Travel Vaccine Breaking News

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travelers’ Health today announced the expansion of the Traveler Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program to two additional U.S. airports, Los Angeles and Seattle.

This expansion is helping the CDC to detect new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variants among international air travelers.

U.S. airports are visited by more than 1 billion travelers annually and can serve as the front line for public health officials to detect the virus that causes COVID-19.

Recently, the TGS program was among the first globally to identify BQ.1.1 and contributed towards its designation as a sub-lineage. 

TGS also has been among the first to identify and report BA.2.75.2, XBB, and CH.1.1 in the U.S.

In total, the TGS program currently has sites in seven major U.S. international airports:

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta

John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City

Los Angeles International Airport

Newark Liberty International Airport 

San Francisco International Airport

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Washington Dulles International Airport 

The next time you travel through one of these airports, stop by the TGS booth, volunteer to participate, and receive a free COVID-19 at-home test kit for your time contributing to public health, stated the CDC on January 26, 2023.

EverGlade Consulting today announced that Sabin Vaccine Institute successfully secured up to $214 million in funding from the U.S. government to advance the development and production of single-dose vaccine candidates for Ebola Sudan and Marburg virus diseases.

Currently, no licensed vaccines against either virus cause hemorrhagic fever and kill approximately half the people infected.

There are U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccines for a different ebolavirus known as Zaire.

BARDA, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, will initially invest $35 million to produce up to 100,000 doses of the ChAd3-SUDV Ebola Sudan virus vaccine candidate.

These vaccines may be part of ongoing U.S. preparedness efforts and response to future global outbreaks.

The contract also includes funding to manufacture Sabin's Marburg virus vaccine, ChAd3-MARV, which will generate doses that could be used in trials and response to a future Marburg virus outbreak.

Andrew Stiles, Principal at EverGlade, said in a press release on January 25, 2023, "The recent Ebola Sudan outbreak in Uganda emphasized the critical need for better preparedness."

The initial Ebola virus disease (EVD) case first appeared in 1976.

The recent Sudan Ebolavirus outbreak in the Republic of Uganda was declared on September 20, 2022, and was declared ended in early 2023.

Detailed ebola vaccine information is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Ebola.

The U.S. Department of State updated its Level 3 Travel Advisory for the federal republic of Nigeria, located in west Africa.

Local media reported people should exercise caution around events in Lagos State from Jan. 23-24, 2023. And plan for localized transport disruptions.

As of January 23, 2023, the State Department says Do Not Travel to certain areas due to civil unrest:

• Borno, Yobe, Kogi, and northern Adamawa states,
• Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Zamfara states,
• Coastal areas of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers states (except Port Harcourt).

Furthermore, the U.S. Consulate in Lagos provides all routine and emergency services to U.S. citizens in Nigeria. The U.S. Embassy Abuja can only provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Abuja.

U.S. citizens in Nigeria who require assistance should contact [email protected] or +234 1 460 3410.

Additionally, they should enroll in the Smart Traveler Program to receive alerts and facilitate extraction during emergencies.

From a health perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises future Nigeria visitors to speak with a travel vaccine advisory about one month before departure.

The CDC has recently issued various Travel Health notices for Nigeria's disease outbreaks, such as yellow fever, polio, measles, and Mpox.

New Zealand's pending Prime Minister recently reconfirmed that the local vaccination policy requiring everyone to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will continue in 2023.

Chris "Chippy" Hipkins, the current minister of education, police, and Public Service, stated in an earlier video, '... if you haven't been vaccinated, you will be identified.'

According to a Bloomberg report on January 21, 2023, the former COVID minister will soon become New Zealand's prime minister.

This vaccination philosophy is synergistic with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) November 2022 statement that all eligible travelers to New Zealand should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.

Furthermore, the CDC suggests international travelers should ensure they are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip abroad in 2023.

This suggestion includes measles vaccinations.

New Zealand's 2019–2020 measles outbreak was an epidemic that primarily impacted the Auckland region.

To alert travelers, the CDC published a Watch-Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions notice regarding measles as an ongoing risk worldwide on December 1, 2022.

Furthermore, New Zealand's northern neighbor of India is confronting an ongoing measles outbreak in 2023, with over 12,000 cases impacting various areas last year.

