Vaccine News

With about 100 different types of pneumococcal bacteria infecting people, innovative vaccines are needed to reduce various illnesses, including pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections.

For example, in Europe, 17,700 confirmed invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) cases were reported in the European Union/European Economic Area in 2022.

To address this disease, Merck announced today that the European Commission (EC) has approved CAPVAXIVE™ (V116), designed to help protect adults against IPD and pneumococcal pneumonia.

CAPVAXIVE targets the serotypes causing most IPD cases in adults and includes eight unique serotypes not covered by other approved vaccines.

This EC decision authorizes the approval of CAPVAXIVE (Pneumococcal 21-valent Conjugate Vaccine) in all 27 European Union (EU) member states, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

“By focusing on the serotypes that have been responsible for an increasing proportion of adult invasive pneumococcal disease cases, CAPVAXIVE allows us to offer protection specifically designed for adults,” said Dr. Paula Annunziato, senior vice president, infectious diseases and vaccines, Global Clinical Development, Merck Research Laboratories, in a press release on March 26, 2025.

“We are proud to bring CAPVAXIVE to adults in Europe who may benefit from its broad protection and are eager to continue working with regulatory authorities to expand CAPVAXIVE availability worldwide.”

The EC approval is based on safety and immunogenicity data from the Phase 3 STRIDE clinical program.

As of late March 2025, various pneumococcal vaccines are offered in the United States at clinics and pharmacies.

When visiting countries in the Americas in 2025, travelers to areas where the Zika virus is known to be present are at risk of infection.

However, it can be challenging to determine the exact level of risk in each Zika outbreak.

According to the U.K. Travel Health Pro, those who stay for extended periods in regions where the Zika virus is common face a higher risk. Nevertheless, even short-term visitors may be exposed to the virus, such as in the Federative Republic of Brazil.

As of March 25, 2025, about 2,556 Zika cases have been reported in Brazil since the beginning of 2025.

Most of these cases have been reported in Mato Grosso, São Paulo, Acre, and Rio Grande do Norte. Mato Grosso is a mountainous state in west-central Brazil, mainly covered by the Amazon rainforest.

Just to the south, the Argentine Republic has reported 433 Zika cases this year.

Previously, the U.S. CDC removed a Level 2 Travel Advisory in 2021 regarding Argentina's Zika outbreak.

To the north, in the United States, no Zika cases have been confirmed in 2025.

Last year, the U.S. CDC reported 19 non-congenital Zika cases among U.S. residents, primarily in Puerto Rico.

With millions of international travelers expected to visit these areas in 2025, Zika vaccines will not be available. However, several Zika vaccine candidates are conducting clinical research and aspiring for future U.S. FDA approval.

A substantial Chikungunya outbreak is occurring throughout France's overseas department of La Réunion Island, which has spiked since early 2025, with 8,600 cases recorded.

To protect the residents of La Réunion, Valneva SE today announced an agreement with support from the local public health agency, the Agence Régionale de Santé La Réunion, to deliver 40,000 IXCHIQ® vaccine doses starting in early April, with an option to provide more.

IXCHIQ® is the world’s first licensed chikungunya vaccine to address this significant unmet medical need

This supply of doses, paid for by the French authorities, is in line with the recommendation of France’s national public health agency, the Haute Autorité de Santé, to prioritize vaccination for adults aged 65 and over with co-morbidities.

Furthermore, IXCHIQ® remains available for purchase in France (mainland and overseas), as well as throughout Europe, the United States, and the U.K.

Juan Carlos Jaramillo, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Valneva, commented in a press release on March 24, 2025, “Chikungunya outbreaks spread rapidly, so it is crucial to vaccinate as many people as possible to help contain the virus."

"We have the capacity to supply more doses and will continue working closely with Agence Régionale de Santé La Réunion to manage this outbreak locally and prevent its spread to other regions through international travel.”

La Réunion is located east of Africa and Madagascar and is a favorite vaccination destination for international travelers.

Furthermore, Valneva recently announced an agreement with the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines by number of doses, enabling the vaccine supply throughout Asia.

In the U.S., Chikungunya vaccines are commercially offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in 2025.

Over the past two decades, about 18 million Brazilians have been infected with one of Dengue's four viruses.

