Pandemic Watch News Brief: The News You Need To Know ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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[link removed] February 21, 2024
AVAC's weekly Pandemic Watch is a curated news digest on the latest pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR) news and resources.


‘It’s a real slap in the face…. It’s proof of what we have been saying all along, that the WTO does not serve the interest of patients in the global south because it is hijacked by high-income countries. This decision is a sign of whose lives are seen to matter the most. Global south governments are going to have to urgently reconsider what it means to be part of this bizarre one-sided system.” Fatima Hassan, founder of Health Justice Initiative in The Guardian ([link removed]) .
Table of Contents
• If You Are in a Hurry (#Hurry)
• No Agreement at WTO in Access to COVID Interventions (#WTO)
• Africa CDC Wants 60% of Vaccines for Africa Manufactured in Africa by 2040 (#AfricaCDC)
• Harm Reduction in Pandemic Preparedness (#HarmReduction)
• Dengue Cases Continue to Rise in the Americas (#DengueAmericas)
• Where is the Dengue Vaccine? (#Dengue)
• WHO Sounds Alarm on Measles (#Measles)
• What Do we Know about Repeat COVID Infections? (#COVID)
• Long COVID Less Prevalent among Vaccinated (#LongCOVID)
• COVID Vaccines Linked to Small Increases in Health Issues (#COVIDVax)
• South Africa Health Department Warns on Vaccine Disinformation (#Disinformation)
• More than Half of US Newborns Protected from RSV (#RSV)
• Virus Hunters (#Hunters)
• Bubonic Plague is Back… But Not Such a Big Deal (#Plague)

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body tasked with finding a way forward for the pandemic prevention, preparedness and response treaty by May of this year is meeting now for some of the final deliberations of the treaty and there are still vast differences in what should be included, especially between rich countries and low- and middle-income countries.

​Health Policy Watch ([link removed]) (Switzerland) reports, “deep divisions remain between World Health Organization (WHO) member states over a number of clauses. One of the biggest obstacles relates to pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) – or how countries should share information about pathogens with pandemic potential and whether, or how, those sharing the pathogen’s genomic sequencing data and biological material, get rewarded…. From the start of the talks, the European Union and the US have disagreed with the African over PABS, which is addressed in Article 12 of the draft agreement – so much so, that the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body’s (INB) Bureau has not been able to formulate a new draft text on the article.”

Rachel Thrasher, a researcher with Boston University’s Global Economic Governance Initiative, writes in Devex ([link removed]) (US): “The current global system of IP protection is neither necessary nor sufficient for the development of all future vaccines and therapeutics, and it would behoove the U.S. and other member states to see beyond the catastrophizing concerns of innovator firms and strive to reach a pandemic agreement that is more effective and equitable in its scope and thus in its outcome.”

Gonzalo Fanjul, director of policy analysis at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health argues in El Pais ([link removed]) (Spain): “This is no leaden debate about an obscure international agreement. Nor can it be a bargaining chip in the geopolitical poker game. Negotiations to regulate the global response to pandemic should be fueled by the memory of those we watched suffer and die. That is the standard that citizens must set for their representatives.”

Last week Health Policy Watch published text from the current draft. Read it here ([link removed]) .

If You Are in a Hurry
* Read The Guardian ([link removed]) on the failure of the World Trade Organization to reach an agreement on waiving intellectual property rights for COVID interventions.
* Read a call to include harm reduction in pandemic preparedness in BMJ ([link removed]) .
* Read what’s needed to combat dengue in Forbes ([link removed]) .
* Read Reuters ([link removed]) on a warning from WHO on a global rise in measles cases.
* Read Forbes ([link removed]) and Scripps News ([link removed]) on a study that shows rare COVID vaccine risks, but risk from infection far higher.
* Read Scientific American ([link removed]) on what we know and don’t know about risks from repeat COVID infections.
* Read Undark ([link removed]) and The Telegraph ([link removed]) on projects looking for viruses and pathogens in new ways.

