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Best regards, Rob Lambkin-Williams, hVIVO

Medical Xpress: Fighting flu with designer drugs: A new compound fends off different influenza strains

http://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2016-02-flu-drugs-compound-fends-influenza.html

Germany Confirms Five Zika Virus Cases
http://news.sky.com/story/1632086/germany-confirms-five-zika-virus-cases

WHO leader: Zika virus 'spreading explosively'

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/28/health/zika-virus-global-response/index.html

The Spread of Zika virus

The spread of the Zika virus in South America was already of great concern, 4000 abnormal births since October 2015 and women advised not to get pregnant for the next two years. The virus is spread by a particular mosquito ( Aedes aegypti) which is an unusual mosquito in that it is present during the day so normal prevention methods such as mosquito nets are less effective. Today the bad news, there is increasing evidence that the regular much more common Culex mosquito can also transmit the virus. The rapid spread of West Nile virus , also transmitted via mosquitos, across the USA since 1999 would suggest that the threat from Zika is severe and currently there are no treatments or vaccines

The work was reported by scientists at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Recife, Pernambuco State.

http://news.sky.com/story/1631065/zika-virus-may-have-spread-to-common-mosquito

Dr Robert Lambkin-Williams

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert_Lambkin-Williams2

Beware Influenza, The Silent Killer - Forbes

http://onforb.es/1IQgtAF

Beware Influenza, The Silent Killer -

China reports human H7N9 avian influenza infection in Shanghai man | Outbreak News Today

http://outbreaknewstoday.com/china-reports-human-h7n9-avian-influenza-infection-in-shanghai-man-66846/

Posted by Rob Lambkin-Williams

WHO influenza update

http://www.who.int/influenza/surveillance_monitoring/updates/latest_update_GIP_surveillance/en/#.VoT1dQWQUIA.email

CDC on Flu - 'top trending health symptom on Google in 2015

Mers virus vaccine 'a step closer'

Mers virus vaccine 'a step closer'
BBC NEWS - SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT | 18 DECEMBER 2015
http://pulse.me/s/5miCA4
An effective vaccine to protect against the Mers virus is a step closer, say scientists. Read more

Vaxart Announces Enrollment of First Patient in Influenza B Phase 1 Trial | Vaccines | News Channels

http://pipelinereview.com/index.php/2015121759940/Vaccines/Vaxart-Announces-Enrollment-of-First-Patient-in-Influenza-B-Phase-1-Trial.html

Motavizumab reduces RSV hospitalizations in Native American infants

http://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/respiratory-infections/news/online/%7Ba71bec67-beae-4d07-913a-c95dae42a66f%7D/motavizumab-reduces-rsv-hospitalizations-in-native-american-infants

Posted by Rob Lambkin-Williams

Influenza-Associated Excess Mortality in South Korea

http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(15)00630-3/abstract

Press Announcements > FDA approves first seasonal influenza vaccine containing an adjuvant

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm474295.htm

Sanofi Pasteur shares universal influenza vaccine research | Vaccine News

http://vaccinenewsdaily.com/stories/510647422-sanofi-pasteur-shares-universal-influenza-vaccine-research

RSV MUCOSAL VACCINE - KIDO HIROSHI

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2015/0297713.html

Palivizumab prophylaxis for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) and respiratory illness hospitalizations | European Respiratory Society

http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/46/suppl_59/PA3625

WHO | Influenza update

This update is fascinating. As the flu season in the northern hemisphere approaches its interesting to note that in Australia the dominant viruses have been of the B subtype. Currently most vaccines in the northern hemisphere only protect against one B virus, although a new vaccine which protects against two is available and the Australian government is now switching to this. It seem highly likely that Northern Hemisphere governments will have to follow suit.



http://www.who.int/influenza/surveillance_monitoring/updates/latest_update_GIP_surveillance/en/

VBI Vaccines to Present Update and New Data Supporting its RSV and CMV Vaccine Programs at the World Vaccine Congress Europe - NASDAQ.com

http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/vbi-vaccines-to-present-update-and-new-data-supporting-its-rsv-and-cmv-vaccine-programs-at-the-20151106-00374

Reference "Influence of Statins on Influenza Vaccine Response..."

J. Infect. Dis., 2015

Influence of Statins on Influenza Vaccine Response in Elderly Individuals.

Black, S; Nicolay, U; Del Giudice, G; Rappuoli, R

Influenza vaccination strategies have targeted elderly individuals because they are at high risk of disease complications and mortality. Statins are a class of drugs used to treat hypercholesterolemia and are frequently used in the elderly population to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, statins are also known to have immunomodulatory effects that could impact influenza vaccine response. In a post hoc analysis, we performed a cross-sectional observational study nested within a comparative immunogenicity clinical trial of adjuvanted versus unadjuvanted influenza vaccine in elderly persons to evaluate the influence of statin therapy on the immune response to vaccination. Overall, data on >5000 trial participants were available for analysis. Comparison of hemagglutination-inhibiting geometric mean titers to influenza A(H1N1), A(H3N2), and B strains revealed that titers were 38% (95% confidence interval [CI], 27%-50%), 67% (95% CI, 54%-80%), and 38% (95% CI, 28%-29%) lower, respectively, in subjects receiving chronic statin therapy, compared with those not receiving chronic statin therapy. This apparent immunosuppressive effect of statins on the vaccine immune response was most dramatic in individuals receiving synthetic statins. These effects were seen in both the adjuvanted and unadjuvanted vaccine groups in the clinical trial. These results, if confirmed, could have implications both for future clinical trials design, as well as for vaccine use recommendations for elderly individuals.
© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

PMID: 26516142
URL - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26516142?dopt=Citation

Posted by Rob Lambkin-Williams