Melvin Sanicas

MD MSc FRSPH (UK) • Vaccinologist • #PublicHealth Physician • #GlobalHealth Fellow @gatesfoundation • @TED_ED Educator • Columnist @ProSyn @WEF @HuffPost • @UniSiena @LSHTM

[drmelvinsanicas]

More evidence showing pertussis vaccination for pregnant women is safe and effective

Pregnant women can be reassured there is no risk of autism to their babies due to Tdap vaccine.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, can last a long time – sometimes over two months (hence, it is also called the “100-day cough”). It is a respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis and can be particularly dangerous and potentially life-threatening in infants. After fits of several coughs, someone with pertussis often needs to take bouts of deep breaths which result in a “whooping” sound. Click here to hear how whooping cough sounds in a child. Coughing can be so severe that it is hard for babies to feed, drink, or breathe. The best way to protect against pertussis is by getting vaccinated.

[drmelvinsanicas]

Obesity May Also Increase Flu Spread, Not Just Flu Severity

A new study suggests obesity may play an important role in flu transmission.

Reducing obesity rates can have the benefit of limiting the spread of viral diseases, the authors said. Further research is needed to determine whether the flu virus shed over longer periods by obese patients is infectious and if it is able to infect others.

[drmelvinsanicas]

A lung-healing protein could be the reason why men recover from flu faster than women

In the United States, during the 1957 H2N2 pandemic, the number of deaths was higher among females than males. During the first and second wave of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, a significant portion of patients hospitalized with severe 2009 H1N1 disease was comprised of young adult women. Data from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, as well as from 2005, which was a bad year for seasonal influenza in Japan, reveal significant differences in morbidity rates between males and females. In 2010, the WHO published a report concluding that the outcome of pandemic influenza, as well as avian (bird flu) H5N1, is generally worse for young adult females.

[drmelvinsanicas]

Oysters, Olympics, Ocean liners and Outbreaks

Norovirus is a silent killer, being one of the most dangerous bugs out there.

Norovirus causes 19 to 21 million illnesses, 400,000 emergency room visits, and 570 to 800 deaths, mostly in young children and the elderly, each year in the United States alone. Norovirus kills over 200,000 annually and can be a significant economic drain to societies where outbreaks of the virus are frequent. Globally, it is estimated to cost approximately $4.2 billion in health care costs and over $60 billion in societal costs. According to the US Department of Agriculture, which monitors foodborne illnesses, norovirus is five times as deadly and eight times as costly as the E. coli virus. These cost estimates are conservative as many norovirus cases go unreported.

[drmelvinsanicas]

Scientists identify new Flu H1N2 from a mix of two other influenza viruses

The first case was reported in the Netherlands.

There is thus no evidence of an extensive spread of the A(H1N2) virus, but laboratories should remain on alert. The rise of a reassortant that contains the 2009 H1N1 virus would be a serious concern, because the 2009 H1N1 virus is well-adapted to humans and presents an ideal background for the spread of novel strains.

[drmelvinsanicas]

8 New Tools and Emerging Technologies For Tuberculosis

Science is making great progress in eradicating the infection that kills 1.7 million annually.

Global progress depends on advances in TB diagnosis, prevention, and care in countries with high TB burden. In celebration of World TB day, here are eight new developments about tuberculosis drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics.

[drmelvinsanicas]

H7N9 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Vaccine Trials Begin

Could we be drawing close to finally defeating this disease?

H7N9 had not been seen in humans until infections were reported in March, 2013, in China. It had previously been isolated to outbreaks in birds in Japan, the Netherlands, and the U.S. Since then, six waves of H7N9 infection have occurred in China, resulting in more than 1,500 cumulative human infections, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Most cases of human infection with the avian H7N9 virus reported they had had recent exposure to live poultry or potentially contaminated environments, especially markets where live birds were being sold. There is, currently, no vaccine to protect against H7N9. However, two new clinical trials testing an experimental vaccine to prevent H7N9 infection are now enrolling volunteers across the United States.

[drmelvinsanicas]

Planning a trip to Brazil? Do not forget your yellow fever vaccine

There is no cure for yellow fever, but there is a vaccine.

An outbreak of yellow fever among monkeys has turned for the worse and spread, infecting ten travelers, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). None of the ten travelers — who came from France, Romania, Germany, Switzerland, Chile, Argentina, and the Netherlands — had been vaccinated against yellow fever before they traveled. Sadly, four out of the ten travelers have died.

[drmelvinsanicas]

New case of camel flu reported in Saudi Arabia

There is currently no antiviral treatment or vaccine for camel flu.