No Agreement at WTO in Access to COVID Interventions
The Guardian ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “The World Trade Organization has failed to reach an agreement to waive intellectual property rights on Covid-19 tests and treatments for poorer countries. Members of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (Trips) council said it could not reach consensus after years of discussion, despite the ‘considerable efforts’ of members…. ‘It’s a real slap in the face,’ said Fatima Hassan, a South African human rights lawyer and the founder of Health Justice Initiative…. ‘It’s proof of what we have been saying all along, that the WTO does not serve the interest of patients in the global south because it is hijacked by high-income countries. This decision is a sign of whose lives are seen to matter the most. Global south governments are going to have to urgently reconsider what it means to be part of this bizarre one-s
ided system.’”

Africa CDC Wants 60% of Vaccines for Africa Manufactured in Africa by 2040
ENA ([link removed]) (Ethiopia) reports on remarks by Africa CDC Director General, Dr. Jean Kaseya: he Africa CDC is actively involved in promoting local vaccine production, enhancing testing capacities, and improving access to healthcare services to strengthen Africa's health system, he said, adding the ultimate objective is to ensure a more robust and self-sufficient health infrastructure for Africans. With a focus on vaccine production, the Africa CDC has initiated a program to achieve a minimum of 60 percent vaccine self-sufficiency by 2040.”

Harm Reduction in Pandemic Preparedness
Saskia Popescu and Jessica Malaty Rivera write in BMJ ([link removed]) (UK), “Health security has traditionally included work related to pathogen early warning systems, bolstering vaccine development, and therapeutic research. While these efforts are important, social interventions such as prioritizing science communication, combating misinformation or disinformation, and funding harm reduction are often an afterthought. We recommend not only making the existing focal points as agile and robust as possible but also integrating social interventions such as harm reduction into these toolkits and metrics for global health security and bioresilience. One of the most important but often neglected lessons from recent outbreaks is the importance of harm reduction—a public health strategy for modifying behaviors that increase risk of harm.

Dengue Cases Continue to Rise in the Americas
CIDRAP ([link removed]) (US) reports, “After record dengue activity in 2023 in the Americas, the brisk pace of new infections showed no let-up in the first 5 weeks of the new year, with 11 countries reporting rising cases and Brazil among the hardest-hit nations. In its latest epidemiologic alert ([link removed]) , the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said cases have increased 157% compared to the same period in 2023 and are 225% above the 5-year average." Bloomberg ([link removed]) (US) reports.

Where is the Dengue Vaccine?
Infectious disease specialist Stephen J. Thomas writes in Forbes ([link removed]) (US), “Scientists have been trying to develop a safe and effective dengue vaccine for nearly 100 years…. Reducing the global dengue burden will require a multidisciplinary approach including development of vaccines, specific treatments, rapid diagnostic tests and innovative approaches to controlling mosquitoes. It will also require a hefty dose of expectation management and acceptance that even imperfect dengue vaccines can deliver a public health benefit.”

WHO Sounds Alarm on Measles
Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “More than half the world's countries will be at high or very high risk of measles outbreaks by the end of the year unless urgent preventative measures are taken, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday. Measles cases have been increasing across most regions mainly due to missed vaccinations during the COVID-19 years when health systems were overwhelmed and fell behind on routine vaccinations for preventable diseases…. Cases last year were already up 79% to over 300,000, according to WHO data—thought to represent just a fraction of the total.”

Outbreaks in the Europe, the UK and the US driven largely by vaccine hesitancy are sparking urgent calls for parents to vaccinate their children. NBC News ([link removed]) (US) quotes vaccine and infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Hotez: People who decline to vaccinate their children against measles are taking large and unnecessary risks… Measles vaccines ([link removed]) have repeatedly been shown to be safe. For every 10,000 children infected with measles, 2,000 will be hospitalized; 1,000 will develop ear infections with the potential for permanent hearing loss; 500 will develop pneumonia; and 10 to 30 will die…”

What Do we Know about Repeat COVID Infections?
Scientific American ([link removed]) (US) looks at what we know (And don’t know) about the consequences of repeat COVID infections. “Four years into the pandemic, researchers and clinicians know that people are racking up multiple infections, but the long-term consequences of repeatedly getting the virus aren’t yet clear…. While scientists desperately want more data to better understand the ways COVID could shape a person’s health for years to come, the hints available now are worrying, experts say. ‘There’s a major concern here that people who are getting repeated infections [could] have long-term consequences,’ [NIH neurologist Avindra] Nath says. ‘And the data that is coming out suggests that possibility.’”

