Pandemic Watch News Brief: The News You Need To Know ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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[link removed] January 24, 2024
AVAC's weekly Pandemic Watch is a curated news digest on the latest pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR) news and resources.


Plans for a global pandemic preparedness agreement risk falling apart amid wrangling and disinformation, according to the chief of the WHO, who has warned that future generations ‘may not forgive us’" - AFP in The Guardian ([link removed])
Table of Contents
• If You Are in a Hurry (#If You Are in a Hurry)
• COVID Vaccine Lessons from Lower Income Countries (#COVID Vaccine Lessons from Lower Income Countries)
• Cameroon Begins World’s First Routine Malaria Vaccinations (#Cameroon Begins World’s First Routine Malaria Vaccinations)
• Climate Change Fuels Dengue Outbreak in Bangladesh (#Climate Change Fuels Dengue Outbreak in Bangladesh)
• Warnings about Antimicrobial Resistance (#Warnings about Antimicrobial Resistance)
• New GAVI Head Takes Over (#New GAVI Head Takes Over)
• Cholera and COVID in Southern Africa (#Cholera and COVID in Southern Africa)
• Measles Cases Continue to Increase in Europe, UK and US (#Measles Cases Continue to Increase in Europe, UK and US)
• An Analysis of Development Assistance for Health in Africa (#An Analysis of Development Assistance for Health in Africa)
• No Neurodevelopmental Issues for Babies of COVID-Vaccinated Moms (#No Neurodevelopmental Issues for Babies of COVID-Vaccinated Moms)
• A New COVID Pill (#A New COVID Pill)
• Insights into Long COVID (#Insights into Long COVID)

What is “Disease X” and will we be any better at responding to it than we were to COVID? Last week in Davos Switzerland some world leaders grappled with Disease X and how to prepare for it. CBS News ([link removed]) (US) reports, “While such a virus isn't known to currently exist, researchers, scientists and experts are hoping to proactively come up with a plan of action to combat such a virus and prepare the health system if it were to emerge as a pandemic…The WHO says the virus ‘represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by [an unknown] pathogen.’" Axios ([link removed]) (US) reports WHO’s Tedros told the gathering at DAVOS, “’Disease X' is a placeholder for unknown disease,’ noting that COVID-19 could even be considered the first Disease X. ‘And it may happen again,’ he added.”

Disease X grabbed the headlines and some reporting was dangerously wrong about what it actually is, prompting some news outlets to issue explainers and fact checks. IFL Science ([link removed]) (UK) notes, ““Disease X is appearing all over social media and news feeds once again. So, what actually is Disease X? Why is everyone talking about it? And is it anything to be concerned about?” IFL Science says the Davos meeting has brewed some conspiracy theories along the lines of ‘global elites preparing to release Disease X’. However, that’s a total distortion of what was said. In reality, the talk was simply about preparing for the next pandemic, which is almost inevitable (just as it always has been throughout human history).”

The Guardian ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “Plans for a global pandemic preparedness agreement risk falling apart amid wrangling and disinformation, according to the chief of the World Health Organization, who has warned that future generations ‘may not forgive us’…. The plan was to seal the agreement at the 2024 World Health Assembly, the WHO’s decision-making body, which convenes on 27 May. However, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, said the momentum had been slowed down by entrenched positions and ‘a torrent of fake news, lies, and conspiracy theories’.”

You can watch the Davos Disease X panel here ([link removed]) .

If You Are in a Hurry

* Read STAT ([link removed]) on the start of the world’s first routine malaria vaccination program.
* Read The Guardian ([link removed]) on how climate change is fueling a huge uptick in dengue in Bangladesh.
* Read The Lancet ([link removed](24)00092-8/fulltext?) on the challenges ahead for the new GAVI chief.
* Read The Guardian ([link removed]) on a 30-fold increase in measles cases in Europe.
* Read CIDRAP ([link removed]) on a new study that shows no neurodevelopmental issues for babies born to COVID-vaccinated mothers.
* Read a Project Syndicate ([link removed]) opinion piece on lessons learned for vaccine programs from lower income countries.
* Read CIDRAP ([link removed]) on a new study that may help identify diagnoses and treatments for long COVID.
* Read Nature ([link removed]) on new data on a cheaper COVID treatment.


