Category: Vaccine

A new drug described as the closest we have ever been to an HIV vaccine could cost $40 (31) a year for every patient, a thousand times less than its current price, new research suggests.

Lenacapavir , sold as Sunlenca by US pharmaceutical giant Gilead, currently costs $42,250 for the first year. The company is being urged to make it available at a thousand times less than that price worldwide.

UNAids said it could herald a breakthrough for HIV prevention if the drug was available rapidly and affordably.

Given by injection every six months, lenacapavir can prevent infection and suppress HIV in people who are already infected.

In a trial, the drug offered 100% protection to more than 5,000 women in South Africa and Uganda, according to results announced by Gilead last month.

Lenacapavir is currently licensed for treatment, not prevention.

In a study presented at the 25th international Aids conference in Munich on Tuesday, experts calculated that the minimum price for mass production of a generic version, based on the costs of lenacapavirs ingredients and manufacturing, and allowing for 30% profit, was $40 a year , assuming 10 million people used it annually. In the long-term, 60 million people would probably need to take the drug preventatively to lower HIV levels significantly, they said.

Dr Andrew Hill, of Liverpool University, who led the research, said: Youve got an injection somebody could have every six months and not get HIV. Thats as close as weve ever been to an HIV vaccine.

Most HIV prevention presently relies on daily pills and barrier measures, such as condoms.

Campaigners want Gilead to allow generic licensing through the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool in all low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which account for 95% of HIV infections. Similar mechanisms have been in place in the HIV treatment market for decades, where wealthy countries pay higher prices than poorer ones.

If that did not happen, Hill said, countries should consider issuing compulsory licences allowing generic manufacture in the face of a public health emergency.

Gilead said it was too early to price lenacapavir for prevention, as it was awaiting clinical trial data and potential regulatory filings, but promised a strategy to enable broad, sustainable access globally.

This would include both Gilead supply in the countries where the need is greatest until voluntary licensing partners are able to supply high-quality, low-cost versions of lenacapavir and a voluntary licensing programme for high-incidence, resource-limited countries. Gilead said choosing those countries was ongoing.

But campaigners said it was vital that all LMICs, including upper middle-income nations such as Brazil, had access to low-cost generic forms of the drug.

Similar selections in the past had excluded countries where the HIV epidemic was growing fastest, they said.

Trials in LMICs made the case for universal access even stronger, Hill said, pointing to the Helsinki Declaration on medical ethics, which said that trials should only be performed in populations who stood to benefit from the results.

Joyce Ouma, senior programmes officer at Y+ Global, a network of young people living with HIV, said a twice-yearly injectable would be transformative for young people like me living with or at risk of HIV.

Ouma said: Its not an exaggeration to say that meeting the 2030 goal of ending new HIV transmissions hinges on Gilead ensuring people in the global south have fair access to lenacapavir.

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAids, said treatment could be life-saving by providing a more discreet option than daily tablets for people who faced stigma because of their HIV status or sexuality.

The headline of this article was amended on 23 July 2024 to reflect that, although the lead researcher said it was as close as weve ever been to an HIV vaccine, lenacapavir is a drug rather than a vaccine.

Continued here:

HIV drug could be made for just $40 a year for every patient - The Guardian

Drug vial with label - Vaccines Save Lives

One of my earliest childhood memories was watching my father, a doctor, make house calls to his patients around Nashville. Witnessing his healing, empathy, and dedication to the science of medicine first inspired me to follow in his footsteps not just as a physician, but in his passion to make the world a healthier, better place for all. It inevitably guided me to the halls of the U.S. Capitol as a senator representing my home state of Tennessee.

In those halls, I saw the greatness of this country at its best moments times of bipartisanship, when the health, happiness, well-being, and freedom of the American people were prioritized above all else.

That was 17 years ago. Since then, we have watched that bipartisanship crumble and those good moments become fewer and farther between, reaching a precipice during the COVID-19 pandemic a precipice we are dangerously close to careening over.

The pandemic not only led to a devastating loss of life, but it also gave rise to a scourge of misinformation causing a level of distrust in medicine and science unseen in modern times. Never in my lifetime has the word vaccine been so controversial. As a physician, and as a representative of the American people, its disappointing, but it is by no means insurmountable.

