Stay Awesome

red and black abstract art

The archives

Historical Updates & News

October 2024 news

Happy October!! How's the RSV programme going for you? Hope you have managed to get some headway with it now we have started the adult flu vaccines as of 3rd Oct.

Here's some October news I've spotted....

The second update in 2 months to the Varicella Green Book chapter was published on the last day of September. This change was following the withdrawal of VZIG, including use of iv Varitect CP for Group 1 neonates at highest risk of severe varicella. The RSV Green book Chapter was also updated 1st Oct to link to the immunisation programme letters.

Also just before September came to close I noticed this article: Study shows gradual waning of MMR vaccine effectiveness over time. The waning is small, but may have significance, especially in under-vaccinated populations.

Can you discern misinformation? Try this test of misinformation susceptibility.

  • On 3rd October the COVID-19 Autumn booster guidance was updated. And in alignment with this the COVID-19 vaccinator competency assessment tool and training recommendation documents were also updated. On the same day, I presented a short webinar about the Shingles programme which will be available to watch soon. I will post the link when available.

  • 4th October: Another very sad (and likely preventable) death: Canadian child dies from rabies after bat found in bedroom. Thanks Fray, for sharing this article. And here's another death 2 months after a bat contact in Minnesota at the end of September: Minnesota reports rare human death from rabies.

  • 4th October: The topic of pregnancy and vaccination is at the forefront of our minds at the minute, with flu season upon us, soaring pertussis rates and low vaccine uptake, plus the new RSV programme on the go. This article links to some CDC data that helps put things in perspective when it comes to the risk of vaccination Vs the risk of disease: Here’s Why Getting a COVID Shot During Pregnancy Is Important. Some useful statistics to note from the original CDC report are that COVID-19–associated hospitalisation rates among infants aged <6 months (too young to be vaccinated) remain higher than those among any other age group except adults aged ≥75 years. Their hospitalisation rates were comparable to hospitalisation rates in adults aged 65–74 years. Among approximately 1,000 hospitalised infants with COVID-19, 22% were admitted to an intensive care unit, and nine died while hospitalised. 87% of these were babies born to unvaccinated women.

  • 5th October: Fancy signing up for a norovirus vaccine trial? A much needed bit of medicine.

  • 6th October: Some important news highlighted by Danielle (thankyou): Rwanda starts vaccine trials against deadly Marburg virus. Timely news as the outbreak in Rwanda continues... This one kills roughly half the people it infects....

  • 8th October: Vaccine update has landed! Highlights: Last year’s data shows that those who received a COVID-19 vaccine were around 45% less likely to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19, compared to those who did not receive one. But protection wanes 3 to 6 months following vaccination. That is why for those who are most vulnerable, we must keep going with those booster doses for the most vulnerable groups. There is a new online platform for reporting notifiable diseases. Have you ever browsed the NOIDS reports? It's a bit of a rabbit hole... very interesting though. Measles arrrggghh - nearly 1 in 6 children have not received both doses of the MMR vaccine by the age of 5. Keep going with those catch ups everyone!! There is a new NHS toolkit to help us out, alongside the latest marketing campaign which has started this month. Following the first wave of the campaign, parents and carers reported that after seeing the campaign they took action to check their child was vaccinated and protected. These actions included: 41% checked if their child’s vaccines were up to date, 37% contacted their GP, 19% went online to find out more, 17% spoke to their friends or family and 13% booked their child in for their evaluations. There are links to get NHS stickers as well in this edition - stickers work!! Who doesn't love a sticker? ....

  • 9th October: Interested in a bit of a debrief on where we are at with Shingles vaccination? I delivered a webinar last week which was recorded and freely available to watch here. And another useful webinar is one provided by the ISTM called Rabies in Travelers: Deadly but Preventable and this is available for free on the ISTM YouTube channel.

  • 10th October: Have you heard the descriptors of 'airport malaria' or 'luggage malaria'? Well you have now... Surge in malaria cases linked to aircraft-transported mosquitoes. And with the concerning outbreak in Rwanda, more news about Marburg vaccines: How far are we from a licensed vaccine for deadly Marburg?

  • 14th October: I'm struggling to find the right connection here between my website content and the topic of this interesting article, but the title alone is just too intriguing not to share.... Death Cafes: Demystifying the Inevitable Over Tea and Cookies

  • 14th October: The PGD template (formally named the smallpox PGD) for mpox (formally named monkeypox) has been updated. If you work in a clinical area make sure you have also seen this guidance on preparation for any cases.

