conducted in Wisconsin from October 23, 2022–February 10, 2023, to estimate influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE).
Overall, VE was 54% against medically attended outpatient acute respiratory illness associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza A among patients aged six months–64 years.
In a community cohort of children and adolescents aged <18, VE was 71% against symptomatic laboratory-confirmed influenza A virus infection.
Furthermore, these interim analyses indicate that influenza vaccination substantially reduced the risk for medically attended influenza among persons aged <65 years and for symptomatic influenza in children and adolescents.
The CDC says 'annual influenza vaccination is the best strategy for preventing influenza and its complications, and recommends that health care providers continue administering it to persons aged ≥6 months as long as influenza viruses are circulating.
As of February 24, 2023, various flu shots remain available at pharmacies throughout the U.S.
Moreover, most flu shots are offered at no cost to the person.
Cambodia's Secretary of State of the Ministry of Health today confirmed that an emergency response found 12 people infected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HAPI) A(H5N1) in Prey Veng province.
As reported by the Khmer Times on February 23, 2023, this news follows a recent death of an 11-year-old girl from 'bird flu' in Roleang village, Romlech commune, Sithor Kandal district, Prey Veng province.
Panharith Seng, director of the Prey Veng provincial health department, told VOA Khmer on February 23, 2023, that chickens and ducks found in the area where the girl lived had recently died of the H5N1 virus.
According to the Ministry of Health, the girl is the first person to die of H5N1 since 2014.
The Ministry of Health added that bird flu has been endemic in Cambodia since 2005, with a total of 57 infections and 38 deaths.
As of February 2, 2023, the World Health Organization reported a total of 240 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus had been reported from four countries within the Western Pacific Region since January 2003.
Of these cases, 135 were fatal.
Globally, seven human influenza A H5N1 2.3.4.4b infections were reported in Ecuador, China, Vietnam, the U.K., Spain (2), and Colorado during 2022-2023.
Bird Flu (Avian influenza) is a disease caused by influenza type A viruses that occur naturally among birds and domestic poultry.
The Eurasian H5N1 strain appeared in North America in January 2022 and has impacted 47 states, leading to the loss of over 58 million birds as of early February 2023.
Additionally, bird flu infections have been confirmed in various mammals, such as bears, foxes, and seals.
In the event of a human-based bird flu outbreak, the U.S. government has already approved the Audenza™ vaccine.
And the U.S. CDC had not issued a travel alert regarding Cambodia's bird flu outbreak.
This is an active event with VOA updates inserted. As of February 24, 2023, Cambodia reported a second human case of H5N1 bird flu.
Breaking bird flu news is posted here.
Update: Feb. 26, 2023 - This case was Clade 2.3.2.1c avian influenza virus has been endemic in Southeast Asia for ~10 years, and human-human transmission ability has not been established.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory committee today presented an overview of a successful childhood vaccination program.
Mona Marin, M.D., with the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, presented '25 Years of Varicella Vaccination Program in the United States: Health and Economic Impact during 1995–2019' on February 23, 2023.
Historically, varicella was considered a disease of little consequence, too mild to warrant prevention.
However, Varicella is an illness with a characteristic maculopapular, vesicular rash.
During the pre-vaccine era, varicella infected almost everyone during childhood, who accounted for more than 90% of the cases, two-thirds of the hospitalizations, and about half of the deaths, wrote researchers in a related article.
Varicella, known as chickenpox, is also highly infectious, with 61% and 100% secondary attack rates among susceptible household contacts, says the CDC.
As other causes of infectious disease burden in children in the U.S. were controlled through vaccination (e.g., measles, diphtheria, poliomyelitis), varicella assumed more importance as a preventable cause of mortality and morbidity.
Based on a documented continuing disease, the U.S. was the first country to implement a routine varicella vaccination program following the licensure of the live, attenuated varicella vaccine (VARIVAX®, Merck & Co, Inc) in 1995.
Expansion of the U.S. vaccination program to include a second VARIVAX dose led to further declines in disease incidence, outbreaks, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Twenty-five years after the introduction of the varicella vaccine, the disease has declined overall by about 97%.
