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Study Finds COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage High Among Patients With HIV, But Some Gaps Exist

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/8, Nye) reports a study found that “while COVID-19 vaccination coverage is high among patients with HIV overall, future outreach efforts should focus on those who have not completed a primary vaccine series, as well as those with uncontrolled viremia.” The research found that “among patients with HIV infection, the strongest predictors for completing the initial vaccine series” included “influenza vaccination within the past” two years, a “higher number of outpatient care visits in the past 6 months,” and “residence in counties with a higher proportion of fully vaccinated adults.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine For Pregnant Women Not Linked To Greater Risk Of Pre-Term Or Early Births, Study Suggests

Reuters (7/8, Santhosh) reports, “Pfizer’s respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for pregnant women was not tied to a higher risk of pre-term or early births, according to a study published on Monday that analyzed real-world use of the shots.” Researchers conducted a “retrospective study in women who were 24 to 36 weeks into pregnancy, and found no significant statistical difference between the vaccinated women’s pre-term birth rate of 5.9% compared with unvaccinated women’s 6.7%.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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Patients With Long COVID Symptoms Demonstrate Elevated Levels Of Inflammatory Molecules, Research Finds

Healio (7/5, Volansky) reported research found “patients with long COVID symptoms demonstrate elevated levels of several inflammatory molecules – findings that could have important implications in both rheumatology and the search for a potential treatment for long COVID.” The findings “showed a correlation between long COVID and elevated markers of myeloid inflammation and complement activation.” Meanwhile, “patients with cardiorespiratory symptoms, fatigue and anxiety or depression reported higher levels of IL-1R2, MATN2 and COLEC12, while MATN2, CSF3 and C1QA were observed among patients experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms.” The findings were published in Nature Immunology.

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Panel Of 20 Proteins In Blood May Be Used To Quantify Disease Activity In People With MS, Study Proposes

Multiple Sclerosis News Today (7/5, Wexler) reported, “A panel of 20 proteins in blood may be used to quantify disease activity, namely relapses and lesions, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new paper proposes.” The researchers said, “A multi-protein panel like the one developed in this study has the capability to capture the state of a patient’s MS from multiple angles, allowing for a fuller picture of their pathophysiology [disease biology].” The findings were published in Nature Communications.

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Health Authorities Raise Alarm Over Mpox Strain Spreading Through Democratic Republic Of Congo

The Hill (7/6, Choi) reported, “Global health authorities are raising the alarm over a strain of mpox spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo, with little known about the mutation other than it seems to spread more easily among humans.” The “virus circulating in the North and South Kivu provinces of Congo is believed to be mutated from the lineage – clade I – that is endemic to Central Africa, distinct from the strain – descended from clade II – that impacted the U.S. and other Western countries in 2022 into 2023.” According to the WHO, “the risk associated with mpox in Congo remains high, with the recently identified mpox strain estimated to have emerged around September 2023.”

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Malaria Vaccine First Approved In 2015 Only Now Reaching Children In Need

The New York Times (7/5, Nolen) detailed the “cautionary tale about a system that is ill equipped to deliver critical tools to the people who need them most,” referring to a vaccine that protects against malaria that has just arrived in Africa, despite receiving “major regulatory approval in 2015.” The Times said it “took decades and at least a billion dollars to reach this point.” Even now, “only a fraction of the children whose lives are at risk will get the vaccine this year, or next year, or the year after.”

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WHO Announces Chad Has Eradicated Fly-Borne Tropical Disease

The Washington Post (7/6, Blakemore) reported the WHO recently announced that Chad “eliminated human African trypanosomiasis, a fly-borne tropical disease also known as sleeping sickness.” The elimination “marks a milestone for the agency’s program targeting what it calls neglected tropical diseases.” The WHO “hopes to eliminate such diseases, most of which disproportionately affect poor and rural populations, in 100 nations.” Chad “is the 51st country to successfully eliminate such a disease, the agency reports in a news release.”

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Insurers Raise Concerns About Expensive Gene Therapies Breaking Health Insurance Exchange Risk-Adjustment Program

Modern Healthcare (7/5, Tepper, Subscription Publication) reported, “Health insurance companies are concerned multimillion-dollar new gene therapies could break the $9.2 billion health insurance exchange risk-adjustment program.” CMS “tinkered with the risk-adjustment system in an effort to better account for high costs, but insurers view the modifications as inadequate in the face of costly new treatments and caution that companies may respond by downgrading benefits and provider networks.”