MERS-CoV has been reported in over 20 countries to-date, including China, Malaysia, Korea and the Philippines. Saudi Arabia’s MERS-CoV total cases since 2012 have now reached 1,815, including 736 deaths. Nine people are still being treated for their infections.

Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment recommended for MERS-CoV and there is no vaccine to prevent infection. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Saudi Arabian MOH, International Vaccine Institute (IVI), and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), are some of the organizations working on developing one.

[drmelvinsanicas]

Can We Outsmart The Smartest Virus On The Planet?

It's not as simple as you'd think.

So how can we outsmart the smartest virus? Education and public health campaigns and scientific research. The flu vaccine can be further improved but the vaccines we have now are as good as we can make them. Flu vaccines stored in the fridge do not benefit anyone. Get the flu shot! It is far from perfect, but 50% or 40% or even 30% efficacy is better than ZERO and helps prevent the virus from spreading to the rest of the people in the community.

[drmelvinsanicas]

Speaking about #pandemic #vaccines #developments & #regulatory landscape at the @dukenus CoRE + @DrugInfoAssn Conference 2018: Accelerating Access to Innovative Products – Improving Responses to Pandemic Diseases. #globalhealth #Influenza

[drmelvinsanicas]

India eliminating trachoma and other global health successes in 2017 - Outbreak News Today

#Publichealth #physician and #vaccinologist, Dr Melvin Sanicas wrote in an article in Project Syndicate @ProSyn that he counted at least 18 unique successes in 2017 and on today’s show, we’ll touch on several to include India’s elimination of trachoma, the battle against polio and the new typhoid vaccine, to name a few...

Sharing my podcast interview with @bactiman63 on #India eliminating #trachoma & other #globalhealth big wins in 2017 including #NTDs #vaccines #typhoid #shingles #endpolio #Zika #ZeroLeprosy

[drmelvinsanicas]

Progress on a number of human development indicators exceeded expectations in 2017, with global health benefiting from 18 major successes. Even in a mediocre year, eradication of numerous diseases, expansion of universal health care, and much more saved millions of lives.

My latest Op-Ed on #globalhealth BIG WINS in 2017 - #NTDs #measles #Zika #polio #HIV #AMR #TB #vaccines #UHC - MANY THANKS to @WorldBank @WHO @CEPIvaccines @gatesfoundation @BayerPharma @Novartis @pfizer @sanofi @IVIHeadquarters @McDonalds @ProSyn

[drmelvinsanicas]

Influenza Goes Viral – Flu A (H3N2) For North America, Flu B For Europe

Flu activity is still on the rise in the Northern Hemisphere, with influenza A (H3N2) and influenza B making up most of the cases, while some countries a...

News reports have been talking about “Aussie Flu”, “French Flu”, “Japan Flu”. It does NOT really matter where the #flu viruses are from. At the moment Flu A (H3N2) predominates #NorthAmerica and Flu B predominates #Europe. But A (H3N2), A (H1N1), B Yamagata and B Victoria can circulate globally. #Vaccination is still the best defense against flu. #VaccinesWork #FightFlu @HuffPost @HuffPostBlog

[drmelvinsanicas]

Seasonal Influenza Deaths More Common Worldwide Than Previously Thought

Up to 650,000 people in the world die from seasonal flu each year. This is much higher than the often-used numbers of 250,000 to 500,000 deaths cited by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on data thought to reach back decades, which did not take into account experience of developing countries. However, since then, many countries have improved their flu surveillance systems, and have been able to estimate deaths from the disease.

Results showed that the most deaths occur among people aged over 75 years (51.3 – 99.4 per 100, 000 individuals), and in the world’s poorest regions: sub-Saharan Africa (2.8 – 16.5 per 100, 000 individuals) and Southeast Asia (3.5 – 9.2 per 100, 000 individuals). Deaths were also high but slightly lower in Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian countries.

[drmelvinsanicas]

This week is #HandwashingAwarenessWeek – the perfect time to remind #children #students #parents and #caregivers about the importance of #handwashing to help ensure that everyone stays #healthy through the #holidays. https://www.amazon.com/Handwashing-No-Big-Deal-Alban/dp/1543742408

[drmelvinsanicas]

The deadly virus you need to look out for ...

The flu infects and kills more than Zika, Ebola and yellow fever each year.

A #virus that can be spread via the air, survive on hard surfaces for 48 hours, increase child's risk of a #bipolardisorder if the mother is infected while #pregnant, increase the risk of #fetaldeath and #stillbirth, worsen chronic medical conditions? @beatflu @ECDC_Flu @CDCFlu