An additional benefit of the varicella vaccination program is the impact on HZ.
Recent data show a lower HZ risk among healthy and immunocompromised children. This is reflected in stepwise declines in HZ incidence at the population level as the age groups became dominated by persons born during the varicella vaccination program.
Moreover, the decline in HZ incidence in children provides tentative reassurance that, over time, HZ rates will decline as vaccinated children age.
The Journal of Infectious Diseases published the unedited article in November 2022.
Note: Varivax and the HZ-prevention vaccines (Shingrix) are generally available at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.
In a review article recently published in Vaccines Journal referenced over 25 studies and discussed multiple injection delivery methods, including PharmaJet's needle-free precision delivery systems.
This study found that needle-free delivery enhanced the clinical performance of DNA-based vaccines.
Currently, 250 vaccine programs are invested in DNA vaccines and therapeutics because of their potential benefits.
"We are enthused to see that pre-clinical results have translated into more effective clinical responses in human trials," said Chris Cappello, President and CEO of PharmaJet, in a press release on February 23, 2023.
"We currently have eighty-three studies ongoing with novel pharmaceuticals focusing on nucleic acid technology and other new vaccine technology platforms."
"We believe that our precision delivery devices have the potential to increase the performance and therefore the probability of regulatory success of many of these candidate vaccines."
Several DNA candidate vaccines in combination with PharmaJet devices are in development, including for a COVID-19 bivalent booster, HIV, Zika, influenza, poxvirus, hantavirus, and dengue infections.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced data evaluating lenacapavir in combination with broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) teropavimab and zinlirvimab as a potential long-acting HIV treatment regimen with twice-yearly dosing.
Results from the Phase 1b clinical trial demonstrated the investigational combination was generally well tolerated with high efficacy in select virologically suppressed participants living with HIV.
At Week 26, 90% of participants receiving the complete study regimen (n=18/20) maintained virologic suppression (HIV-1 RNA ≤50 copies/mL).
“Novel long-acting HIV treatment options will drive the next chapter in care and may help meet the therapy needs and preferences of people living with HIV. In this study, we found that lenacapavir and bNAbs in a combination approach may have a significant role to play in the future treatment of HIV,” said Dr. Joseph Eron, MD, lead study investigator and the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, in a press release on February 21, 2023.
“As a clinician who strives to support the people living with the virus under my care, it will be exciting to continue evaluating the combination regimen as a potential twice-yearly long-acting HIV treatment option.”
The combination of lenacapavir with teropavimab and zinlirvimab will advance to a Phase 2 study later in 2023 in virologically suppressed people living with HIV.
Lenacapavir is being developed as a foundation for future HIV therapies to offer long-acting oral and injectable options with several dosing frequencies, combined with other antiretroviral agents for treatment or as monotherapy for prevention, that help address individual patient needs and preferences.
Sunlenca® (lenacapavir), alone or in combination, is not approved by any regulatory authority outside the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, or the European Union for any use.
Note: bNAbs are not preventive vaccines. Furthermore, the U.S. FDA has not approved any HIV vaccine candidate.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced it had renewed and expanded its Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions focused on polio outbreaks and the continued detections of poliovirus.
On February 21, 2023, the CDC stated some international destinations have circulating poliovirus.
At present, only two countries remain with the indigenous transmission of wild poliovirus type 1, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
And before traveling to any at-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine.
Furthermore, children should also be up to date on their routine polio vaccines.
Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system.
Because the virus that causes polio lives in the feces of an infected person, people infected with the disease can spread it to others. People can also be infected if they drink water or eat food contaminated with infected feces.
In 2022, poliovirus was detected in wastewater systems in travel hotspots, including New York, London, Canada, and Israel.
In rare cases, polio infection causes permanent loss of muscle function. And polio can be fatal if the muscles used for breathing are paralyzed or if there is an infection of the brain.
Polio is a vaccine-preventable disease, says the CDC.
Approved polio vaccines are generally available in the U.S. at travel clinics and pharmacies.