  • 15th October: LOOK WHAT IS FINALLY HERE!!! YAY!!! The Green Book chapter for Dengue. Got to admire those detailed flow charts to aid with decision making. Phew! I'm going to tuck into that properly tonight. I've updated the Dengue section in the vaccine portal with this lovely new information too.

  • 16th October: Brilliant article: Is it time to freak out about bird flu?

  • also 16th October: Valneva and LimmaTech awarded FDA fast track designation for tetravalent Shigella vaccine candidate S4V. I love how Valneva seem to get mainly involved with lesser known diseases or ones with unmet need. They seem very ethical to me. Hopefully their chikungunya vaccine will be with us soon too...

  • 22nd October: Interesting (yet worrying) trend noted: Cases of tuberculosis in Scotland rose 40% last year. Public Health Scotland (PHS) data shows there were 283 confirmed cases of the disease in 2023 – a 40.8% increase from the 201 recorded the previous year.

  • 23rd October: Egypt declared malaria-free by WHO! Yay! Some great news there. Just FYI, a country can apply to the WHO for elimination certification once certain criteria are met. Countries must prove that nationwide, local transmission of all types of human malaria parasites have been interrupted for at least the past three consecutive years. Countries are also required to show they have a fully functional surveillance and response system in place to prevent re-establishment of local transmission. GO EGYPT!! THEY DID IT!!!

  • 24th October: Moderna are funding trials for the norovirus vaccine. Very exciting that one of the trail sites is in my hometown of Manchester. I may sign up as a volunteer... It could be with us by 2026 if all goes well (and if the JCVI agrees). Game changer for our very young and elderly populations in particular. THIS IS NEEDED!!

  • 25th October: The latest weekly flu surveillance data published by UKHSA today shows flu case numbers are twice as high among school children, aged 5 to 14 years. As of 22nd October, influenza positivity - the rate of laboratory confirmed flu cases - among school children aged 5 to 14 years is higher than any other age group, at a weekly average positivity rate of 5.7% compared with a whole population weekly average of 2.5%.

  • 28th October: First-ever long-acting injectable for malaria prevention administered to study volunteer. First-in-human study explores a single injection that provides 3 months of protection. The more the merrier when it comes to malaria prevention options!

  • 29th October: With Halloween nearly upon us, it seems fitting to talk about a 'sylvania' (*groan*). A group of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania has developed an mRNA vaccine, delivered via lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) — the same type as the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines — targeting Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile). Have a read of this article; New mRNA Vaccine May Shield Against C difficile Infections. This research adds to the growing field of mRNA research coming out of this part of the world, which I keep noticing popping up. This university has designed mRNA vaccines to prevent Lyme disease, norovirus, and herpes simplex virus 2. They are also studying how mRNA can treat sickle cell disease, fatal food allergies, and cancer. The peadiatric contingent is developing novel ionizable lipids and biomaterials for vaccine and gene therapy applications in perinatal and pediatric medicine, expanding on the successes of the mRNA-LNP platform, studying mRNA vaccines and therapeutics that can be used to treat glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a) and Isolated Methylmalonic Acidemia, as well as continued research into various difficult-to-treat forms of cancer and bacterial infections. Go Pennsylvania!

  • 29th October: Noninvasive malaria test could be global game changer. NO BLOOD OR INVASIVE PROCEDURES NEEDED! You just need a complicated-sounding laser and a hand - incredible stuff!! Can we work out how to do vaccines this way too PLEEEEASE?......

  • 29th October: First Children Vaccinated in New Clinical Study Seeking to Expand the Indication for Bavarian Nordic’s Mpox Vaccine

  • 29th October: Tuberculosis has pipped COVID-19 to the post now for being the top cause for infectious disease-related death in 2023. If you are involved in TB services (or even if you're not) it's worth a read of the latest WHO report. But if you just want the highlights, it's generally bad news. Last year 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed. This is the highest number reported since reporting began (1995). There were less deaths (1.09 million) - but more people (roughly 10.8 million) unwell with it. The targets for reducing it are all messed up too. We are in for a rough ride trying to meet those eradication goals :-(

  • 30th October: What an end to the month - oh no!! The UKHSA has detected a single confirmed human case of Clade Ib mpox in the UK. A recent visitor to a known infected area of Africa. This is not great news :-( Germany also reported their first case on the 22nd October.

