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Before thousands of Philadelphia Eagles fans head to the airport next week to fly south and attend the first-ever NFL regular season game in Sai Paulo, Brazil, it is recommended to consult a travel vaccine expert.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says several vaccine-preventable diseases, such as Chikungunya, Dengue, and Yellow Fever, are currently spreading in Brazil.
While one to two doses of an effective vaccine can prevent each disease, when and where to get the vaccination are variable.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) recently announced plans to conduct aerial and truck-mounted spraying in parts of Worcester County at risk for the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus.
EEE is a rare but severe and potentially fatal mosquito-transmitted disease that can affect anyone.
On August 16, 2024, DPH announced this year’s first human case of EEE virus infection in Worcester County.

As the United States enters another flu season, looking back at previous data highlights why vaccinations are essential to protecting children.
In the FluView Key Updates for Week 33, ending August 17, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed that 194 influenza-associated pediatric deaths were confirmed during the 2023-2024 flu season.
This data exceeds the National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Surveillance (NCHS) data reported for the previous three flu seasons: 186, 49, and 1.

By Robin Foster HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, Aug. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — As a summer surge in COVID cases begins to ebb and Americans brace themselves for yet another wave of …

So far this year, the mosquito-transmitted Chikungunya virus disease has caused outbreaks throughout the Region of the Americas.
Data reported on August 24, 2024, indicates that 161 Chikungunya-related deaths were reported in 2024, led by the Federative Republic of Brazil's 375,000 confirmed cases.
According to the local health department, while most of the Chikungunya cases have been reported in Brazil's mountainous regions, the country's Chikungunya hot spot could be in the state of São Paulo. 

New data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage among adolescents in the United States did not increase.
Published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (73(33);715–721) on August 22, 2024, the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases data shows that HPV vaccinations decreased slightly last year, reaching 61.4% in 2023, lower than the 62.6% reported in 2022.

Recent data highlighted a concerning trend in the incidence of pertussis (whooping cough), a vaccine-preventable disease. Infants are at the most significant risk for severe disease and death from pertussis because their immune systems are still developing.
As of week #32 in 2024, this age group continues to have the highest reported rate of pertussis infection.