Vaccine News

As Chikungunya outbreaks continue to expand globally in 2025, France's La Réunion Islanders are urged to be vigilant in eliminating breeding sites.

According to France's Ministry of Health on March 12, 2025, 1,766 new Chikungunya cases were recorded last week. This represents an 18% increase compared to the previous week.

During 2025, 5,041 cases have been reported.

La Reunion's southern municipalities have been the most affected, accounting for 72% of cases since August 2024.

The last Chikungunya epidemic in La Réunion was reported in 2005–2006.

France's island off the east coast of Africa is not alone in reporting cases. In 2024, locally transmitted Chikungunya infections were confirmed in Paris and France's Mediterranean coastal communities.

These areas in France have also reported Dengue and Zika infections, which are also mosquito-transmitted diseases.

Also located in the South Hemisphere, Brazil has had a Chikungunya outbreak again this year, with over 40,000 cases, many centered in its mountainous states.

To alert international travelers to these outbreaks, the U.S. CDC has issued a Travel Health Advisory and suggests people speak with a travel vaccine expert about Chikungunya immunization options in 2025.

Over the past decade, vaccine manufacturers have established production centers closer to where the vaccines are utilized, such as in Africa and Europe.

Today, Batavia Biosciences announced a strategic collaboration with Vaccine Biotechnology City (VBC) and MEVAC to enhance vaccine manufacturing capabilities in Egypt.

As of March 13, 2025, this new collaboration builds on a previously signed license agreement for Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccines. Negotiations for Rotavirus vaccines are underway.

This vaccine production capability is essential during disease outbreaks like measles.

Through this partnership, Batavia will license proprietary processes, analytical methods, and production systems to VBC and MEVAC, empowering them to produce high-quality vaccines locally and meet international standards.

This partnership positions Egypt as a vital player in vaccine manufacturing, contributing to greater vaccine self-reliance for the Middle East and Africa.

In a press release, Ahd Hamidi, Strategic Partnership Director at Batavia Biosciences, stated, “This collaboration reflects our mission to deliver affordable and accessible vaccine solutions to regions where they are most needed. By enabling local vaccine production, we aim to empower Egypt as a critical player in the fight against preventable diseases in Africa and beyond.”

As the collaboration progresses, the Batavia, VBC, and MEVAC partnership is set to make a lasting impact on public health outcomes across Africa and the Middle East.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) released data today that indicates the ongoing transmission of measles across the EU/EEA has continued into 2025.

In 2024, 127,350 measles cases were reported in the European Region, double the cases reported for 2023.

During this period, Romania reported the most cases.

Among those diagnosed with measles with information available on their vaccination status, about 86% were unvaccinated as of March 11, 2025.

This unfortunate disclosure heightens the health risk in Bucharest, Romania's capital city and popular tourism destination. About 6 million people visited Bucharest last year.

In 2024, Romania reported the highest number of measles cases in the European Region, with over 30,000 cases.

According to previous research published in January 2025, Romania's current measles epidemic is driven mainly by two D8 genotype variants with different mutation profiles and slightly different severities.

Phylogenetic analysis identified two well-supported clusters, suggesting at least two local transmission networks in Romania.

These researchers wrote, "To improve vaccination programs in Romania, sustained genetic surveillance of this pathogen and immune waning evaluation of vaccinated adults are recommended."

"The ability to accurately track viral lineages via genetic sequencing is yet another valuable tool for developing an adequate monitoring and surveillance capacity, which can lead to a better identification of transmission chains and, therefore, aid in interrupting measles outbreaks."

Since measles transmission and outbreaks are being reported globally, the ECDC encourages international travellers to check their vaccination status before departing abroad, as the MMR vaccine takes at least two weeks to become effective.

Note: This news article was updated on 3/13/25 with data from the WHO.

A South Korean vaccine and biotech company announced today that it has shipped its self-developed influenza vaccine to countries in the Southern Hemisphere ahead of the arrival of the new flu season.

SK bioscience confirmed on March 12, 2025, that it has begun shipping SKYCellflu to Southeast Asia and Latin America markets. A total of 750,000 doses will be supplied to countries in these markets in the first half of 2025.

SKYCellflu is the world's first cell culture-based influenza vaccine to obtain WHO Prequalification.

