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In 2024, Florida once again is attracting vacationers with its stunning beaches. Updated statistics indicate that in 2023, the total number of visitors to Florida reached 135 million, with millions arriving from overseas.
While this is great for Florida's tourism, it also raises concerns from a health perspective.

As the Fall 2024 vacation season approaches, many international travelers are looking to relax on a warm beach in the sun.
However, the latest Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) report warns travelers that some beaches may have disease-carrying mosquitoes.
As of September 3, 2024, three arboviral diseases have recently increased by over 100% in the Americas Region.
Of those diseases, about 90 % were dengue cases, 8% chikungunya virus cases, and 2% were Zika cases.

Recent media coverage has highlighted the rarely discussed mosquito-borne disease that is leading causes about 1 out of 150 infected people to develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
Since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first detected West Nile virus (WNV) in the United States in 1999, the annual number of reported cases has varied widely. WNV detections usually occur during the summer and extend into the fall season, especially in the southern states.

Bacterial vaccines offer a promising solution by targeting specific pathogens without harming the broader microbiome. However, researchers wrote on August 30, 2024, that developing effective bacterial vaccines is challenging due to the weak immunogenicity of major bacterial antigens.
This emerging antibacterial nanovaccine delivers enhanced chemotherapy by selectively eliminating tumor-colonizing bacteria.

As the science of virology continues evolving, discovering additional benefits from approved vaccines is a real advantage.