Travel Vaccine Breaking News

On June 11, 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reissued Level 2 Travel Alerts for Africa and Asia regarding polio outbreaks in various countries.

Since 2000, the inactivated polio vaccine is most often given in the USA. It is administered by a shot in the arm or leg, depending on the person’s age, says the U.S. CDC. The oral polio vaccine is offered in other countries.

The CDC recommends that children get polio vaccinated to protect against poliomyelitis. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Vaccine Recommendations is published on this webpage.

The WHO recently reported 1,226 polio cases of all forms were confirmed in 2020, compared to 138 in 2018.

On June 10, 2021, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative announced the Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026: Delivering on a Promise at a virtual event to overcome the remaining challenges to ending polio.

While polio cases have fallen 99.9% since 1988, polio remains a WHO Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and persistent barriers to reaching every child with polio vaccines and the pandemic have contributed to an increase in polio cases.

This strategy includes deploying proven tactics used against wild polio, improving outbreak response and streamlining management through the launch of new global and regional rapid response teams and broadening the use of a promising new tool – novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) – to combat type 2 cVDPVs, the most prominent variant.

Select countries began using nOPV2 in March of this year after WHO issued an Emergency Use Listing recommendation for the vaccine in November 2020. Clinical trials have shown that nOPV2 is safe and effective against type 2 polio while having the potential to stop cVDPV2 outbreaks more sustainably compared to the existing type 2 oral polio vaccine.

H.E. Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said in a press statement, “As Chair of the African Union, I call on every government to increase their commitment to protecting the gains of our monumental efforts and finishing the job against polio in Africa. Only then we will be able to say we delivered on our promise of a safer, healthier future for all our children.”

Denmark-based Bavarian Nordic A/S announced today that the Company was recently engaged by Public Health England (PHE) and the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency to supply IMVANEX® smallpox vaccine in response to new cases of monkeypox in the UK.

Two related cases were admitted to a hospital in Liverpool, England.

One was most likely infected in Africa, where the family arrived from a few days before the onset of disease, and a sibling case most likely infected on UK soil by the first case. 

Monkeypox is a rare but serious disease, which is endemic in Central and West Africa. Although it is less severe with an estimated fatality rate of up to 10%, the disease is quite similar to human smallpox, says PHE.

Paul Chaplin, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic, commented in a press statement, “We are pleased to assist PHE rapidly in such an emergency. Vaccination is a critical measure to prevent and control the spread of diseases globally. Governments have an essential role in preparing for outbreaks by stockpiling vaccines and treatments so that they are readily available in events like this."

Bavarian Nordic previously delivered IMVANEX to PHE in connection with the first human cases of monkeypox in the UK in 2018 and later in 2019.

IMVANEX (MVA-BN) is approved by the European Commission for active immunization against smallpox and has also received approval for monkeypox by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (JYNNEOS) and Health Canada, the only vaccine approved for this indication in these territories.

On May 7, 2021, Bavarian Nordic confirmed the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority had exercised the final $12 million option under the $202 million order for JYNNEOS awarded in April 2020.

Bavarian Nordic (OMX: BAVA) is a fully integrated vaccines company focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing life-saving vaccines.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), published on June 11, 2021, updated maps supporting the Council Recommendation on a coordinated approach to the restriction of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These ECDC maps are updated weekly based on data reported by the EU Member States to The European Surveillance System database.

Furthermore, the ECDC reported on June 6th the total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered by 30 EU countries reached 273, 995,958. And this graph shows the total number of doses that manufacturers have distributed to each EU/EEA country.

Additionally, at the request of Member States, data on the daily number of new reported COVID-19 cases and deaths by EU/EEA countries are posted on this webpage.

As of June 7, 2021, the U.S. CDC issued updated Travel Alerts for various EU countries, which can be found at the CDC link.

The Japanese government decided on June 10, 2021, to lift the COVID-19 state of emergency in the Gunma, Ishikawa, and Kumamoto prefectures on June 13th, reported Kyodo News.

A press conference previously held by Japan's Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, TAMURA Norihisa, confirmed the reduction in new COVID-19 cases.

However, the state of emergencies in Tokyo and Osaka prefectures are continuing as scheduled, with a termination date of May 31, 2021.

With the Tokyo Olympics 2020 Games planned to commence on July 23, 2021, time is running short for event participants to enter Japan. Certain foreign nationals are denied permission to enter Japan for the time being unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Japan continue to monitor closely COVID-19 conditions. There may be additional closure requests and COVID-19 mitigation measures put into place with little notice. U.S. citizens should carefully monitor local news and follow instructions from national and local authorities.