SK bioscience's advanced technology offers key advantages over traditional egg-based production. For example, there is a reduced risk of viral mutations during manufacturing, which results in better strain matching with circulating viruses. Additionally, cell culture technology allows for a shorter production timeline, enabling faster response during outbreaks or pandemics.

This shipment marks the company's second export of influenza vaccines for Southern Hemisphere use, following its initial export to Thailand in 2024. Although Thailand is geographically located in the Northern Hemisphere, it follows both WHO's flu vaccination guidelines for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres due to its north-south span.

About 100 million flu shots were distributed in the United States for the 2024-2025 influenza season.

Since early 2025, New Mexico and Texas have reported an unexpected number of measles cases, mainly in rural counties.

As of March 11, 2025, the state of Oklahoma was added to this geographic health outbreak.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) confirmed two measles cases in a press release but did not disclose the actual locations.

“These cases highlight the importance of being aware of measles activity as people travel or host visitors,” Kendra Dougherty, Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Response at OSDH said.

As of March 6, 2025, the U.S. CDC reported 222 measles cases in 12 jurisdictions this year.

These measles cases may be related to the ongoing global measles outbreak in 2025.

In a recent CDC Health Alert Network, the agency wrote that the risk for widespread measles in the United States remains low due to robust U.S. immunization and surveillance programs.

The CDC says healthcare providers should ensure all patients without other evidence of immunity, especially those planning international travel, are up to date on the MMR vaccine, which is offered at most pharmacies in the U.S.

While the Kingdom of Morocco is not listed in the U.S. CDC's recent Global Measles Health Advisory, it has been experiencing a significant measles outbreak since late 2023.

According to media reports citing official sources, about 3,600 measles cases and five deaths have been reported in 2025. Since Morocco's outbreak began, there have been about 20,000 cases.

Amine Tahraoui, the Ministry of Health, says the reasons for the increase in measles cases are unknown.

On February 6, 2025, the Minister reviewed the disease status in Morocco and the strategy adopted to combat it. He stated that his department has implemented a multi-faceted plan to curb the spread of measles.

He specified that this plan includes extending the national vaccination campaign and catching up on missed vaccinations, which has enabled the verification of the vaccination status of more than 8.88 million children.

The Moroccan Ministry of Health also extended the vaccination campaign until March 28, 2025, to ensure everyone (37 million residents) can access essential vaccines.

The CDC recommends that all international travelers visiting Morocco be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants.

In addition to the MMR, the CDC recommends various routine and travel vaccines before visiting Morocco in 2025. These vaccines are generally offered in the United States at travel clinics and pharmacies. 

With the U.S. CDC reissuing a Global Measles Travel Advisory for 57 countries in February 2025, public health leaders are concerned that unvaccinated travelers may bring this highly infectious disease into Texas schools.

Following the city’s first confirmed measles cases since 2018, Houston Public Health issued an alert in February 2025, encouraging everyone to ensure their protection, and launched vaccination campaigns.

A real-time example of this risk is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which welcomes tens of thousands of out-of-town visitors to Texas daily. This family-friendly event enhances the lives of young people each March, but it could become a disease hot spot for unvaccinated children. 

Houston Public Media recently reported that a few private schools in the Houston area are among the Texas institutions with the lowest measles vaccination rates, according to data compiled by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

Immunization data from more than 1,600 surveyed public and private schools in Texas shows that 50% or fewer kindergarteners in some private schools in Harris and Montgomery counties were vaccinated for measles during the 2023-24 school year.

As of March 7, 2025, Houston Public Media found that about 36% of kindergarteners at the Acton Leadership Academy of Magnolia were vaccinated for measles in 2023-24.

Acton Leadership Academy of Creekside, located in Spring, also had a 50% measles vaccination rate in its kindergarten class.

Positive data exists across the state: About 92% of kindergarteners at 1,680 surveyed Texas public and private schools were immunized for measles during the 2023-24 school year.

However, in Texas, vaccination exemptions are approved for two reasons: if a physician states the vaccine could pose a health risk to the student, or if the student’s parents have a religious or personal belief that opposes getting vaccinated.

As of March 11, 2025, DSHS and the CDC encourage most people to get two doses of the MMR vaccine, which are generally available at health clinics and pharmacies throughout Texas.