COVID Vaccine Lessons from Lower Income Countries

A Project Syndicate ([link removed]) (US) via Bangkok Post opinion piece looks at lessons learned from COVID vaccine rollout in lower income nations: “lower-income countries demonstrated how to reach people where they are by using innovative and tailored approaches that often required collaboration among national governments, local organisations, and vulnerable communities. Their experience provides crucial lessons as the world prepares for the next pandemic…. Lower-income countries found ways to meet the needs of their communities. These initiatives included door-to-door outreach to vaccinate older people at home; female vaccination teams to encourage uptake by women; coordination between professional organisations and the private sector to reach people at the highest risk of getting very sick from COVID-19; mobile vaccination teams - on buses, motorbikes, camels, donkeys, and boats - to access remote or underserved
areas; and vaccination sites in markets, along nomadic routes, and at major transit points, including bus stations.”

Cameroon Begins World’s First Routine Malaria Vaccinations

Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “The global fight against malaria took a stride forward on Monday as Cameroon started the world's first routine vaccine programme against the mosquito-borne disease, although Reuters journalists witnessed few people in clinics receiving the shot…. After successful trials, including in Ghana and Kenya, Cameroon is the first country to administer doses through a routine programme that 19 other countries aim to roll out this year, according to global vaccine alliance Gavi.”

STAT ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The success of the rollouts will depend not just on building up supply of the vaccines but also on local preparations and execution, health officials said. The WHO recommends that children receive four doses of the vaccine, so it will require parents to make repeat visits to clinics.

Climate Change Fuels Dengue Outbreak in Bangladesh

The Guardian ([link removed]) (UK) reports on a huge increases in dengue cases in Bangladesh in 2023. “Over the past few months, the surge in cases has pushed Bangladesh’s health system to the limit, with hospital corridors overflowing with patients as wards run out of beds. ‘It’s been the deadliest outbreak of dengue the country has ever seen,’ says Dr Mohammad Shafiul Alam, a scientist at the ICDDR,B health research centre in Dhaka…. In Bangladesh, unusually high rainfall, combined with hotter temperatures and high humidity, has resulted in an increased mosquito population throughout the country. ‘Climate change is the critical link to the increase in numbers that we’re seeing,’ says Alam.”

Warnings about Antimicrobial Resistance

In another Davos panel, this one discussion AMR, panelists warned, “As many as 10 million people a year could die by 2050 due to the failure of prescription drugs, as viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens evolve to evade them, and science fails to keep up…. What’s more, the issue comes with an enormous economic price tag—potentially $100 trillion or more by 2050, according to some estimates, due to factors like health care costs and lost productivity. That’s approximately 1% of global GDP,” as Fortune ([link removed]) (US) reports. Watch the Davos panel here ([link removed]) .

CIDRAP ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Global incidence and mortality from invasive fungal disease is substantially higher than previously thought, according to a systematic review published last week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Using data from literature published from 2010 through 2023, along with 85 papers on individual country and global disease burden, the review estimates that over 6.55 million people annually are affected by invasive fungal infection…. These infections lead to more than 3.75 million deaths annually, of which 2.55 million are directly attributable to the fungal disease. The review also estimates that fungal asthma affects approximately 11.5. million people annually, with 92,000 asthma deaths linked to fungal allergy and 46,000 directly attributable.” Read The Lancet ([link removed](23)00692-8/fulltext) review.

New GAVI Head Takes Over

The Lancet ([link removed](24)00092-8/fulltext?) (UK) reports that new GAVI head Sania Nishtar, “has been appointed to lead the vaccine organisation as it decides how to spend billions of dollars left over from the COVID-19 response…. The first person from a Gavi-recipient country to run the alliance, Nishtar declared on Jan 11 that ‘The task ahead is enormous—from the health impacts of climate change to the need to tackle vaccine inequity, prepare for future outbreaks, and boost immunisation, which I believe is the gateway to achieving universal health coverage.’… Some experts say that Nishtar will need to change the institution's modus operandi. As reported in The Lancet in September, Gavi has billions of dollars in funds left over from the COVID-19 response and how to reinvest it will require Nishtar's immediate attention.”

Cholera and COVID in Southern Africa

Zimbabwe Independent ([link removed]) (Zimbabwe) reports, “ZIimbabwe and its neighbours are facing an overwhelming cholera outbreak amid a surge in COVID-19 cases since the onset of the rain season.The current cholera epidemic surfaced in Zimbabwe in February last year and has since affected all the country’s 10 provinces, while approximately 20 000 cases have been confirmed with close to 300 people dying of the disease. According to Oxfam Southern Africa programmes director, Machinda Marongwe, the extraordinary rate of rise in cases and deaths from cholera is terrifying. ‘The unprecedented rate of cases and deaths is terrifying, and utterly overwhelming the health systems of these countries. The outbreak is spiralling into an uncontrollable health crisis, and news that health workers in Zambia are also testing positive for COVID-19 calls for an urgent multi-pronged response,’ Marongwe said.”

