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WHO Recommends Two Malaria Vaccines for Young Children in Africa, Not for Travelers

WHO Recommends Two Malaria Vaccines for Young Children in Africa, Not for Travelers

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended two malaria vaccines since 2021 and 2023, specifically for young children residing in moderate-to-high malaria transmission areas of Africa. These vaccines are administered as part of national public health programs, with the first dose given around five months of age. The goal of these vaccines is to reduce severe malaria episodes in populations constantly exposed to the disease. However, these vaccines are not available or recommended for travelers, including those from the United States, as they were not tested for this purpose and provide partial protection that wanes over time, requiring booster doses suitable for continuous exposure. For travelers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health bodies continue to recommend prescription antimalarial tablets and strict mosquito-bite avoidance.
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Moderna and Merck Advance Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine for Melanoma, Eyeing Regulatory Filing

Moderna and Merck Advance Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine for Melanoma, Eyeing Regulatory Filing

Moderna and Merck Advance Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine for Melanoma, Eyeing Regulatory Filing
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World Health Organization Emphasizes AI's Role in Global Health Strategy and Ethical Concerns

World Health Organization Emphasizes AI's Role in Global Health Strategy and Ethical Concerns

The World Health Organization (WHO) is actively integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its global health strategy, recognizing its growing importance in healthcare. WHO Member States unanimously adopted a resolution on Digital Health in 2018, leading to the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025, which highlights AI's significance. This strategy includes 172 implementation actions focusing on digital health policy and human-centered health systems. The WHO reinforced the importance of digital health, particularly AI for health, in 2020, emphasizing the need to embrace and lead in this area to improve global health, including working with the International Telecommunications Union to use AI for reaching remote communities. The ITU-WHO Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health (FG-AI4H) was established in 2018 to explore standardization in AI applications for health, developing guidance and benchmarks for AI for health solutions.
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Bolivia and PAHO Enhance Cooperation for Early Detection of Public Health Events

Bolivia and PAHO Enhance Cooperation for Early Detection of Public Health Events

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) hosted a delegation from Bolivia’s Ministry of Health and Sports in Washington, D.C., for a technical exchange aimed at strengthening national capacities for implementing International Health Regulations (IHR). The five-day visit, from November 2 to 6, focused on enhancing mechanisms for the timely detection, assessment, and notification of potential public health risks. Teams reviewed procedures for identifying, assessing, and reporting unusual public health events, including those detected through disease surveillance and community-based event surveillance. A key focus was the application of the IHR Annex 2 decision instrument to determine if an event should be reported to the World Health Organization (WHO), with plans to expand its use across surveillance units and laboratories. The visit also addressed coordination mechanisms among Bolivia’s National IHR Focal Point (NFP), the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), and national reference la...
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Research Highlights Systemic Strategies for Building Resilience in Agri-Food Systems Against Global Shocks

Research Highlights Systemic Strategies for Building Resilience in Agri-Food Systems Against Global Shocks

An editorial analysis in 'Agriculture and Food Security' synthesizes research across agricultural systems, emphasizing how climate-resilient farming, structural policies, and targeted dietary interventions are crucial for building resilience against environmental and economic crises. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger and promote sustainable agriculture faces persistent vulnerabilities exacerbated by climate change, economic volatility, and geopolitical instability. The analysis, drawing on definitions from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, defines sustainable healthy diets as those providing sufficient safe, nutritious food while minimizing environmental footprints and protecting against malnutrition. The research organizes contemporary scientific insights into five thematic pillars: climate-resilient farming, sustainable production technologies, food environments shaping diets, governance policies, and supply chain waste reduction. It conc...
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La Niña Weather System Linked to Increased Malaria Cases in Southern African Development Community Countries

La Niña Weather System Linked to Increased Malaria Cases in Southern African Development Community Countries

The La Niña weather system, which typically follows El Niño and strengthens normal weather patterns, has been associated with cooler conditions in the west. In early 2026, this system caused severe flooding across several Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. This widespread flooding damaged critical infrastructure and led to the displacement of local communities. Consequently, there has been a significant increase in malaria cases in affected nations, including Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa. Mozambique experienced a 55% rise in cases during the first six weeks of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, while Zimbabwe reported 65,399 cases in the first quarter of 2026, nearly double the figure from the first quarter of 2025. The displacement of populations, particularly mobile and migrant groups, further strains already overburdened healthcare facilities and increases the risk of drug stockouts.
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Merck and Moderna's Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine Reduces Melanoma Recurrence by 42% in Trial