Recent data on vaccine hesitancy must be our wake-up call our rallying cry to right the ship, most importantly for our young people. The CDC has reported that immunization rates for critical vaccines like MMR, DTaP, and polio continue to fall, dropping below levels from the 2011-2012 school year, amounting to nearly 250,000 children who may not be protected against measles and other infectious diseases. We are already witnessing the effects.

With the emergence of a measles vaccine in the early 1960s, we saw a 99% reduction in measles cases in the U.S., achieving the elimination goal in 2000. However, due to vaccine hesitancy since then, we have witnessed an alarming rise in outbreaks across the country. Between November 2022 and February 2023, a measles outbreak affected several schools and daycares in central Ohio, infecting 85 children 80 of whom were unvaccinated. Already this year, there have been 11 outbreaks in the U.S., with cases spanning 22 states. Of this years cases, 65% of the children under age 5 were hospitalized.

Globally, outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases like polio and cholera are also on the rise, and will almost certainly make their way to the U.S. These diseases know no borders, and if vaccination rates continue to decline here, the relatively small number of cases we have now could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of infected people.

Vaccines have, and continue to be, our greatest defense in preventing infectious diseases and safeguarding public health. Historical data underscores their success. The introduction of the polio vaccine in 1955 drastically reduced the number of polio cases, contributing to the Americas being declared polio-free in 1994. Recent studies have also shown the high efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, with mRNA vaccines like those from Moderna and Pfizer demonstrating effectiveness rates of over 90% in preventing severe illness and hospitalization. Furthermore, the new RSV immunization, nirsevimab, has shown 90% effectiveness in preventing RSV-related hospitalizations in infants.

Children and parents line up outside the Children's Hospital to receive polio vaccines, Cincinnati, ... [+] Ohio, April 24, 1960. The day marked to first day that the vaccine was made available to US children and was popularly referred to as 'Sabin Sunday,' after Dr. Albert Sabin whose research at the hospital lead to the vaccine. (Photo by Cincinnati Museum Center/Getty Images)

In addition to their effectiveness, vaccines have a robust safety profile with minimal risk of side effects, having been subject to rigorous studies and double-blind tests. Contrary to what rampant misinformation would have you believe, the vast majority of vaccine side effects are mild and temporary, such as a low-grade fever. These successes and safety assurances highlight the critical role of vaccines in combating both long-standing and emerging infectious diseases, underscoring the importance of continued vaccination efforts.

Vaccines are critical for more than individual health, they also ensure the safety of those around us. A viruss effects are exponential: One unvaccinated individual can cause severe illness among entire communities and lead to preventable loss of life, especially among the most vulnerable including children, grandparents, front-line workers, and the immune-compromised like transplant recipients, whose lives hang in the balance.

It falls to all of us to correct the course, combat misinformation, get vaccinated, and urge our loved ones to do the same. And to our lawmakers the men and women fortunate enough to hold offices that are a public trust it is past time to live up to the roles bestowed by the American people. It is the responsibility of our leaders to take the sometimes uncomfortable, even unpopular, position when the health and safety of our people are at stake. Trust the science, trust the medicine, work together, and boldly combat the rising vaccine hesitancy and skepticism that needlessly put our nation at risk.

Continue reading here:

Lost Trust Leads To Lives Lost: Rebuilding Vaccine Confidence For A Healthier Nation - Forbes

Danielle Smith, the conservative premier of the western Canadian province of Alberta, re-confirmed on Monday that she will table amendments to the Alberta Human Rights Act to include vaccination status as a protected ground from discrimination.

The amendment was a key campaign promise, along with the enactment of the Alberta Sovereignty Act, which allows the province to challenge or ignore federal laws that negatively impact Albertas interests. The Alberta Sovereignty Act was enacted and came into force on December 15, 2022, shortly after the premier took office. Premier Smith later walked back on her promise of amending provincial human rights legislation to include vaccination status as a protected ground.