I don't want to end October on a bad note though. These fact sheets were a nice little discovery this month from the GHTC. Have a nosey at all the research that is going on in a pleasingly easily-digestible format.

September 2024 news

Good luck all to with the RSV programme starting this month!!! In time for the launch the UKHSA has now updated all the useful cheat sheets: The routine imms schedule, visual guide to vaccines poster and the incomplete algorithm to account for RSV (on the 30th August). Spring cleaning time: Destroy any old printed versions!

Lovely CPD opportunities! Are you available to attend some free webinars on Dengue fever? Takeda are running a series of three in the next few weeks. (17th 24th Sept and 1st Oct). There is a webinar on 2nd October hosted by Valneva with one of my fave travel health specialists, Derek Evans on Japanese Encephalitis. Register here.

August 2024 news

I wonder what August will bring.....

2nd August: For starters an updated Cholera chapter in the Green Book. Finally Vaxchora has a mention! Check it out. Also in the world of tropical medicine, Oropouche virus has been making the rounds. Not sure what Oropouche is? Check out this information sheet on NaTHNaC. Don't forget to keep a close eye on outbreak notifications when you are consulting with travellers. This news item appeared 2/8/24. Oropouche is particularly risky for people who are pregnant. (This article was later published on the 9th aug, and this one on the 13th Aug, both very informative).

And later that day, while I had a glass of Rose in my hand (it was Friday afterall), this arrived: Government accepts advice on 2024 autumn COVID-19 vaccine programme. Don't worry, I had to read it a few times too.... and I don't think that was entirely down to the wine. Then the full COVID Autumn guidance came through here.

AND just after THAT the RSV Vaccine Update special arrived too! The PGD template is also here for RSV. Portal updated. And on top of THAT, the ELFHC influenza module was updated.

And good news on the very SAME day for the travel healthers! Pre-registration became open for the fabulous CISTM conference in New Orleans! Also a reminder that registration is also open for the awesome BGTHA conference on the 16th November (half day, virtual) - very reasonably priced and always a great conference to attend. The wonderful RCN and NaTHNaC joint annual event is scheduled for 22nd March 2025 (virtual) too. Consider signing up for these free arbovirus webinar events run by the RCPSG starting in September. This Arbovirus Webinar Series aims to provide travel health providers with an introduction to these arbovirus infections, the vectors, prevention and control strategies. The three one-hour webinars will run on 23 September, 30 October, and 26 November 2024. Registration is free.

Lots happened on the 2nd August!

And one more thing: the WHO has updated it's list of most dangerous viruses and bacteria... be brave, check it out! This article was published in reference to it on (you guessed it) 2nd August: What could spark the next pandemic?....

To finish the month off I noticed this article about Pertussis uptake was published in the BMJ on 29th August. Here's an extract that forms a good reflection opportunity: "Ongoing analysis of data from England shows that whooping cough vaccine, when given at the right time in pregnancy, provides 92% protection against infant death. Yet its uptake in England, from a high of 72.6% in March 2017, has now declined to 58.9%". We MUST get this higher!!!

Dengue Green Book chapter WHERE ARE YOUUUUUUUU?.....

I'd love to know how colleagues in Scotland are getting on this month having started the RSV programme earlier than England. Let me know how it's going!!!!

What's the best way to present this news page?? There's always so much happening and I feel it could be more aesthetically pleasing. Any ideas? contact me if so....

July 2024 news what a busy month!!

  • Did you watch the Malaria vaccine documentary on BBC2? Don't worry if you missed it - watch here. Incredible advancement! It's the talk of the town in the travel health community. Best thing that's happened in preventative tropical medicine for a LONG time!

  • Vaccine Update has landed! (it says June edition but was published 18th July so you didn't miss anything). Expect a special on RSV very soon!!!

  • We have reached 9 infant deaths from Pertussis now since Nov 2023. May saw 2591 cases according to the July data. A POIGNANT REMINDER OF WHY WE ARE DOING THIS JOB!

  • I've updated RSV in the vaccine portal with some more useful documents for the upcoming RSV prog (check out the video on preparing the vaccine). The vaccine info is coming thick and fast! The updated Green Book chapter landed 12th July. PGD should be coming next... keep an eye out. More useful RSV info is coming all the time so keep an eye on GOV.UK for everything you need. I can't quite keep up!! For quick reference go HERE for the pregnancy information and HERE for information on the adult vaccination programme.

