Travel Vaccine News

The Minister of Health Fahd Al-Jalajel, announced yesterday the health plans success for this year's Hajj 1443 AH (2022), citing that it is free from disease outbreaks or other effects on public health.
In a statement to Saudi Press Agency on July 11, 2022, the Minister of Health said that “in light of the great support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince, I am pleased to announce the success of Hajj health plans for this year 1443 H.”

The bacteria that causes typhoid fever is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics used to treat the disease, with resistant strains spreading to hundreds of countries in the past three decades, according to an analysis published by The Lancet Microbe in June 2022.
This recent study shows how resistant strains from South Asia, where the disease is endemic, have spread 200 times to other countries since 1990.

When Israel’s Ministry of Health launched an urgent polio vaccination campaign in March 2022, most parents were unaware of the risks and benefits for their children.
However, as the Health Ministry prepares to end this polio vaccination offering, new data indicates it has been successful among most infants and young children.
Israel Hayom reported on June 27, 2022, that 96% of infants were vaccinated compared to 81% before the campaign. 
And the vaccination rate among toddlers aged 18 months to nine years old increased from 69% to 73%. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) reaffirmed its call today for governments and civil society to scale up efforts to prevent the monkeypox outbreak from establishing itself across additional geographical areas. 
The WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, stated on July 1, 2022, “Urgent and coordinated action is imperative if we are to turn a corner in the race to reverse the ongoing spread of this disease.”

The UK Heath Security Agency (UKHSA) announced today that poliovirus samples had been found in sewage collected from the London Beckton Sewage Treatment Works between February and May 2022.
The UKHSA confirmed on June 22, 2022, investigations determined the poliovirus has evolved and is now classified as a ‘vaccine-derived’ poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2), which can cause serious illness in under-immunized people.

A recent report described how a mosquito saliva component is required for virus infection.
When infected mosquitoes bite people, they inject viruses and saliva into the skin. The saliva is biologically active and helps the mosquito feed but also helps the virus to infect and replicate.
And ‘host responses to Aedes mosquito saliva is remarkably rapid, inducing peak edema and monocyte influx within minutes postexposure.’

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced today it is investigating two measles cases in unvaccinated, pre-school children who are siblings.
The children developed measles symptoms shortly after returning to Hennepin County after visiting an unidentified country where measles is endemic. 
One child was hospitalized due to measles complications.
The children were isolated when symptoms started, so exposures were limited to health care and family settings.

Throughout the Caribbean, countries are making measurable gains toward ending the AIDS epidemic and ushering in an AIDS-free generation. 
These innovative countries are doing so by using science, innovation, and evidence-based strategies to help save lives.
The efforts are celebrated annually on the Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is today, June 8, 2022.
‘This is the eighth annual observance, and we want to take a moment to recognize the impact that HIV/AIDS has on Caribbean American communities, stated a HIV.gov press release.

To eradicate polio, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has brought together the latest scientific knowledge on poliovirus to make the most of lessons learned and plan for a world without polio.
While most of the world seldom confirms a polio case, Afghanistan and Pakistan are two countries that continue to battle this vaccine-preventable disease.
To prevent poliovirus from spreading across borders, Pakistan and Afghanistan synchronized nationwide polio immunization campaigns in May 2022.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced in May 2022 the implementation of new procedures for the entry of all non-Saudi citizens and exempted travelers to the Kingdom by a circular issued today to all airlines operating in the Kingdom's airports. 
The circular stipulates the application of the institutional quarantine to non-Saudi citizens and exempted travelers, unvaccinated groups who come from countries from which their arrival has not been suspended at their own expense.