Infection
WHO offers update on Marburg cases in Equatorial Guinea
Just under a month after the confirmation of an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Equatorial Guinea, WHO has issued an update confirming further cases
Africa CDC confirms outbreak of Marburg virus in Tanzania
Africa CDC has confirmed that the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tanzania declared an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) on 21st March 2023
WHO weighs in on new SARS-CoV-2 data from China
In March 2023 new metagenomics data and SARS-CoV-2 sequences appeared on GISAID and were available to researchers across the world for a short period of time.
Vaccine-derived polio: Burundi and DRC start investigations
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and WHO Africa confirmed that cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2
Uganda’s plan to vaccinate children against yellow fever
In March 2023 WHO Africa reported that the Ugandan Ministry of Health is planning to vaccinate over 1.9 million children against yellow fever
The Measles and Rubella Initiative enters “new era”
After an update from WHO in November 2022 that almost 40 million children are “dangerously susceptible” to measles, the Measles and Rubella Initiative (M&RI) released a statement on the future of the fight. Founded in 2001 as the Measles Initiative, it was...
BactiVac secures £1 million in Wellcome funding
In February 2023 BactiVac, the Bacterial Vaccines Network, announced that it had secured £1 million in funding from Wellcome to “accelerate the development of bacterial vaccines” and “combat the threat” of AMR. BactiVac BactiVac comprises 1,400 members across 78...
Mpox: still a PHEIC, says IHR Emergency Committee
During a meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee in February 2023 on the mpox outbreak, the current infection rates and containment measures were considered alongside plans for the future. Although the Committee commended global...
WHO responds to Nature “error in reporting” article
After an article in Nature in February 2023 in which it was suggested that WHO had “quietly” abandoned plans to continue the investigation into the origins of COVID-19, senior members of the organisation responded on Twitter and in a press conference. Dr Maria van...
Nature: WHO investigation into pandemic origin dropped
In February 2023 an article in Nature announced that the WHO has “quietly shelved the second phase” of the “much-anticipated scientific investigation” into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Referring to political challenges, the team of experts will not conduct...
Equatorial Guinea confirms outbreak of Marburg virus
In February 2023, WHO Africa confirmed that Equatorial Guinea had announced an outbreak of Marburg virus disease following the deaths of at least nine people. Preliminary tests after these deaths in the western Kie Ntem Province were positive for the viral...
Concern grows as avian flu affects more mammals
With reports of avian flu sweeping through minks in Spain, foxes in the UK, and now other mammals across the world, concern is growing about the threat both to human and animal health from H5N1. Although the position from WHO is that the risk to humans is “low”,...
UK MHRA grants Takeda authorisation for Dengue vaccine
In February 2023 Takeda UK Ltd. announced that the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had granted marketing authorisation for Qdenga for immunisation against infection in individuals over the age of 4. In August 2022 we reported that the...
NIH researchers develop promising SUDV vaccine
Research in The Lancet Microbe in February 2023 presents a positive update from an NIH group with their vaccine candidate against Sudan virus (SUDV). Based on the licensed Ebola virus (EBOV) vaccine, the new vaccine VSV-SUDV demonstrated efficacy in cynomolgus...
Bird flu affecting otters and foxes in the UK
After reports of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in minks from a farm in Spain, further updates from the UK reveal that the virus has been detected in other mammals. An article by the BBC in February 2023 explained that although this “spill...
African leaders vow to end AIDS in children by 2030
At the first ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance to end AIDS in children, leaders from 12 African countries discussed their commitments to ending AIDS in children by 2030. The meeting took place in the United Republic of Tanzania, in Dar es Salaam. A WHO...
Moderna secures FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for RSV
Moderna announced in January 2023 that its investigational mRNA vaccine candidate for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), mRNA-1345, has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the US FDA. The designation was based on the positive data from the ConquerRSV...
Marburg vaccine candidate shows in-human promise
A study in The Lancet with NIH funding reported that a vaccine candidate against Marburg virus (MARV) was safe and induced and immune response in a limited, first-in-human trial. Developed by researchers at NIAID, this experimental vaccine “could someday be an...
WHO in January 2023: COVID-19 still a PHEIC
The 14th meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding COVID-19 took place on Friday 27th January 2023. The advice offered by the Committee was accepted by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who agrees that the...
COVID-19 vaccine strategies: the UK and US plan ahead
Moving into another year of emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic, with vaccines continuing to be a core tool in this process, the UK and US are making moves to prepare for future seasons of COVID-19 infections. In a meeting on 26th January 2023, the US Vaccines and...