On the day she was sworn in, Premier Smith was asked how the choice to vaccinate was comparable to other protected grounds under the Alberta Human Rights Act, such as race, gender and sexual orientation. In response, she described the unvaccinated group, which has faced issues such as being fired by their employers, not being able to visit loved ones in hospitals and being unable to travel, as the most discriminated group she has seen in her lifetime. She later clarified her comments in a written statement.

Vaccination status was a significant issue among healthcare workers in Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic, pitting the competing social values of public health and safety against bodily autonomy and personal choice. More than a thousand healthcare workers who were not fully immunized were put on unpaid leave in 2021 and 2022 until the vaccine mandate was lifted. These employees later settled grievances, receiving financial compensation for their time off work.

As a federation, the jurisdictions of the provincial and federal governments in Canada are set out in sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act 1867. Human rights are protected through both provincial and federal laws. Nationally, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, part of the Canadian Constitution, guarantees fundamental freedoms from unreasonable government laws or actions. Provincial legislation also protects human rights in areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction, such as property, housing, employment, and goods, services and facilities.

The re-confirmation comes about one and a half years after Premier Smith took office after her United Conservative Party won a divisive provincial election. The amended bill of rights is expected to be tabled in the provincial legislature in the fall.

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Alberta plans to add vaccination status as protected ground in provincial bill of rights - JURIST

Kroger recently has been thinking about prominent health issues inspired by back-to-school season. If you have any questions about the vaccines needed before classes resume, the clinical team is available to help. The pharmacists and nurse practitioners will ensure that everyone is up-to-date on their needs. Kroger wants to remind the public vaccines are offered in a place thats convenient for them, right in their local Kroger. The Kroger Health team also offers expertise on the shingles vaccine, especially for people who are age 50 or older. Shingles is a painful viral infection that affects approximately 1 million people in the U.S. each year. And, it affects about 1 in every 3 people in the United States in their lifetime. The disease can sometimes lead to serious complications such as vision loss and long-term nerve pain. The Shingles vaccine can significantly reduce a persons chances of getting the infection and the severity of the illness if one is diagnosed with it. While customers can choose to walk-in to receive a Shingles vaccine, they are also welcome to make an appointment or kroger.com/health to learn more about vaccine offerings. At Kroger, the Shingles vaccine is available at no charge for most patients with insurance.

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Kroger Health To Offer Back To School & Shingles Vaccine Help - Times-Union Newspaper

World Health Organization (WHO)Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesusannouncedthat the vaccines willbe administeredto childreninthecoming weeks.

Henoted thatno cases of polio have been recorded yetbutwithout immediate action, itwasjust a matter of time before it reaches the thousands of children who have been left unprotected.

Humanitarians have expressed deep concernsaboutthe impact of apossible polioemergencyin Gaza, amid disastrous sanitary conditionsmarked byoutbreaks of hepatitis A and myriad other preventable diseases, along witha lack of access to healthcare, because of the war.

Earlier this week,Dr.AyadilSaparbekov, Team Lead for Health Emergencies at WHO in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,warnedthat the spread of polio and other communicable diseases could lead to more people dying of preventable illness than from war-related injuries currently 39,000, according to the local health authorities.

On 16 July, the WHO said that vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 had beenidentified at six locations in sewage samples collectedlast monthfrom Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah two Gaza cities left in ruins bynearly 10 months of intense Israeli bombardment.

WHO explained that polio virus canemerge in areaswhere poor vaccinationcoverage allows the weakenedform of the orallytakenvaccinevirusstrainto mutate into a stronger version.

Before the war, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks on multiple locations in southern Israel, Gazan youngsters had access torobust routine vaccination services, the UN health agencyinsisted on Friday.

But while an estimated 99 per cent of children in theOccupied PalestinianTerritory received their third dose of polio vaccine in 2022, this fell to 89 per cent in 2023, according to the latest routine immunization estimates by WHO and theUNChildrens Fund (UNICEF).

As part of collective efforts tocombat circulating variant poliovirus type 2 in Gaza and beyond, theWHOconvened health ministersfrom acrossthe Eastern Mediterraneanregionon Thursday.

