In a major analysis in Africa, the first vaccine approved to fight malaria cut deaths among young children by 13% over nearly 4 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported last week. The huge evaluation of a pilot rollout of the vaccine, called RTS,S or Mosquirix and made by GlaxoSmithKline, also showed a 22% reduction in severe malaria in kids young enough to receive a three-shot series. Hundreds of thousands of children are born annually in the parts of Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi included in the analysis, for which WHO revealed the final data on 20 October at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
“The RTS,S malaria vaccine is already saving lives,” said John Tanko Bawa, director of malaria vaccine implementation at PATH, a nonprofit that develops vaccines and therapies for global health problems. He added, “What we have seen is a considerable impact of a vaccine described as having modest efficacy.” (A late-stage clinical trial delivered lackluster results on the durability of the vaccine’s protection.)
The 13% drop in deaths is so remarkable that “I was surprised I didn’t hear any gasps when it was stated,” joked medical epidemiologist Mary Hamel, who led the WHO pilot program. The mortality decline could translate to tens of thousands of lives saved if RTS,S, which WHO approved for widespread use in 2021, is more broadly deployed: In 2021, malaria killed an estimated 468,000 children under age 5 in sub-Saharan Africa. Seventeen countries in the region have already won approval to receive doses that will start to roll out next year.
“The data speak for themselves,” said Kwaku Poku Asante, a physician and epidemiologist who directs the Kintampo Health Research Centre and who oversaw the analysis in Ghana. “This was a very large, very robust evaluation done in a real-life setting, and you’re seeing this huge impact.”
In clinical trial results published in 2015, RTS,S showed 36.3% efficacy against clinical malaria a median of 4 years after toddlers were vaccinated. In the $70 million pilot, mandated by WHO and launched in 2019, nearly 2 million very young children have been vaccinated in the three countries...
"Staggering" rise in global measles outbreaks in 2022, CDC and WHO report
Source: cbs
By Alexander Tin November 16, 2023 / 1:46 PM EST
The number of countries battling disruptive outbreaks of measles surged to 37 last year, a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Thursday, as officials warn that the global fight against the disease has struggled to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Measles can be deadly, especially in children, but it is preventable with a common vaccine.
This marks a 68% increase from 2021, when 22 countries were reporting large outbreaks, according to the new data in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Four regions had large outbreaks, mostly in Africa or the Eastern Mediterranean.
Measles is one of the most contagious airborne diseases known to infect humans. Up to 9 in 10 people without immunity will get infected after being exposed, the CDC says, with infectious virus lingering in the air for up to two hours.
Measles can result in hospitalizations, deaths or an array of complications like blindness or brain damage.
An estimated 9,232,300 people worldwide were infected and 136,200 died from measles last year, the report's authors said. While this figure remains far lower than the more than 36 million cases estimated worldwide in 2000, it is more than a million infections larger than 2021's tally.
The flu is soaring in 7 U.S. states and rising in others, health officials say
Source: PBS News Hour/AP
Nov 17, 2023 2:52 PM EST
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. flu season is underway, with at least seven states reporting high levels of illnesses and cases rising in other parts of the country, health officials say.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted new flu data on Friday, showing very high activity last week in Louisiana, and high activity in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina. It was also high in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory where health officials declared an influenza epidemic earlier this month.
“We’re off to the races,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert Traditionally, the winter flu season ramps up in December or January. But it took off in October last year, and is making a November entrance this year.
Flu activity was moderate but rising in New York City, Arkansas, California, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. And while flu activity has been high in Alaska for weeks, the state did not report data last week, so it wasn’t part of the latest count
Multiple cases of eye syphilis detected in Michigan, CDC reports
Multiple women developed syphilis in their eyes after sexual interactions with one infected man, leading to speculation about a new strain of the bacteria, health officials reported.
From March to July of 2022, health officials in Michigan investigated a cluster of ocular syphilis cases connected to a single man, according to a report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report."
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that occurs in several stages, each with its own symptoms, according to the CDC. Throughout the four stages, signs of the infection could include sores on and around the genitals, rashes, fever, weight loss, and, eventually, issues with mental function and muscle movements, per the CDC.
Ocular syphilis usually includes pain in the eyes, and changes in vision, including potential blindness, per the CDC. While ocular syphilis isn't new, it is rare. It only occurs in about one percent of syphilis infections, per ArsTechnica, and usually in only in cases that are late stage, in people older than 65, in HIV-positive people, or those who inject drugs.
How Worried Should We be About the Pneumonia Outbreak in China? by Professor Raina MacIntyre, Ashley Quigley, Haley Stone, and Rebecca Dawson
November 26, 2023
Introduction:
(The Conversation) Reports of a surge in pneumonia-like illness primarily affecting children in northern China have captured our attention. The last time we heard about a mysterious respiratory outbreak leading to overcrowding in hospitals was the beginning of the COVID pandemic, so it’s not entirely surprising this has caused some alarm.