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Response To mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Similar Regardless Of Timing Following Cellular Therapy, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/3, McSwiggin) reported, “Humoral and cellular responses following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination were found to be similar between patients who received the vaccine fewer than 4 months vs 4 to 12 months after cellular therapy, according to study results published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.” In the study, “the percentage of autologous and allogeneic HCT recipients with positive antibody responses increased with vaccination and was similar at the end-of-study timepoint, irrespective of vaccination timing.”

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Number Of COVID-19 Infections Growing Across Most Of US, CDC Data Indicate

The Washington Post (7/3, Nirappil) reported that the number of coronavirus infections in the US is “likely growing in 44 states and territories as of June 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Additionally, “coronavirus activity in wastewater remains low but is increasing; it is highest and rising most sharply in the West, according to the CDC.” However, the June data “may be incomplete because of reporting delays.” As for which variants are dominant, “nearly two-thirds of infections are caused by KP variants dubbed FLiRT...according to CDC data as of June 22. A similar variant, called LB.1, which has an additional mutation than the FLiRT variants, is on the rise and accounted for 17.5 percent of cases.”

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Study Identifies Varicella Outbreak In NYC Among Central, South American Migrants

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/3, McSwiggin) reported, “An outbreak of varicella in New York City among individuals who migrated to the United States from or through Central and South America highlights the [importance] of large-scale efforts to improve varicella vaccination coverage. These study findings were published in [the] Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.” In the outbreak, “873 outbreak-associated varicella cases have been linked to individuals who migrated from these regions.”

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Colorado Dairy Worker Tests Positive For Avian Flu

The AP (7/3, Aleccia) said, “A fourth farm worker has been infected with bird flu in the growing outbreak linked to dairy cows, health officials reported Wednesday.” The farm employee “had direct contact with infected dairy cows on a northeast Colorado farm, state and federal health officials said. The man developed pink eye, or conjunctivitis, received antiviral treatment and has recovered.” CNN (7/3, Howard) reported, “More than a quarter of dairy herds in Colorado have reported cases of bird flu, according to data from the state health department.” And nationally, “as of Wednesday, federal data shows that seven states have confirmed cases in the past 30 days, and 40% of them are in Colorado – more than any other state.” NBC News (7/3, Edwards) reported, “Since the outbreak was first detected in March, more than 780 people exposed to sick cows have been monitored, and 53 have been tested for the virus, the CDC said Tuesday in a briefing with reporters.” Reuters (7/3, Douglas) reported the CDC “confirmed the case in a statement and said the risk to the general public from bird flu remains low, although people with exposure to infected animals are at greater risk.”

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GSK Buys CureVac Out Of Jointly Developed mRNA Influenza, COVID-19 Vaccines

Reuters (7/3, Fick, Weiss, Burger, Shabong) reported, “British drugmaker GSK on Wednesday bought partner CureVac out of their alliance on influenza and COVID-19 vaccine development, boosting its messenger RNA credentials and extending the German biotech company’s financial lifeline.” As a result, GSK “will take control of CureVac’s leading experimental vaccines to fight infections, including seasonal flu and bird flu. It will pay CureVac 400 million euros ($430 million) upfront and up to 1.05 billion euros contingent on achievements.”

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COVID-19 Emergency Room Visits, Deaths On The Rise In The US

USA Today (7/2, Cuevas) reports, “More people are ending up in emergency rooms and dying in recent weeks from COVID-19, federal health data showed.” There was “a 23% increase in emergency department visits in the past week, according to CDC data posted on Monday. The data was taken from the week of June 22, the latest available data, which showed the weekly percentage of emergency room visits diagnosed as COVID-19 was at 0.9%.” Meanwhile, “deaths have jumped 14% in the past week.” CBS News (7/2, Tin) reports, “Levels of SARS-CoV-2 virus showing up in wastewater samples are climbing in most parts of the country, according to figures from the agency through June 27.” Nonetheless, around the country, “levels of the virus in wastewater are still ‘low,’ the CDC says. But across the West, preliminary figures from the most recent weeks show this key COVID-19 trend has now passed above the threshold that the agency considers to be ‘high’ levels of the virus.”

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Patients With HIV Prefer Long-Acting Cabotegravir Plus Rilpivirine Injection Over Daily Oral ART, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/2, Nye) reports, “Long-acting injections of cabotegravir (CAB) plus rilpivirine (RPV) were found to be tolerable over the long term among patients with HIV infection, according to findings published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.” In the study, “when asked about ideal therapy for HIV management, many patients indicate a preference for a less frequent dosing schedule. Long-acting CAB plus RPV injections present a viable option for addressing this preference as the recommended frequency of administration is once monthly or once every 2 months.”

