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With over 402,000 Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) cases and 180 related deaths already reported this year in the Region of the Americas, a team of vaccine experts today presented very positive seroresponse rate data of the only approved vaccine.
On October 23, 2024, Susan Hills, MBBS MTH CDC Lead, Chikungunya Vaccines Work Group Arboviral Diseases Branch Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, led a review of the IXCHIQ® vaccine.

However, in 2021, cancer incidence rates remained substantially depressed from expected rates in rural areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently confirmed the New World screwworm (NWS) infestation was eradicated from the United States decades ago using an innovative sterile insect technique.
However, as of October 21, 2024, this flesh-eating worm remains endemic in Central America and is constantly at risk of being reintroduced into the United States. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) announced a new milestone digital health collaboration today to expand the Hajj health card initiative to support the roughly 3 million pilgrims who undertake the holy pilgrimage every year.
The card empowers pilgrims to provide authorized health providers access to accurate, up-to-date patient summary information and obtain personalized quality care.
For Hajj 1445, mandatory vaccinations included COVID-19, Influenza, and Meningococcal.

The 2023-24 epidemic of Oropouche fever in the Region of the Americas suggests a potential change in the epidemiology of the disease, raising questions about which vectors are driving transmission.
In a pre-print study published on October 18, 2024, researchers systematically reviewed vector competence experiments with the Oropouche virus (OROV) published before the 2023-24 epidemic season.
Only seven studies were published by September 2024, highlighting the chronic neglect that OROV has been subjected to since its discovery in 1954.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) stockpile is depleted, with no remaining doses available.
The WHO's External Situation Report #19 says this shortage poses significant challenges to Cholera outbreak response efforts for the rest of 2024 and early 2025.
This news is concerning since around 1.3 billion people are at risk of cholera worldwide.

Over ten years ago, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) urged its member countries with mosquitoes that transmit the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) to increase their vector control programs before infections become endemic.
Since then, 15 countries in the Region of the Americas have reported mosquito-transmitted chikungunya outbreaks in 2024, setting recent highs for cases and related fatalities.

Diwali is a five-day festival of lights celebrated annually by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains worldwide. Millions will travel abroad to celebrate this multi-day event with their families.
While Diwali is observed in various countries, India hosts significant outdoor festivities. The main celebration, Deepavali, will occur from October 31 to November 1, 2024.
Joining this event may increase the risk of exposure to unwanted viruses.