The U.S. Embassy in Peru recently confirmed the Government extended a 30-day State of Emergency in selected areas of Peru starting January 15, 2023.  The affected areas include the departments of Cusco, Puno, Lima, and the province of Callao.  

The province of Andahuaylas in the department of Apurimac, the provinces of Tambopata and Tahuamanu in the department of Madre de Dios, the district of Torata, and the province of Mariscal Nieto in the department of Moquegua are included.  

Some national highways are affected, including the Pan-American Highway as well as the Apurimac-Cusco-Arequipa roadway.

For additional details, please see the complete Supreme Decree.

The Embassy suggests U.S. citizens in Peru avoid crowds and demonstrations, comply with instructions from local authorities, and enroll in STEP to receive alerts and messaging from the U.S.  Embassy in Lima.

And for in-country assistance, visit the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru, at Avenida La Encalada cdra, 17 s/n, Santiago de Surco 15023, Lima , or contact +51-1-618-2000 and [email protected].

From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC says to check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your healthcare provider at least a month before your trip to Peru to get vaccines or medicines you may need.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today called on countries to take urgent measures against measles outbreaks which are on the rise, with nearly nine million children having missed vaccination against the killer disease in the last two years.

Measles outbreaks are declared when the number of cases reported in an area is higher than expected.

"The strong political commitment, determination, focused and concerted efforts, and community support that marked our efforts for polio elimination are now urgently needed to stop and prevent measles outbreaks and accelerate efforts to eliminate the disease," said Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, in a media release on January 13, 2023.

Measles and rubella elimination is a flagship priority program of the WHO South-East Asia Region. Both are vaccine-preventable.

Between 2014 and 2021, the Region recorded a 73% reduction in measles deaths and a 64% reduction in measles cases.

Five of the 11 countries in the South-East Asia Region – Bhutan, DPR Korea, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste - have eliminated measles, and two countries - Maldives and Sri Lanka - have eliminated rubella as well.

In addition, governments have been administering two doses of measles vaccines as part of their childhood immunization program, and some are rolling out mass vaccination campaigns.

However, as the pandemic arrived, measles vaccination coverage, which had reached an all-time high of 94% coverage for the first dose and 83% coverage for the second dose by 2019, declined to 86% and 78%, respectively, in 2021.

This inaction left about nine million children unvaccinated for measles.

And around 5.3 million children are partially vaccinated against this highly infectious disease.

"The decline in vaccine coverage, and interruptions and delays in immunization and surveillance activities due to the pandemic, leaves the Region susceptible to large outbreaks and off track for the 2023 target of measles and rubella elimination," the Regional Director added.

"All countries have been taking several initiatives to revive and resume childhood immunization coverage and surveillance activities that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic," Dr. Khetrapal Singh concluded.

The U.S. CDC says measles is highly contagious, with about 90% of people who are not protected will become following infected exposure to the measles virus. 

The CDC's Top 10 Measles Outbreak Country list was updated on January 13, 2023.

International travelers can check CDC's Travel Health Notices to search for measles or other issues that may affect travelers' health. During 2022, the CDC issued various measles-related travel alerts.

Situated in the Caribbean Sea, Grand Cayman is the westernmost of the three Cayman Islands. According to residents, three is a magic number.

When two is few and four is much, three islands are always just right, is a local saying.

And based on recent announcements, the U.S., Canadian, and U.K. governments agree with that saying.

For example, on January 10, 2023, the U.S. Department of State issued a low-level travel advisory for the Cayman Islands.

And if U.S. citizens need assistance, they must visit the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica.

As the Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory, the U.K.'s Foreign Travel Advice recently confirmed there are no government requirements or limits on public gatherings in the Cayman Islands.

Since there's no formal British diplomatic or consular representation, local authorities deal with all requests for emergency assistance.

From a health perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in November 2022 there are no health notices currently in effect for the Cayman Islands.

Furthermore, all vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors have been permitted to enter the Cayman Islands without additional documents since August 2022.

Travelers are not required to:

• Apply for a Travel Declaration
• Present a negative COVID-19 test
• Show proof of vaccination
• Wear masks

The Cayman Islands is conveniently about one hour flight south of Florida and is easily accessible via nonstop service from most travel hubs in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

George Town is the capital city, helping thousands of visitors enjoy their vacation. Besides seasonal hurricanes, the Cayman Islands is the place to relax in 2023.

Disclosures: This article is not paid content.