I witnessed at first hand living conditions that are highlyfavourable for the spread of polio and other diseases, saidDr HananBalkhy,WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, who called the meeting. This is an important timeto come together to act swiftly and decisively to contain this outbreak, for the children of Gaza.

Measures agreed upon at the meeting includedintensified surveillance andmultiple mass polio immunization campaigns that can be integrated with other crucial health service delivery,when feasible.

Representatives also called for a safe and enabling environment for vaccination roll-out by way of a ceasefire or days oftranquillity, to allow for steps to be taken to stop polio from paralyzing children in Gaza, and surrounding areas and countries.

Thelatest gathering of theRegional Subcommittee on Polio Eradication and Outbreaksalsohighlightedthe urgent need to stop all forms of poliovirus in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is home to the last two countries in the world with endemic wild poliovirus transmission: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Countries of the region are also facing active variant poliovirus outbreaks, such as Somalia,Sudan and Yemen.

Read more:

WHO to send one million polio vaccines to Gaza to protect children - UN News

A European Vaccination Card will enable informed vaccination, according to experts working on the EUVABECO project. Latvia, Greece, Belgium, Germany and Portugal will pilot the new tool from September.

Despite decades of awareness, zoonotic diseases those transmitted from animals to humans continue to pose a significant threat to global health.[1] In the face of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, our global lack of preparedness for such outbreaks became starkly apparent.

However, it also sparked a surge of innovation, leading to the rapid deployment of multidisciplinary approaches and new technologies that helped us understand, treat, and protect against the virus, ultimately bringing the crisis under control.[2] These innovations included new medicinal products, such as vaccines, as well as advanced tools like those for modelling and forecasting.

As Europe transitions from emergency measures to long-term COVID-19 management, there is a critical opportunity to strengthen resilience and increase preparedness for future health threats. The European Vaccination Beyond COVID-19 (EUVABECO) project seeks to leverage this momentum by initiating pilot projects to develop and test implementation plans for tools that support both routine and crisis vaccination practices.[3]

One key tool that EUVABECO will introduce is the European Vaccination Card (EVC).[4] Scheduled for launch in September 2024, the EVC will initially be piloted in five pilot countries: Latvia, Greece, Belgium, Germany, and Portugal. The card aims to empower individuals by consolidating all their vaccination data in one easily accessible location. It will be available in various formats, including printed cards, mailed copies, and digital versions for smartphones.[5]

Consider the example of Anna*, a 27-year-old nurse who recently moved from Bremaria* to Morvania* with her family. In her new country, Anna needs to provide her vaccination history to comply with local regulations. Using the European Vaccination Card (EVC), Anna can seamlessly transfer her records. She goes online, creates an EVC account with the provider of her choice, and enters her vaccination data from Bremaria.

Anna also needs to create an EVC for her son, Lucas*. She sets up his EVC using her account, transferring information from his paper child health book. Both EVCs are then validated by her doctor, an authorised EVC health professional in Bremaria. This digital record becomes accessible via her smartphone, simplifying the process of sharing it with healthcare providers.

During their first visit to Dr. Mller* in Morvania, Anna presents Lucass printed EVC. With Annas consent, Dr. Mller scans the EVCss QR code, quickly updating Lucass vaccination history in the local system. This seamless process ensures Lucas receives the necessary vaccinations according to Morvanias schedule, allowing Anna to efficiently manage both her and her sons vaccination records.

The EVC empowers individuals like Anna to take control over their own vaccination records, revolutionising vaccination management and ensuring a healthier future for all Europeans. This citizen-centred method of storing and sharing data, rather than relying solely on public health systems, was made possible by the Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN).

Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic for the EU Digital COVID Certificate, the GDHCN is now managed by the World Health Organization, enabling the authenticity of digital vaccination records to be ensured.[7]

EUVABECOs pilot projects aim to pave the way for other countries by harmonising vaccine terminology, developing a common syntax, ensuring adaptability across different healthcare settings, and refining EVC implementation plans. These plans will be publicly released in 2026, extending the EVC system beyond the pilot phases and enabling broad adoption across all EU Member States.