As of March 23, 2025, the Sao Paulo Ministry of Health's Dengue data dashboard indicates over 403,000 probable cases and 273 related fatalities have been reported this year.

The São José do Rio Preto region is the unfortunate leader during this Dengue outbreak, with 86 fatalities.

Throughout Brazil, one million Dengue cases and 304 fatalities have already been reported in 2025.

To notify international travelers of this infectious disease risk in Brazil, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published three notices.

On March 19, 2025, the CDC reported 1,158 travel-related Dengue cases and one local case in 28 jurisdictions this year. Of these, 3% were Severe Denge cases. DENV-3 was the most (84%) common serotype identified in 2025.

The CDC recently reissued a Global Travel Health Notice regarding Dengue outbreaks in the Region of the Americas. Transmission of Dengue remains high in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

And on March 18, 2025, the CDC's Health Update (CDCHAN-00523) highlighted the ongoing risk of Dengue virus infections and updated testing recommendations in the United States.

As of March 23, 2025, the CDC has not issued travel advisories for U.S. cities reporting Dengue cases, such as southeast Florida. Nor does the CDC endorse Dengue vaccinations in 2025.

The Chikungunya outbreak on La Réunion Island recently reached Level 4 of the ORSEC plan of this French overseas department and region.

The Director General of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) stated in a media release on March 19, 2025, stated Réunion is experiencing a "medium-intensity epidemic," with 2,888 cases reported in early March.

On March 21, 2025, local media reported two Chikungunya-related fatalities.

ARS wrote, 'Although there is no current tension in the hospital environment, 77 patients were admitted to the emergency room between March 3 and 9, 2025.'

'Faced with the increase and spread of cases across the country, the ARS vector control service is adapting its system to optimize the effectiveness of interventions.'

The southern municipalities are the most affected by this mosquito-transmitted virus, particularly Le Tampon, located in the south-central part of the island and home to about 80,000 residents.

To alert international travelers, the U.S. CDC issued a Travel Health Advisory in February 2025, confirming that people can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites and that vaccination against Chikungunya is recommended for most people traveling to a destination with a current Chikungunya outbreak.

In the United States, various Chikynunga vaccines are available at most travel clinics and pharmacies as of March 22, 2025.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today filed a [Docket No. CDC-2025-0017] notice regarding a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the vaccine advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The ACIP advises the Director of the CDC on the use of immunizing agents.

As of March 21, 2025, this newly scheduled ACIP meeting will be held on April 15 and April 16, 2025, and will be digitally open to the public.

The agenda will include discussions on chikungunya, COVID-19, cytomegalovirus, Human papillomavirus, influenza, Lyme disease, meningococcal, mpox, pneumococcal, Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccines for adults, and maternal and pediatric populations.

An update on the current measles outbreak in the U.S. will also be provided.

ACIP recommendation votes are scheduled for meningococcal, chikungunya, and RSV vaccines for adults.

Of note, VIMKUNYA® became the first chikungunya vaccine approved in the U.S. for people aged 12 and older as of March 18, 2025, without an ACIP recommendation. 

A Vaccines for Children vote is also scheduled for meningococcal vaccines.

The agenda for this ACIP meeting is similar to the rescheduled February 2025 session.

To increase trust in the vaccine authorization process, the CDC launched a website in early March 2025 identifying ACIP member conflicts of interest, if any. Revealed on March 7, 2025, people can use this free CDC digital tool to quickly find previous conflicts of interest by ACIP members from 2000 to 2024.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the seven cholera epidemic is considered to have started in 1961 and continues in March 2025.

So far, in 2025, a cumulative total of 70,488 cholera cases and 808 deaths were reported from 23 countries across three WHO regions.

In February 2025 alone, 459 cholera-related fatalities were confirmed, representing a 32% increase in January.

To help reduce cholera outbreaks, Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) production has remained high, reflecting significant efforts by the supplier and partners. The average OCV stockpile has recently stabilized at 5.5 million doses in February.

However, the WHO's external situation report #24 stated on March 20, 205, that the growing global demand continues to exceed supply, hindering efforts to control cholera outbreaks, respond rapidly to the disease’s spread, and implement preventative campaigns.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, often from feces.

While cholera vaccination is not generally recommended for all international travelers, it is what the U.S. CDC suggested when visiting cholera outbreak zones.

In the United States, travel clinics and pharmacies currently have an ample supply of OCVs.