"Seqirus Media Monitoring" 5th Jul 2018
Seqirus mentions
HVP and Seqirus partner to advance influenza vaccine research
The Human Vaccines Project and Seqirus announced that Seqirus is joining the Project’s Universal Influenza Vaccine Initiative (UIVI). Russell Basser, MD, senior vice president of research and development at Seqirus, said “Seqirus is pleased to bring its expertise to the Project, working alongside the eminent research organisations already involved"
Industry News
Sinovac Raises $86.73 Million Through Private Placement Transaction
Sinovac Biotech announced that it has completed a private placement of its common shares with private investors Vivo Capital and Advantech. Sinovac will receive gross proceeds of $86.73 million, which will be used to increase its capabilities in research relating to quality control and to build additional production facilities to support the development and commercialization of sIPV-based combination vaccine and other new vaccine projects.
Pandemic Influenza News
New & Resurgent Infectious Diseases Can Have Far-reaching Economic Repercussions
The health risks of outbreaks and epidemics—and the fear and panic that accompany them—map to various economic risks. Perhaps the greatest challenge is the formidable array of possible causes of epidemics, including pathogens that are currently unknown. In December 2015 the World Health Organization published a list of epidemic-potential disease priorities requiring urgent research and development attention. There is a significant market failure when it comes to vaccines against individual low-probability pathogens that collectively are likely to cause epidemics. Given the low probability that any single vaccine of this type will be needed, high R&D costs, and delayed returns, pharmaceutical companies hesitate to invest in their development.
Humans Are to Blame for the Rise in Dangerous Viral Infections
There are many factors contributing to the spread of viruses around the world. Expanding settlement towards wilderness areas provides more opportunities for viruses to meet people. Domesticated livestock may carry viruses that infect humans, and the growing human population dictates increasing and more compact livestock production. Influenza virus infects pigs, cattle and poultry as well as humans. The H7N9 strain that has infected more than 1,500 people in China and resulted in the death of one-third since 2013, first moved to humans from diseased poultry.
Academic studies
No News Recorded
Pediatric influenza news
The ACOG"s New Immunization Guidelines For Pregnant Women Are Simplified & Incredibly Helpful
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is trying to clear up some confusion, not just for pregnant women, but also for health practitioners who might be unclear about what sort of vaccines are safe and necessary, with its new, one-sheet vaccination guide for pregnant women. One of the vaccines ACOG wants women to consider is the flu shot, just because pregnant women are more susceptible to getting sick because their immune systems are working overtime.
Over 65’s influenza news
Survival rates for heart attacks and strokes improve dramatically
In Ireland, a report on the latest statistics from the Department of Health.notes with concern that far fewer older people are getting flu vaccines. Between 200 and 500 mainly older people die from flu each winter. The HSE aims to vaccinate 75 per cent of over-65-year-olds against flu each year. Over the last five years, it has never exceeded 60 per cent and in 2017 this dropped to about 54 per cent. The rate has dropped every year since 2014.
General Influenza News
FluTracking proves popular - Ministry of Health
In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health’s online FluTracking initiative could be boosting people's understanding of influenza. "I’m thrilled that more than 3500 people have signed up to New Zealand’s first online campaign to monitor influenza since it launched two months ago. We hope many more people will sign up because the more who are involved, the better our understanding of seasonal influenza activity and the better our ability to prepare for it," says the Ministry’s Director of Public Health, Dr Caroline McElnay.
Fact check: Are your chances of getting the flu after a vaccination only decreased by 1 to 2 per cent?
