Top 5 Infectious Disease News Stories Week of April 19-26

World Malaria Day 2025: Persistent Barriers and Emerging Threats in Malaria Control

For World Malaria Day 2025, epidemiologist Andrew Lover, PhD, shared insights from his fieldwork in Southeast Asia, highlighting persistent malaria control challenges in rural, politically complex border regions. He emphasized the difficulty of maintaining surveillance investment as cases decline, especially among high-risk and hard-to-reach populations. Lover also warned of reemerging domestic threats, citing recent local malaria cases in Florida and Texas. Global threats include conflict-driven surges and the spread of Anopheles stephensi, a city-adapted mosquito vector, which could significantly disrupt current control strategies.

HCV Combination Therapy Meets Phase 2 Endpoints, Will Present Data at Conference

Atea Pharmaceuticals will present full Phase 2 data at the upcoming EASL Congress 2025, showing that its combination therapy of bemnifosbuvir and ruzasvir achieved a 97 percent sustained virologic response (SVR12) after 8 weeks of treatment in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients, regardless of genotype, age, or fibrosis score. This success supports the launch of two global Phase 3 trials, C BEYOND in the United States and Canada and C FORWARD internationally, each enrolling approximately 880 treatment naïve patients. The once daily oral regimen demonstrated strong antiviral activity and favorable safety profiles in both agents, offering a potentially shorter and more effective alternative to current therapies.

CDC Reports 800 Confirmed Measles Cases Across the US, 624 Being in Texas

As of April 18, 2025, the CDC has confirmed 800 measles cases across 25 US jurisdictions, nearly triple last year’s total, with 94 percent tied to 10 outbreaks. Texas accounts for 624 cases, primarily in West Texas, where ongoing transmission has been documented in 10 counties. The outbreak has also spread regionally, with linked cases in New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Michigan and Montana reported their first outbreaks since 2019 and 1990 respectively. Most infections involve unvaccinated individuals, and two child deaths have been confirmed. Health officials urge MMR vaccination to prevent further spread.

Next-Generation Antivirals Outperform Paxlovid in Preclinical Coronavirus Testing

Two experimental antivirals, AVI4516 and AVI4773, developed by UCSF and Gladstone Institutes, outperformed Paxlovid in preclinical models of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS. AVI4773 reduced viral titers by over 1,000,000-fold and reached 1000 times the effective brain concentration in mice within eight hours. The compounds showed broad pan-coronavirus activity, minimal off-target effects, and synergy with molnupiravir. As federal funding support ends, researchers are urging rapid advancement to clinical trials, citing the drugs’ potential as shelf-stable countermeasures for future coronavirus outbreaks.

Working to Prevent Malaria Through Genomic Research, Education

For World Malaria Day, Jane M. Carlton, PhD, director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, discusses the institute’s efforts in genomic research, education, and fieldwork to combat malaria. The institute focuses on genetically modifying mosquitoes and decoding malaria parasite genomes to find new drug and vaccine targets. On Friday, it will host its annual World Malaria Day Symposium themed “Building Better Mosquitoes,” featuring global experts in genetics, entomology, and social science. This is the first of a two-part interview; part two will explore Carlton’s genomic research in greater detail.