In addition to the EVC, EUVABECO is creating plans for several other innovative tools: a clinical decision system that provides vaccination recommendations, a screening tool to identify and invite vulnerable populations, an electronic Product Information Leaflet (e-PIL) to enable the transfer of vaccines across countries without having to repackage them, and a modeling and forecasting tool to assess the impact of public health interventions.

By leveraging the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and fostering innovation in vaccination management, Europe is taking crucial steps toward a more resilient and health-secure future.

For more information about the EUVABECO project, visit the project website.

*All names and places are fictional

Authors: Sally Jackson, Francois Kaag, Alain Cimino and Dace Zavadska.

[1] 2020 United Nations Environment Programme. Preventing the next pandemic. Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission. [report] (https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/UNEP-Preventing-the-next-pandemic.pdf, accessed July 8 2024).

[2] European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Drawing light from the pandemic. A new strategy for health and sustainable development. A review of the evidence for the Pan-European Commission for Health and Sustainable Development. [report] (https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/345027/9789289051798-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y, accessed July 8 2024).

[3] EUVABECO Project [web portal] (https://euvabeco.eu/, accessed July 8 2024)

[4] Publications Office of the European Union. Provision of options and recommendations for an EU citizens vaccination card [report] (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/111d0610-1c41-11ed-8fa0-01aa75ed71a1/language-en?WT.mc_id=Selectedpublications&WT.ria_c=69089&WT.ria_f=7230&WT.ria_ev=search&WT.URL=https%3A%2F%2Fhadea.ec.europa.eu%2F, accessed July 8 2024)

[5] EUVABECO. European Vaccination Card (EVC): A citizen-held card to foster informed decision-making on vaccination and improve continuity of care across the EU. [news story] (https://euvabeco.eu/news/european-vaccination-card-evc-a-citizen-held-card-to-foster-informed-decision-making-on-vaccination-and-improve-continuity-of-care-across-the-eu/, accessed July 8 2024)

[6] European Commission, European Health and Digital Executive Agency, Provision of options and recommendations for an EU citizens vaccination card. Annex 2, Design and testing of three dual templates, [report] (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/da6517a7-de58-11ed-a05c-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-search, accessed July 8 2024)

[7] World Health Organization. Global Digital Health Certification Network [web portal] (https://www.who.int/initiatives/global-digital-health-certification-network, accessed July 8 2024)

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European Vaccination Card will be piloted in five countries - Vaccines Today

Cambridge (Precision Vaccinations News)

According to a new study published by the journal Nature Medicine, there is emerging evidence that the live herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine might protect against dementia.

However, whether the GlaxoSmithKline plc's Shingrixrecombinant shingles vaccine protects against dementia remains unknown.

This Brief Communication, published on July 25, 2024, stated, 'We used a natural experiment opportunity created by the rapid transition from live to recombinant vaccines to compare the risk of dementia between vaccines. We show that the recombinant vaccine is associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia in the six years post-vaccination.'

'Specifically, receiving the recombinant vaccine is associated with a 17% increase in diagnosis-free time, translating into 164 additional days lived without a diagnosis of dementia in those subsequently affected.'

'The effect was robust across multiple secondary analyses and present in both men and women but greater in women.'

'These findings should stimulate studies investigating the mechanisms underpinning the protection and could facilitate the design of a large-scale randomized control trial to confirm the possible additional benefit of the recombinant shingles vaccine.'

'The recombinant shingles vaccine was also associated with lower risks of dementia compared to two other vaccines commonly used in older people: influenza and tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis vaccines.'

John Todd, Professor of Precision Medicine at the University of Oxfords Nuffield Department of Medicine, commented in a press release,'A key question is, how does the vaccine produce its apparent benefit in protecting against dementia? One possibility is that infection with the Herpes zoster virus might increase the risk of dementia, and therefore, by inhibiting the virus, the vaccine could reduce this risk.'

'Alternatively, the vaccine also contains chemicals which might have separate beneficial effects on brain health,' added Todd.

Researchers at the University of Oxford conducted this study, which included about 200,000 people, and it was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre.

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Herpes Zoster Vaccination Associated with Delay in Dementia - Precision Vaccinations

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Rabies vaccine baits to be dropped in Portage, Columbiana and Carroll counties - Canton Repository

After trusting the previous cat owner's word, a woman was speechless at a vet appointment after learning the truth about her new fur baby.