  • I've also added some tools to the Travel Health section, and conference info about TB vaccines to the TB portal.

  • UK immunisation schedule poster updated to reflect pertussis change of vaccine and also Men ACWY vaccine change for adolescent program. The visual guide to vaccines poster has also been updated. Flu protocols and PGD's have landed. The Td/IPV PGD has been updated on the 10th July too. All associated portals have been updated in response.

  • Chikungunya vaccine achieves European approval. Read all about IXICHIQ here.

  • Lyme vaccines are passing milestone trials yay!

  • Valneva supply the vaccines PreHevbri, Dukoral, Ixiaro, and Rabipur. They have a good supply updates page here if you want to know what stock is knocking about. Currently, for example, it's showing that Ixiaro is in good supply (but has April 2025 expiry), PreHevbri and Dukoral are well-stocked. Rabipur stock may improve back to normal THIS MONTH - YAY!!! (Valneva, incidentally, have also got some FABULOUS travel health resources, training modules, and free things you can order such as leaflets and vaccine record cards - I personally love the 'rabies tear off pad' - so useful to give to travellers)

  • Bird flu - more cases... arggghhh

  • EEEK: fears of Polio outbreaks in Gaza....

  • OH NO - malaria treatment resistance is a BIG problem. See this BBC news article.

  • Mpox is being pretty sneaky (and a little sinister I may add) - I've noticed it popping up in articles a fair bit....this one in the BMJ talks about 20 new cases and 3 deaths from it in the last two months (since May) in South Africa. And this one highlights 130 cases of a particularly deadly strain (clade 1b) in children in DRC in just the last 4 weeks. DRC has reported over 29,000 cases and 1,100 fatalities from Mpox since Jan 2023. Most of them children. Keep an eye on this one. It has 'pandemic potential' and the clade 1b variant kills 10% of its victims...

  • Genetically modified mosquitoes. I love all this stuff about harnessing them to do GOOD.

  • 'Active' vaccine adjuvant boosts COVID-19 and flu antibodies in mice

  • This issue with the NMC culture makes me very sad. Have you got a happy culture at work? I really hope so..... How do YOU contribute to that? Good reflection opportunity.

  • Looks like the USA are also figuring out the implementation of an RSV vaccination programme too! Although they have decided on 60 as the age of vaccination for older adults. There's a bit of info in this Medscape article about GSK's Arexvy vaccine as well.

  • Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable infections in newborns in the UK, and a significant cause of newborn infections and stillbirths worldwide. As such, GBS is a leading driver of antibiotic use in neonatal settings, and antimicrobial resistance is increasing. VDEC has supported a GBS vaccine! This will be another game changer for infant death and illness statistics AND antibiotic resistance. Bring it on GBS vaccines!!!

  • Very sad preventable rabies death this year discussed in the Lancet - totally illustrates why rabies advice is super important!! Rabies in the Philippines: a call to action

  • Thank you to Fray for sending me this fascinating article about Shingrix being linked with Dementa prevention!! Awesome side effect!

  • Got your head around 24/25 flu season yet? The 25/26 info is already trickling through.... here's the JCVI statement for NEXT years vaccines!! Of particular interest is this bit: "The World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that B/Yamagata lineages are no longer circulating and are unlikely to cause future epidemics, and that inclusion of a B/Yamagata antigen as a component of influenza vaccines is no longer warranted. WHO has stated that every effort should be made to exclude this as soon as possible, across all vaccine types. To this end, manufacturers have been preparing to move to trivalent formulations. In the USA, this will happen for the 2024 to 2025 season. In the UK the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) will move to a trivalent formulation in time for the 2024 to 2025 season."

  • On the final day of July, sad news as the first case of Mpox is found in Kenya.

  • And also the pneumococcal PGD template was updated to finish the month off. See the pneumococcal section in my portal for details.

Still tweaking away with this site and it's layout - I know a lot of it looks unfinished but I thought I should just be brave and get it out there... content over aesthetics ... I have had lots of useful constructive feedback so far. And I love some of the interesting news items people are sending to me. Keep it coming!! Help me to make this as useful as possible for YOU!!!

June 2024 news

JUNE 2024 Big moment for me as I make this website LIVE for the first time!! Tell me what you think!

May 2024 news

April 2024 news

March 2024 news

March seemed pretty quiet.... but come July ... BOOM!

February 2024 news

January 2024 news

2023 and earlier....