Last year saw the highest levels of flu activity in Australia since the 2009 swine flu pandemic. This year Australians wanting to be vaccinated against the flu mobilised in unprecedented numbers, forcing the Federal Government to order an additional 800,000 vaccines. But the effectiveness of the vaccine was called into question by professor of Public Health at Bond University, Chris Del Mar. His claim is misleading however, according to experts
Study Shows High-Deductible Health Plans Discourage Needed Health Care
A study, "Privately insured adults in HDHP with higher deductibles reduce rates of primary care and preventive services", found that in the U.S., high deductible health plans go beyond cutting down use of unnecessary medical care. They discourage low-income people from getting needed preventive, primary care and subspecialty care. "We found that rates of breast cancer and hypertension screening, and flu vaccination were lower among respondents in high-deductible without health savings accounts compared with those enrolled in no-deductible insurance plans," Jetty writes.
No more chicken soup: Data is the answer to fighting the flu
Pandemic flu is a serious global health concern. Advances in influenza virology, immunology and vaccinology are critical to the development of a universal influenza vaccine. Operations research and analytics can play an important role in assisting experimental scientists in their study of viruses or design of vaccines. For example, identifying the best immune correlate(s) for protection, which facilitates a better design for flu vaccine, including universal ones.
Swine Flu: symptoms and prevention
In South Africa, Infection, Prevention and Control Manager at Mediclinic Limpopo, Kevin Nxumalo, says they have had several Influenza A cases (which include different strains of H1N1, H3N2) since the beginning of June 2018, which have swiftly been dealt with, using Tamiflu treatment. Nxumalo advised residents to to go for annual flu vaccinations as the virus is a high risk and affects the both upper and lower respiratory tract
Major drop in communicable diseases in district; reduced by almost half
In Kochi, India, there has been an appreciable fall in the outbreak of communicable diseases in the district compared to the year-ago period when the infections had reached endemic levels.The efforts were very effective in the case of H1N1 infections as only one person has been diagnosed with the disease so far this year, against the 204 confirmed cases during the period last year.
Flu vaccine worked better than expected in 2017
A reader wants to know whether the flu vaccine in the U.S. did only work 20 to 25% of the time last flu season. She is told that "it’s always worth getting the flu shot, and that 20 to 25 percent effectiveness number was simply an early estimate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states the effectiveness rate ended up around 36 percent across several different flu strains, but primarily guarded against H3N2."
Burden of disease
Sumaré confirms three deaths from H1N1 and 27 patients under investigation, says health authorities
The death toll from the H1N1 flu virus in Sumaré has risen to three this year, two children are among the victims. On Wednesday (4th), City Hall confirmed that, so far, seven people have contracted the disease in the city and there are another 27 cases still under investigation awaiting for test results to come back. The third victim was a 5-year-old boy, who died on May 25th, according to the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit. There is at least one death among the additional patients being investigated.
Alarm over the death of a farmer from the H1N1 flu virus
Health authorities on the Caribbean coast are on alert due to the death of a farmer who contracted the H1N1 influenza virus. Additionally, there are worries about a further positive confirmation of the virus in a woman. The death of Cesar Mario José Murgas occurred last weekend in Barranquilla, where he was transferred by his relatives, after suffering from flu virus related complications. Murgas was initially hospitalized in a clinic in Valledupar, where, on the recommendation of the departmental Health Secretariat, all health protocols were activated as experts sought to rule in or out the presence of the H1N1 virus.
One Dead, More Infected as Swine Flu Outbreak Hits Namibia
In Namibia, the health authorities have confirmed the death of at least one person who succumbed to swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus. So far, at least 10 people including three primary school pupils have been diagnosed and are being treated for the virus.
Flu Surveillance in Animals
Bird flu hits Ghana"s poultry industry
Since 2014, bird flu has been sweeping through West Africa. Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Niger and Nigeria have all been hit by the H5N1 virus and it has decimated poultry populations, costing billions of dollars. An outbreak of bird flu has been reported in Ghana, leading to the killing of 11,816 birds.
Russia faces trade sanctions as it battles bird flu
Russia faces poultry trade sanctions as it battles an outbreak of bird flu that has affected four regions and a growing number of farms. Several nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Belarus and Kazakhstan have restricted poultry imports from the affected regions of Russia, which include Kursk, Samara and Orel.