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US To Pay Moderna $176M To Develop mRNA Pandemic Flu Vaccine Amid Growing Concerns About Avian Influenza

The AP (7/2) reports, “The U.S. government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to accelerate development of a pandemic influenza vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people, as concern grows about cases in dairy cows across the country, federal officials announced Tuesday.” The company “already has a bird flu vaccine in very early-stage testing that uses the same mRNA technology that allowed rapid development and rollout of vaccines to protect against COVID-19.” The HHS funding will go to “continued development of the vaccine, including a late-stage trial next year if those early study results are positive.” However, “the project can be quickly redirected to target another form of influenza if a different threat than the H5N1 form of bird flu emerges, HHS officials stressed.”

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Benefits Of RSV Vaccination Outweigh Risks For Older Adults, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/2, Chan) reports, “Although Guillain-Barré syndrome rates were higher than expected among older adults following respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination, the benefits of the RSV vaccine outweigh the potential risks in this population. These study results were published in [the] Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.” The study found “the most frequently reported symptoms following RSV vaccination were pain at or near the injection site (31%), fatigue or tiredness (20.5%), and muscle or body aches (17.5%).”

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More Than A Third Of Tattoo Inks Contaminated With Bacteria, Study Finds

HealthDay (7/2, Miller) reports, “Getting inked could make you sick. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers detected bacteria in commercial tattoo and permanent makeup inks, demonstrating that they could cause human infections.” The study, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, found “about 35% of tattoo or permanent makeup inks sold in the United States were contaminated with bacteria.”

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Biden Administration To Cut PEPFAR Funding By 6% For FY2025

Politico (7/2, Paun) reports, “The Biden administration plans to cut funding by more than 6 percent in fiscal 2025 from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the 21-year-old program credited with saving millions of lives in Africa, a senior PEPFAR official told POLITICO.” The State Department “has gradually spent down a glut in the PEPFAR budget from years in which funding from Congress exceeded State’s ability to spend it, said a department spokesperson who, like the PEPFAR official, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive program decisions. Now the glut is gone and Congress in March held the program’s $4.4 billion budget flat.”

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All-Cause Mortality Rates Among People With HIV Decreased Until 2009, Then Stabilized, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/1, McSwiggin) reports, “Among patients with HIV infection, all-cause mortality rates decreased from 1999 to 2009 but remained stable from 2010 to 2020. These study results were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.” In the study, “researchers observed reductions in the annual rate of all-cause mortality over time (adjusted rate ratio [aRR], 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.98). However, stratified by calendar period, the annual rate of all-cause mortality decreased from 1999 to 2009 (aRR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.95-0.97) but remained stable from 2010 to 2020 (aRR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.96-1.05).”

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Study Finds COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage High Among Patients With HIV, But Some Gaps Exist

Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine For Pregnant Women Not Linked To Greater Risk Of Pre-Term Or Early Births, Study Suggests

Patients With Long COVID Symptoms Demonstrate Elevated Levels Of Inflammatory Molecules, Research Finds

Panel Of 20 Proteins In Blood May Be Used To Quantify Disease Activity In People With MS, Study Proposes

Health Authorities Raise Alarm Over Mpox Strain Spreading Through Democratic Republic Of Congo

Malaria Vaccine First Approved In 2015 Only Now Reaching Children In Need

WHO Announces Chad Has Eradicated Fly-Borne Tropical Disease

Insurers Raise Concerns About Expensive Gene Therapies Breaking Health Insurance Exchange Risk-Adjustment Program

Response To mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Similar Regardless Of Timing Following Cellular Therapy, Study Finds

Number Of COVID-19 Infections Growing Across Most Of US, CDC Data Indicate

Study Identifies Varicella Outbreak In NYC Among Central, South American Migrants

Colorado Dairy Worker Tests Positive For Avian Flu

GSK Buys CureVac Out Of Jointly Developed mRNA Influenza, COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 Emergency Room Visits, Deaths On The Rise In The US

Patients With HIV Prefer Long-Acting Cabotegravir Plus Rilpivirine Injection Over Daily Oral ART, Study Finds

US To Pay Moderna $176M To Develop mRNA Pandemic Flu Vaccine Amid Growing Concerns About Avian Influenza

Benefits Of RSV Vaccination Outweigh Risks For Older Adults, Study Finds

More Than A Third Of Tattoo Inks Contaminated With Bacteria, Study Finds

Biden Administration To Cut PEPFAR Funding By 6% For FY2025

All-Cause Mortality Rates Among People With HIV Decreased Until 2009, Then Stabilized, Study Finds