US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra today signed the 12th amendment to the declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act (PREP) Act for COVID-19 countermeasures, a step that provides liability immunity through December 31, 2029.

The declaration provides immunity, except for willful misconduct, for certain claims, including loss caused by or related to administration or use of countermeasures to diseases, threats, or conditions, according to information from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), which is part of HHS. 

Present or credible risk

The immunity applies to situations deemed by the HHS secretary as a present or credible risk of a future public health emergency. It also applies to groups or individuals involved in development, production, testing, distribution, and administration of countermeasures.

The PREP Act was enacted in 2005 to help protect pharmaceutical companies from financial risk in the event of a declared public health emergency. The act also provides funding for pandemic influenza preparedness. ASPR notes that the PREP Act declaration is different from and not dependent on other emergency declarations. 

Similar PREP Act declarations are currently in effect for countermeasures against a range of other biological or chemical threats, including mpox and other orthopox viruses, viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, nerve agents and insecticides, Zika virus, pandemic flu, anthrax, acute radiation syndrome, and botulinum toxin.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its annual global malaria report, which documents 11 million more cases in 2023 compared to 2022, with similar death rates. While malaria remains a serious global health threat, the African region bears the brunt of the disease as the site of 95% of malaria-related deaths. 

Overall, an estimated 263 million cases and 597,000 malaria deaths occurred in 2023. This represents about 11 million more cases than in 2022 and nearly the same number of deaths.

But gains are being made towards malaria control in many countries. As of November of this year, 44 countries and 1 territory have been certified malaria-free, the WHO said. In 83 countries where malaria is endemic, 25 report 10 or fewer cases per year. In 2000, only 4 countries reported 10 or fewer cases annually. 

Mortality rates drop

Mortality rates from malaria have also dropped, especially in Africa. Since 2015, the African region has seen a 15% drop in mortality rates. However, the region’s current mortality rate of 52.4 deaths per 100,000 population is still more than double the target of 23 deaths per 100,000 population.

Currently, 11 African nations report 70% of the world’s malaria cases (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda). Ministers of health from the countries pledged renewed support of malaria control efforts earlier this year. 

In many of those nations, strides are being made with deployment of new-generation nets, which account for 78% of the 195 million nets delivered to sub-Saharan Africa, up from 59% in 2022. And as of this month, 17 countries have introduced malaria vaccines through routine childhood immunization.

"No one should die of malaria; yet the disease continues to disproportionately harm people living in the African region, especially young children and pregnant women," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, WHO director-general. "An expanded package of lifesaving tools now offers better protection against the disease, but stepped-up investments and action in high-burden African countries are needed to curb the threat."

For the first time, chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in Carroll County, Tennessee, WBBJ TV reports.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) reported the case of the fatal neurodegenerative disease yesterday in a hunter-harvested deer in the county, in the western part of the state. Because the county was already part of the state's CWD management zone, wildlife feeding and carcass transportation rules had already been implemented, and no changes to the deer-hunting season or regulations are expected.

The TWRA has submitted roughly 9,000 animal samples for CWD testing, the news outlet reported.

CWD is a prion disease in cervids

Caused by misfolded infectious proteins called prions, CWD affects cervids such as deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. CWD can spread from animal to animal and through environmental contamination. The disease isn't known to infect humans, but authorities advise against eating meat from sick animals and recommend using precautions when handling carcasses.