Merck and Moderna's Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine Reduces Melanoma Recurrence by 42% in Trial

A personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, developed by Merck and Moderna, has demonstrated a 42% reduction in the risk of melanoma recurrence or death when combined with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, compared to Keytruda alone. This experimental treatment, known as intismeran autogene, is a therapeutic vaccine tailored for individual patients with an existing cancer diagnosis. It functions by analyzing a tumor sample to identify genetic mutations that produce abnormal proteins (neoantigens) and then creating an mRNA treatment to stimulate an immune response against these specific cancer cell characteristics. The Phase 3 INTerpath-001 clinical trial involved over 1,100 high-risk melanoma patients whose tumors had been surgically removed. After a median follow-up of 24.6 months, the combination therapy also reduced the relative risk of cancer spreading to distant parts of the body or death by 38%. The detailed findings were announced on October 22, 2026, as part of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESM...
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Nagasaki University Researchers Develop New mRNA Vaccines for Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome

Nagasaki University Researchers Develop New mRNA Vaccines for Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome

Researchers from Hyogo Medical University and Nagasaki University, in collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., have developed three mRNA vaccine candidates targeting Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS). SFTS is a tick-borne infectious disease with a high fatality rate (10% to 27%) and increasing incidence in Japan, for which no effective preventive vaccine currently exists. The research focused on three viral proteins: Gn and Gc, located on the SFTS virus surface, and NP, found inside the viral particle. Three distinct mRNA vaccines—Gn vaccine, Gc vaccine, and NP vaccine—were developed to target these antigens. In mouse models, each of these vaccine candidates demonstrated complete protection against SFTS virus infection through different immune mechanisms. This preclinical success marks a significant step toward developing effective preventive measures against this severe infectious disease.
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A once almost-forgotten disease is spiking in the US. See latest numbers

A once almost-forgotten disease is spiking in the US. See latest numbers

The United States has hit another grim milestone amid the resurgence of measles, a disease it had previously eliminated.
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Merck and Moderna Demonstrate High Manufacturing Success for Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine in Phase 3 Trial

Merck and Moderna Demonstrate High Manufacturing Success for Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine in Phase 3 Trial

Merck and Moderna have reported significant success in the manufacturing and delivery of their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, during the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial for high-risk melanoma. The companies successfully provided the custom-made vaccine to 99% of patients in the treatment arm, demonstrating the feasibility of deploying this complex, individualized therapy on a large scale. This achievement is crucial because these vaccines are custom-made for each patient using samples from their unique tumors obtained during resection. The manufacturing process involves sequencing patient tumor tissue to identify specific mutational signatures, then writing a personalized synthetic mRNA code for up to 34 neoantigens. This code instructs the immune system on how to combat the unique cancer. The trial, which included 1,137 patients with resected stage 2b to 4 melanoma, also showed that the vaccine, when paired with Merck’s Keytruda, reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42%. The stud...
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Moderna Raises 2026 Outlook Amid Stronger Vaccine Sales and Cost Reductions

Moderna Raises 2026 Outlook Amid Stronger Vaccine Sales and Cost Reductions

Moderna Raises 2026 Outlook Amid Stronger Vaccine Sales and Cost Reductions
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Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine Shows Promising Phase 3 Results for High-Risk Melanoma Patients

Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine Shows Promising Phase 3 Results for High-Risk Melanoma Patients

A personalized messenger RNA (mRNA) cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, combined with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), has met key endpoints in a Phase 3 trial for patients with high-risk melanoma who have undergone surgery. The international INTerpath-001 trial investigated whether this investigational mRNA-based individualized vaccine could enhance the immune response against residual cancer cells. The study involved 1,137 patients with completely resected stage 2B-4 cutaneous melanoma who had not previously received systemic therapy. Patients were randomized to receive either intismeran autogene plus pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab alone. In a prespecified interim analysis, the combination therapy met the primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival and a key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival, showing statistically significant improvements compared to pembrolizumab alone. Detailed results, including numerical effect estimates and longer-term outcomes, are expected to be presented at a fort...