Infection
UK’s first human Brucella canis case confirmed
The European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites called for compulsory testing of imported dogs after the UK’s first case of dog-to-human transmission
WHO updates guidance for Tuberculosis response
In August 2022 the WHO announced new guidance to “support national strategic planning” for TB responses. This guidance is a culmination of “latest guidelines”
UK’s JCVI updates Covid-19 booster programme
In August 2022 the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published advice on the boosters that will be used for each group in autumn.
Avian influenza restrictions lifted in the UK
The UK’s Chief Veterinary Office, Professor Christine Middlemiss, is appealing to bird keepers to maintain enhanced biosecurity measures.
UK approves Moderna’s dual vaccine against Covid
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced in August that it had approved Moderna’s bivalent vaccine
Langya (LayV) henipavirus emerges in China
Langya (LayV) is a henipavirus, the genus that includes the Hendra and Nipah viruses. According to an article in New Scientist it appears to be “most closely related to Mojiang henipavirus”, which was linked to the onset of severe pneumonia and death in three men in...
The monkeypox vaccine: how much do we know?
As monkeypox cases across the world continue to increase, rollouts of the one licensed vaccine are under pressure. In the UK, questions about the number of doses were posed in a letter written by LGBTQ+ groups. In the US, NIH scientists have started to explore...
Pan-coronavirus vaccine hopes boosted by cold immunity
Scientists at La Jolla Institute for immunology in California have concluded that patients with a stronger immune response to the coronaviruses that cause cold-like symptoms may be “better protected against covid-19". This offers the hope that a pan-coronavirus...
Lyme disease vaccine candidate proceeds to Phase III study
Lyme disease is a systemic infection transmitted to humans by infected ticks, caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. It is the most common vector-borne illness in the Northern Hemisphere. According to the CDC, state health departments report 30,000 cases each...
UKHSA under vaccine pressure as monkeypox continues
British LGBTQ+ groups across a spectrum of political parties wrote to the UK's Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay in August 2022 to demand urgent action against monkeypox. The letter stated that the UKHSA “has procured just over half” the required quantity...
Antimicrobial resistant bacteria discovered in new-borns
A study in Nature Microbiology explored links between the presence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria isolated from mothers and their new-borns across 7 countries. The study was coordinated by Professor Tim Walsh at the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial...
Emerging emergencies require top authority
In July 2022 the Director-General of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared monkeypox to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This is the seventh of its kind since 2005. The PHEIC is overseen by the International Health...
Monkeypox doses stretched to the limit by NIH scientists
As cases of monkeypox increase, it is evident that vaccine demand is greater than the supply. Although the FDA had previously indicated sufficient supply for double doses, scientists at the NIH are exploring alternatives to a two-shot regime in order to increase...
Experimental RSV vaccine promise shown in mice
The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects almost all children before they turn 2 years old. The pathogen causes bronchiolitis chest infection, for which there are no approved treatments. RSV is estimated to kill over 59,000 children under 5 each year, and there...
WHO’s new infection guidelines for “key populations”
In July 2022 the WHO published new guidelines on “HIV, viral hepatitis, and STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care for key populations”. These guidelines were officially launched at the AIDS 2022 Conference in Canada. The guidelines outline a public health...
Northern Europe’s novel hepatitis nightmare
In April 2022, cases of acute hepatitis of “unknown origin” in children were reported across the WHO European Region. Several cases also appeared in the Region of the Americas. In July 2022 the total number of reported cases was at least 1,000 in 35 countries. At...
Hear from our WVC 2022 speaker: Dr James Crowe
Dr James E. Crowe, Director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Centre at Vanderbilt University and presenter at the World Vaccine Congress 2022 explained how new discoveries in the fight against influenza, including the targeted use of human monoclonal antibodies, may lead to...
Back to the past: Polio pops up again in 2022
Although unrelated vaccine-like polio is found in the UK sewage every year, recent samples were different to the rest. They were related and contained mutations, implying human infection, possibly through poor hygiene. This strain is likely to be vaccine derived. The...
Rabies results from Oxford University trial
On 28th July 2022 researchers from the University of Oxford reported positive results from a Phase I clinical trial of a newly developed single shot rabies vaccine. This emerges in a field of more costly multiple-dose vaccines. Funding for the trial comes from the UK...
A universally acknowledged flu requires a universal vaccine
Literary references aside, flu is about as universal a truth as it gets; each year ‘flu season’ rears its ugly head and sweeps across the world, killing up to 650,000 people worldwide. Repeated efforts to track, prepare, and manage each outbreak consume time and money...