Daily Mail ([link removed]) (Zambia) reports, “That 110 people have contracted COVID-19 in Zambia after most citizens have almost forgotten about the lethal virus calls for concerted efforts not to drop the guard against the pandemic…. While the coronavirus situation may not be so alarming compared to the cholera outbreak, it is incumbent upon every individual to take responsibility and ensure that we all play a role in preventing the spread of COVID-19…. Currently, Zambia is grappling with the cholera outbreak, which is claiming people’s lives on a daily basis, and we cannot afford to find ourselves caught up in the web of two ravaging ailments.”

Measles Cases Continue to Increase in Europe, UK and US

The Guardian ([link removed]) (UK) reports, ”The World Health Organization has issued an urgent warning over measles after an ‘alarming’ 30-fold rise in cases across Europe. The UN agency reported an enormous increase in numbers affected by the disease, which it said had accelerated in recent months. More than 30,000 cases were reported between January and October last year, compared with 941 cases in the whole of 2022 – a more than 30-fold rise. Two in five cases were in children between one and four years old. One in five were in people aged 20 and over. The trend is expected to worsen if people do not vaccinate their children against the disease, the WHO said.”

Forbes ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The expansion of recent measles outbreaks in England and the US is causing increased concern among public health officials. Last week, the UK Health Security Agency declared a “national incident” over a surge in measles cases across the country. Yesterday, the British National Health Service began a major ‘catch up’ vaccination campaign to ensure adequate uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine…. [Amid local outbreaks across the US], Public health experts in the US have begun to sound the alarm. Waning herd immunity is leading to outbreaks, says Peter Hotez…”

An Analysis of Development Assistance for Health in Africa

In the journal Health Policy and Planning (Justice%20Nonvignon) (UK) Africa CDC’s Justice Nonvignon and colleagues look at the state of development assistance for health in Africa post- COVID and outline what needs to change. Their key messages include: Development assistance for health (DAH) reaching African countries is lower than what is frequently recorded. Africa is diverse and the health financing picture has evolved differently in its subregions…. The current architecture of official development assistance is no longer fit for purpose. Domestic financing of public health institutions and a package of basic services, mostly for maternal and child health, should be at the core of African social contracts. The world needs a new transparent framework to monitor aid funds that captures their contribution to building institutions and systems.”

No Neurodevelopmental Issues for Babies of COVID-Vaccinated Moms

CIDRAP ([link removed]) (US) reports, “In first results from a study that tracked neurodevelopmental differences in babies born to mothers who were vaccinated against COVID-19, researchers found no differences at the 12- and 18-month marks compared to babies born to unvaccinated moms. The team, from the University of California, San Francisco, published its findings yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics. Against the backdrop of vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women and even in some of their healthcare providers, the researchers said their goal was to address unanswered questions about the longer-term impacts of COVID vaccination on developmental outcomes. Read the JAMA Pediatric ([link removed]) s study.

A New COVID Pill

Nature ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “There’s new hope for the average person seeking relief from COVID-19: a drug called simnotrelvir has been shown to speed recovery from mild to moderate disease by about 1.5 days^. A clinical trial found that simnotrelvir, which is administered as a series of pills, kicks in almost immediately after being taken, relieving symptoms such as fever, cough and runny nose. Simnotrelvir ‘is clearly a potent drug’, says infectious-disease pharmacologist Saye Khoo at the University of Liverpool, UK. ‘It’s clearly got a positive result. And that’s welcome.’ The results were published [last week] in the New England Journal of Medicine…. Simnotrelvir has been available in China under an emergency use authorization since early last year. It’s the most popular COVID-19 antiviral in the country and costs roughly one-quarter as much as Paxlovid, Cao says. The new data might spur authorities in other countries to approve the drug, p
ossibly after performing their own clinical trials, he adds.” Read the New England Journal of Medicinestudy ([link removed]) .

Insights into Long COVID

CIDRAP ([link removed]) (US) reports, “An analysis published [last week] in Science examined blood samples from patients with long COVID and found significant serum protein changes, opening the door to developing biomarker-based tests to identify the condition. The protein changes suggest a significant alteration of the complement system, which results in the immune system remaining activated and inflamed after acute infection, the authors explained…. The discovery means long-COVID treatment may be found in treatments for other chronic diseases involving complement activation, which include neurodegenerative diseases. ‘Our work not only lays the foundation for better diagnosis, but also supports clinical research into substances that could be used to regulate the complement system. This opens up new avenues for the development of more targeted therapies for patients with Long Covid,’ said [study author] Boyman.” Read the
Sciencestudy ([link removed]) .
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