To notify US-based travelers of their health risks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 3 Travel Alert for Japan on June 7, 2021. This Alert stated, 'Because of the current situation in Japan, all travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants. And, unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to Japan.'

The Government of Japan is currently vaccinating health care workers and individuals age 65 and up. The U.S. Embassy expects that U.S. citizens will receive vaccinations as they become available to their age group.

Moreover, 'Make sure you understand and follow all airline and destination requirements related to travel, testing, masking, or quarantine, which may differ from U.S. requirements.'

Reuters reported Ukraine would not allow international travelers vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine into the country if they do not also provide a negative test for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the border service announced on June 10, 2021.

"In the last two days, there have been cases of foreigners trying to enter from abroad at checkpoints across Ukraine with documents on immunization with the Sputnik V vaccine," the border service said in a statement. "We emphasize that such a document does not give the right to enter Ukraine, as this vaccine is not included in the WHO list," it added.

The Sputnik V vaccine is now authorized in (67) countries worldwide.

The WHO's website states, 'If a vaccine has undergone a thorough evaluation of relevant data, testing of samples and WHO inspection of relevant manufacturing sites, and the outcome is positive, it is included in the WHO List of Prequalified Vaccines.'

As of June 10th, a new Sputnik V vaccine analysis published by the Kingdom of Bahrain may meet this WHO requirement.

As of June 8, the WHO's full listing of over 100 vaccines does not indicate Sputnik V vaccine authorization.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 1 Travel Alert on June 3, 2021, regarding a diphtheria outbreak in the Dominican Republic.

In recent years, vaccination against diphtheria in the Dominican Republic has declined, and health officials there are now reporting cases of the disease among children throughout the country. Anyone who is unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated against diphtheria is at risk of getting sick when visiting the Dominican Republic.

In 2021, between epidemiological week #1 and #15, two countries have reported confirmed cases of diphtheria on the island of Hispaniola: the Dominican Republic with 12 confirmed cases including 9 deaths, and Haiti with 11 confirmed cases including 2 deaths.

Diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make toxins (poison). Infection can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, kidney failure, paralysis, and even death, says the CDC. Even with proper treatment, about 10% of people with respiratory diphtheria will die. Without treatment, up to half of the patients can die from the disease.

The CDC recommends diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination for all travelers.

The DTaP is only for children younger than 7 years old, while the Tdap vaccine is only for older people.

Because of age or health conditions, some people should not get certain vaccines or wait before getting them. Ask your healthcare professional for more information, says the CDC.

The Dominican Republic is the second-largest and most diverse Caribbean country, home to over 10 million people. Situated just two hours south of Miami, the Dominican Republic is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and the Caribbean Sea on the south, and nearly 1,000 miles of coastline.

Local airports and other ports of entry will perform a breath test on about 15% of arriving travelers and all those who present symptoms upon arrival. Passengers under the age of five and crew members are exempt from this procedure. Passengers who present a COVID-19 vaccination card and/or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival in the Dominican Republic will be exempted from the random test. 

Carnival Cruise Line confirmed on June 7, 2021, its plans to return to guest operations from Port of Galveston in Texas on July 3rd. However, Carnival's revised vaccine policy may conflict with the State of Texas.

Carnival Cruise stated in a press release, 'guests who have received their final dose of a U.S. FDA Authorized COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination, following current guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), may board their ship.

"We appreciate the progress and support for our U.S. restart from the CDC and other key federal agencies; however, the current CDC requirements for cruising with a guest base that is unvaccinated will make it very difficult to deliver the experience our guests expect, especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us."

"As a result, our alternative is to operate our ships from the U.S. during July 2021 with vaccinated guests," commented Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival's plans may need to be modified since Texas Governor Gregg Abbott signed Senate Bill 968 on June 7, 2021.

This legislation includes a clause that 'bans businesses from requiring proof of the vaccine from their customers.'

Businesses may still implement “COVID-19 screening and infection control protocols under state and federal law to protect public health,” according to the new law.

In reaction, Carnival spokesperson Vance Gulliksen notified the Houston Chronicle on June 8th, “The law provides exceptions for when a business is implementing COVID protocols per federal law, which is consistent with our plans to comply with the U.S. CDC’s guidelines.”

“We are evaluating the legislation."

On May 5, 2021, the CDC released the next phases of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (originally issued October 30, 2020) for cruise ships operating or seeking to operate in U.S. waters.

As of June 8, 2021, the State of Texas a very low SARS-CoV-2 inflection rate (<3%) and an increasing rate of COVID-19 vaccinations (23m+).