Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Panel Zeroing In On XFG Strain For Inclusion In Covid Vaccine
The Hill: FDA Committee To Discuss XFG Subvariant COVID-19 Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) advisory committee on vaccines this week will consider whether to change the COVID-19 vaccine to target the XFG subvariant for the upcoming 2026-2027 respiratory viral season. The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet on Thursday to discuss whether COVID-19 vaccines should target the NB.1.8.1 and XFG subvariants of the virus. (Choi, 5/26)
Medical Xpress: Heart Health Affected The Risk Of Severe COVID-19 Infection During The Pandemic, Says Study
Better heart health before the pandemic was linked to a lower risk of severe COVID-19 events, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Adults with the highest heart health scores at the beginning of the pandemic were nearly half as likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 when compared to those with the lowest scores. (5/27)
EdSource: California Launches Trust Fund For Foster, Covid-Bereft Youth
California foster youth and children who have lost a parent to Covid-19 can now apply for a trust fund to help them begin their adult lives. (Lambert 5/26)
On shingles, staph infections, and Epstein-Barr —
The New York Times: Eli Lilly To Buy 3 Vaccine Developers
Eli Lilly said on Tuesday that it would buy three vaccine developers in deals collectively worth up to $4 billion, a move that signals a return to an area that had not been a major focus for the company in recent years. The three are Curevo, a Seattle-area company developing a vaccine against shingles; LimmaTech Biologics, a Swiss firm targeting staph infections; and Vaccine Company, homing in on the Epstein-Barr virus. None of the three have products on the market. (Robbins, 5/26)
On the rise of dengue in the United States —
CIDRAP: US Dengue Cases Jumped 359% In 2024 Amid Global Surge
The number of dengue cases reported in the United States in 2024 was 359% higher than the annual average reported from 2010 through 2023, according to a study published last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The increase was driven almost entirely by infections acquired during international travel amid a surge in dengue cases that year. (Bergeson, 5/26)
Updates on the hantavirus outbreak —
AP: Hantavirus Cruise Ship Has To Undergo Extra Cleaning In Dutch Port
A cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak is undergoing further cleaning before it returns to its home port, the company that operates it said Tuesday. In a written statement, Oceanwide Expeditions said the extra work is being carried out on the advice of the GGD local health authority in the port city of Rotterdam, where the vessel returned early last week. It’s home port is in nearby Vlissingen in the southern Netherlands. (Corder, 5/26)
TVP World: Polish Captain Of Hantavirus Cruise Horror Quarantined After Return Home
Poland’s Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS) announced on Tuesday that Captain Jan Dobrogowski was transported back to the country on the evening of May 24 from Rotterdam where he had also been held in quarantine. GIS said that Dobrogowski is “symptom-free” and has tested negative for the virus for the fourth time. (Kaminska, 5/27)
KCTV5: Three People Released From Kansas Hospital After Hantavirus Exposure
The three people exposed to a person with Andes hantavirus have been discharged from The University of Kansas Health System. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) said the three are still being monitored daily until the 42-day observation period ends on June 7. (Boring, 5/26)
The Aspen Times: County in Colorado Confirms Local Hantavirus Risk Differs From Strain Linked To Cruise Ship Outbreak
Colorado's Sin Nombre Virus strain cannot be spread from person to person. (Stingray, 5/26)
Science News: Why Is Hantavirus So Deadly? It's Not What You May Think
Andes hantavirus causes deadly lung failure, but its method of attack differs from other respiratory illnesses. The details might inform future treatments. (Saey, 5/26)
AP: How South African Scientists Identified Hantavirus On A Cruise Ship Thousands Of Miles Away
When South African infectious disease specialist Lucille Blumberg checked her email on the morning of May 1, while the country was celebrating the Labor Day holiday, an urgent message caught her attention. A U.K.-based colleague had written about a passenger from a cruise ship sailing thousands of miles away in the Atlantic Ocean who had been evacuated and admitted to a Johannesburg hospital with suspected pneumonia. Others aboard the vessel were also sick. (Gumede, 5/23)