Yasmeen, known on TikTok as @yasmeenfarq, bought a cat from an owner who kept referring to the feline as "she" while exchanging messages. That alone would have been enough not to question the cat's gender, but Yasmeen told Newsweek the owner also had the cat checked by a vet.

The whole time, Yasmeen believed she was welcoming home a female cat. She even named it Luna. Then a vet visit for "Luna's" first vaccine left her stunned. The vet broke the news to her that Luna was not a female.

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In the July 18 TikTok video, she addresses the mix-up with her cat by asking if he knew this whole time he was male. Annoyed, he stares back at her because, of course, he knew. He can't believe it took her this long to realize it.

The caption reads: "Still shook. Good thing we were never gonna breed the kitten."

It finally clicked for Yasmeen when she heard the news: No wonder this cat wasn't responding to Luna, his girlie name.

"I was just like mouth open. Then, you are kidding me," she told Newsweek via TikTok. "And then [I] was like, 'The girl we bought her from, well, he said [it] was a girl.' I can't believe that."

Upon hearing the news, Yasmeen knew it was time to give her confirmed male cat a new name. Out with Luna and in with Luis.

Luckily, Luis didn't hold it against her. He even initiated an apology by standing up and offering cuddles when Yasmeen was confronting him. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Yasmeen wrote in the comments section: "I'm honestly quite happy it's a boy now from what everyone's saying about the boy cats being more affectionate."

The hilarious mix-up left viewers laughing. As of Wednesday, the TikTok clip had over 23,800 views and 1,974 likes.

"All this time he hasn't known how to tell you," joked a viewer.

A second user said: "He's like, 'Of course I knew, you didn't?"

Cat parents flooded the comments section in solidarity, with one saying: "This has happened to me THREE times."

Another wrote: "This happened with my first cat! It took 2 vets visits for them to then confirm, Tito was indeed Tati."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Originally posted here:

Woman Takes Cat to the Vet for First Vaccine, in Shock Over What She's Told - Newsweek

Geneva (Precision Vaccinations News)

While efforts to eradicate poliomyelitis have been ongoing for decades, significant progress has been made in reducing polio cases by 99% over the last 30 years.

However, the last steps in eradicating the disease are proving to be the most challenging, as recent data indicates a resurgence of polio in 2024.

According to the latest Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) report, five countries reportednew polio casesthis week.

As of July 24, 2024, Pakistan reported a wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case.This is the ninth WPV1 case reported in Pakistan this year.

And vaccine-derived cases were detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1), Ethiopia (5), Somalia (1), and Yemen (11).

Last week, the GPEI reported that Nigeria confirmed one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)case. There have been 31 cases reported this year and 87 cases reported in 2023.

The GPEI says cVDPV2 is a public health threat that affects 27 countries, includingAngola, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan, locatedacross four World Health Organization (WHO) regions.

Based on the current situation regarding WPV1 and cVDPVs and the reports provided by affected countries, the WHO Director-General determined in April 2024 thatpoliovirus detectionscontinue to constitute an emergency.

cVDPV casesare associated with oral polio vaccines (OPV) and can cause paralysis among persons in areas with low population immunity to polioviruses.

To address this issue, thenovel oral poliovaccine(nOPV2) is being rolled out under theWHO Emergency Use Listing (November 2020). The nOPV2 is reported to be more genetically stable than previousOPVs, with a lower risk of reversion to neurovirulence and less likely to mutate and cause paralysis.

On February 28, 204, the U.S. CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices included an Introduction and Considerations for the Potential Use of nOPV2 as an Outbreak Control Measure.

The nOPV2 vaccine is not yet approved by the U.S. FDA.

As of July 2024, over 1 billion doses of nOPV2 have been administered worldwide, says the GPEI.

However, 14.3 million children were missingout on any vaccination in 2022. To reduce the number of polio cases, these so-called zero-dose children also need access to polio vaccines.

The WHO strongly recommends that these children be offered disease-prevention vaccines in 2024.

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Polio Cases Surge in July 2024 - Precision Vaccinations