Vaccine News

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends administering a single typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) dose to children in high-burden countries. To better determine the TCV's efficacy, researchers extended the follow-up of the TyVAC clinical trial to assess protection five years after vaccination.

Published by The Lancet (Volume 404, Issue 10461) on October 12, 2024, these researchers conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN11643110) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, between 2018 and 2021.

This study identified a decline in the protection conferred by a single-dose TCV 3–5 years after vaccination, with the greatest decline in protection and immune responses observed in children vaccinated at younger ages.

These researchers suggest that a booster dose of TCV around school entry age might be needed for children vaccinated when younger than two years old to sustain protection against typhoid fever during the school years when the risk is the highest.

This recommendation is essential as about nine million typhoid cases and 93,300 related fatalities are reported annually worldwide. Typhoid fever is a life-threatening infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. It is usually spread through contaminated food or water. 

The WHO currently recommends four different TCVs. These vaccines have been established as safe, well-tolerated, and effective.

The WHO writes that travelers to destinations with a high risk of typhoid fever be offered a typhoid vaccination. TVCs are available at travel clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded this study.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) confirmed that seven countries reported new polio cases involving wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) last week.

As of November 6, 2024, Pakistan reported 45 WPV1 cases this year. With 53 WPV1-positive environmental samples collected in September and October, Pakistan's outbreak may continue for months.

Five countries in Africa reported more vaccine-derived poliovirus cases, including Senegal, which had its first circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case for the year. The other four are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Niger, and Nigeria.

In the Middle East, Yemen reported two cVDPV2 cases with paralysis onset in September.

The U.S. CDC's travel health advisory continues to identify 37 countries at risk for poliovirus outbreaks.

The CDC says that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series may receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine before traveling to any destination listed. Pre-departure polio vaccination services are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in early 2024, then in October 2024, that the global demand (74 million) for oral cholera vaccine (OCV) has exceeded the supply (38 million). According to news announced today, the OCV shortage could be ending.

Valneva SE announced on November 7, 2024, that DUKORAL® sales in the third quarter of 2024 grew 85% year-over-year as marketing investments resumed following a successful regulatory inspection of the company’s new vaccine manufacturing site in Sweden.

The WHO has prequalified the DUKORAL vaccine, and it is authorized in Europe, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Thailand, and the United Kingdom to protect people against cholera and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Dukoral is used in people aged from 2 years who will be visiting areas with a high risk of cholera.

The WHO classified the global resurgence of cholera as a grade 3 emergency. As of the end of September 2024, a total of 439,724 cholera cases and 3,432 deaths were reported across five WHO regions this year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for mpox has allocated an initial 899,000 vaccine doses for nine countries across the African region that are hit hard by the current Clade Ib mpox surge.

By the end of 2024, over 5.85 million vaccine doses are expected to be available to the Mpox Vaccines AAM.

As of November 6, 2024, the most significant number of JYNNEOS vaccine doses, 85% of the allocation, will go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the most affected country, reporting 80% of laboratory-confirmed mpox cases in Africa in 2024.

Limited vaccination with Bavarian Nordic A/S MVA-BN® (JYNNEOS®) has recently begun in the DRC and Rwanda.

GSK today announced that AREXVY has been approved in Canada to prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults 50-59 years of age at increased risk for RSV disease.

In Canada, the vaccine was previously approved for use in adults aged 60 and older and is strongly recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) for all adults 75 years and older and those aged 60 and above in nursing homes and other chronic care facilities. NACI also recommends that adults aged 60-74 may consider RSV vaccination in consultation with a health care provider.

Michelle Horn, Interim Country Medical Director, GSK, said in a press release on November 5, 2024, “The natural age-related decline in immune function we all experience, which can increase our vulnerability to viruses like RSV, becomes more evident the older we get. Not surprisingly, the incidence of RSV-associated hospitalizations in adults starts to increase at the age of 50. For adults with underlying medical conditions, RSV can worsen these conditions and lead to serious consequences. We are proud to be the first to provide a vaccine to help protect Canadians aged 50-59 at increased risk of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV.”

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKSHA) announced today that two cases of Clade Ib mpox are currently under specialist care at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London, England.

These are household contacts of the first mpox case reported last week.

As of November 4, 2024, this news brings the total number of confirmed mpox cases to three in London. These mpox cases are unrelated to the May 2022 Clade II outbreak.

In a press release, Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said, "Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact, so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household."

"The overall risk to the U.K. population remains low. We are working with partners to ensure all contacts of the cases are identified and contacted to reduce the risk of further spread."

All contacts will be offered testing and vaccination as needed and advised on any necessary further care if they have symptoms or test positive.

In the U.K., the Bavarian Nordic A/S IMVAMUNE® (JYNNEOS®, MVA-BN®) mpox / smallpox vaccine is available in 2024.

New World screwworm (NWS) infestations have continued to be reported in the Region of the Americas this year, and the U.S. government is concerned that NWS maggots may return after five decades.

According to a notice issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on November 1, 2024, NWS is endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and countries in South America.

By October 26, 2024, Panama had reported 20,417 positive NWS cases, Costa Rica had 7,718, and Nicaragua had 4,384 cases in 2024.

In 2023, more than 6,500 NWS cases were detected in Panama.

The USDA says it eradicated NWS from the United States in 1966 using the sterile insect technique, in which sterile flies are released in the wild. Further, the USDA says there is a constant risk of NWS reintroduction in the United States.

In mid-October 2024, the U.S. CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity call highlighted concerns about a potential northward spread of NWSs.

The cornerstone of a collaboration between the Panama-United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworms is releasing sterile male screwworm flies in the Darian Province of eastern Panama to create a biological barrier. This effort is scheduled to continue for an extended period.

As of November 4, 2024, there are no NWS vaccines available.