On November 22 the World Health Organization requested information from China about this surge. Chinese health authorities have since said the outbreak is due to a number of respiratory pathogens.
So what are the pathogens possibly causing this uptick in respiratory illness? And do we need to be concerned that any have pandemic potential? Let’s take a look.
Mycoplasma
One is a bacteria, Mycoplasma, which has been causing outbreaks of respiratory illness in China since June this year.
Mycoplasma is usually treated in the community with antibiotics and hospitalisation is not common. It can lead to a phenomenon called “walking pneumonia”, which is when the chest x-ray looks much worse than the patient appears.
Also discussed are influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and adenovirus.
Yes, Everyone Is Sick Right Now. So, What Can You Do About It? by Keren Landman
January 8, 2024
Introduction:
(Vox) Does it feel like everyone you know is sick right now? It’s not your imagination: It’s been a particularly fierce season for all kinds of respiratory infections, from mild colds to more serious bugs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health care visits for coughs and sore throats with fever were “above baseline” for the eighth consecutive week by the end of December. Hospital admissions for flu, RSV, and Covid-19 are ticking up ahead of schedule.
The increase isn’t itself atypical. “Pre-Covid, we always saw a surge of hospitalized patients in this winter time period, especially after New Years,” said Dhaval Desai, who oversees hospital medicine at Emory University’s St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta. But compared to five years ago, “we are at a more intense spot from a respiratory illness standpoint,” he said.
It’s not entirely clear why this particular season is so gnarly. Although the CDC focuses its tracking on the viruses most likely to cause severe illness and death — Covid-19, flu, and RSV — lots of other germs with less name recognition are landing people in the hospital.
A broader age group is turning up very sick, too. In addition to the usual severe illness in people with chronic conditions, who are typically more vulnerable to bad outcomes, Desai said, “we’re also seeing those that may be younger or middle-aged who really don’t have any other major contributors to their medical history, but are coming in really sick, from whether it’s the flu, RSV, or some of the other common viruses.”
First penguins die in Antarctic of deadly H5N1 bird flu strain
Mon 29 Jan 2024 15.05 GMT
At least one king penguin is suspected to have died from bird flu in the Antarctic. If confirmed, it will be the first of the species killed by the highly contagious H5N1 virus in the wild.
Researchers have previously raised alarm about “one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times” if bird flu reached remote Antarctic penguin populations. The birds are currently clustering together for breeding season, meaning the disease could rip through entire colonies if it continues to spread through the region.
King penguins are the world’s second-largest penguin, at about 3ft tall, and can live for more than 20 years in the wild. The suspected case was recorded on South Georgia island in the Antarctic region, according to the latest update from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (Scar). A gentoo penguin was also suspected to have died from H5N1 at the same location.
Separately, at least one gentoo penguin has been confirmed to have died from H5N1 on the Falkland Islands – 900 miles (1,500km) west of South Georgia – with more than 20 chicks either dead or also showing symptoms. Since H5N1 arrived in the Antarctic, there have been mass deaths of elephant seals as well as increased deaths of fur seals, kelp gulls and brown skua in the region.
Previous outbreaks in South Africa, Chile and Argentina show penguins are susceptible to the disease. Since it arrived in South America, more than 500,000 seabirds have died of it, with penguins, pelicans and boobies among those most heavily affected.
Measles Cases Soaring Worldwide as WHO Reports Alarming 45-Fold Rise in Europe by Jaya Dantas
February 1, 2024
Introduction:
(Science Alert) In recent weeks a series of measles alerts have been issued around Australia, including in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, after the identification of a small number of cases in travellers returning from overseas.
Meanwhile, places such as the United States and the United Kingdom have been contending with larger measles outbreaks.
In fact, the World Health Organization reported a 45-fold increase in measles cases in Europe last year, with 42,200 cases recorded in 2023 compared to 941 in 2022.
In South Asia, India and Pakistan have also recently reported outbreaks.
So what's the risk of a larger outbreak in Australia? Fortunately it's likely to be quite low – but ensuring we continue to have high rates of vaccination coverage is crucial.
As a Florida elementary school tries to contain a growing measles outbreak, the state’s top health official is giving advice that runs counter to science and may leave unvaccinated children at risk of contracting one of the most contagious pathogens on Earth, clinicians and public health experts said.
Florida surgeon general Joseph A. Ladapo failed to urge parents to vaccinate their children or keep unvaccinated students home from school as a precaution in a letter to parents at the Fort Lauderdale-area school this week following six confirmed measles cases.
Instead of following what he acknowledged was the “normal” recommendation that parents keep unvaccinated children home for up to 21 days — the incubation period for measles — Ladapo said the state health department “is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.”
The controversial move by Ladapo follows a pattern of bucking public health norms, particularly when it comes to vaccines. Last month, he called for halting the use of mRNA coronavirus vaccines, in a move decried by the public health community.
Ben Hoffman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Florida’s guidance flies in the face of long-standing and widely accepted public health guidance for measles, which can result in severe complications, including death.