Long COVID Less Prevalent among Vaccinated
CIDRAP ([link removed]) (US) reports, “A new study based on 4,605 participants in the Michigan COVID-19 Recovery Surveillance Study shows that the prevalence of long COVID symptoms at 30 and 90 days post-infection was 43% to 58% lower among adults who were fully vaccinated before infection…. ‘These findings support the growing evidence that COVID-19 vaccination may be an important tool to reduce the burden of long COVID, providing evidence that can inform public health messaging regarding the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines,’ the authors concluded.”

Read the study in the Annals of Epidemiology ([link removed]) .

COVID Vaccines Linked to Small Increases in Health Issues
Forbes ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Covid vaccines from companies like Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca were linked to rare occurrences of heart, brain and blood disorders, a recent peer-reviewed study found, though experts say the risks of developing Covid-19 greatly outweigh the risks of getting vaccinated…. the chances of having a neurological event after a Covid infection were up to 617-fold higher than following COVID vaccination, which suggests ‘the benefits of vaccination substantially outweigh the risks,’ according to the Vaccine study researchers. Scripps News ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The study compared the risk of developing a medical condition in various periods after getting a vaccine to the risk before the
vaccine became available. The study does not suggest that the vaccines are the cause of the increases, and scientists say more research is needed to determine what causes this increased risk.” Read the study in Vaccine ([link removed]) .

South Africa Health Department Warns on Vaccine Disinformation
The Citizen ([link removed]) (South Africa) reports, “The Department of Health has refuted the claims made in a voice note circulating on social media which suggests that people who have received the Covid-19 vaccine are succumbing to its effects. It has also warned against the use of a non-prescription treatment from the brand Nature’s Choice Activated Charcoal as a solution to prevent such deaths. The department emphasised that there is no proof that Covid-19 vaccines are causing deaths. It said the claims made in the voice note should be ignored.”

More than Half of US Newborns Protected from RSV
Axios ([link removed]) (US) reports, “More than half of U.S. newborns now appear to be protected by new RSV vaccines, according to updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data…. The virus is considered the second leading cause of death worldwide during the first year of a child's life. The data suggests demand was strong despite broader vaccine skepticism and the potential for confusion over more childhood immunization options.

Virus Hunters
The Telegraph ([link removed]) (UK) reports on “a race to understand the microbes suspended within [samples from thawing permafriost]. While virology research tends to focus on threats lurking in more tropical climates, Claverie and Abergel are searching for potential dangers now emerging from the frozen north, including what have become known as ‘zombie viruses’…. Claverie is part of an increasingly vocal campaign within the science community to prioritise surveillance over prospecting, finding sick patients early rather than investing millions in the risky search for pathogens in the wild. The Marseille lab is now part of UArctic, a consortium of educational institutes that is working to establish a monitoring network and quarantine protocols in the event of an infection from a permafrost virus. ‘The idea is that you capture the virus before it becomes a pandemic.’”

Undark ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The pandemic catalyzed a push for new technologies that allow scientists to quickly characterize organisms leaving a genetic trace in the environment. Similar to how city-leveling hurricanes have fueled innovations in weather surveillance and building engineering, the pandemic has helped propel the science of pathogen hunting…. Now, scientists around the world can sample from a cup of dirt, a vial of water, or even a puff of air, and survey the eDNA present for thousands of microbial species…. Wastewater surveillance is the most advanced method for monitoring population-level virus spikes, but other realms are catching up. As a result, health officials are becoming better prepared to detect an outbreak—and quickly take steps to contain it.”

Bubonic Plague is Back… But Not Such a Big Deal
NPR Goats and Soda Blog ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The bubonic plague has cropped up in Oregon for the first time in nearly a decade. This time a person likely caught it from their cat, health officials in the central part of the state said last week. Doctors identified the disease quickly and treated the person with antibiotics. They also tracked down all the person's contacts (and the cat's contacts) and gave them medication as well. So they don't expect the disease to spread or cause any deaths.”
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