Tens of millions facing hunger and water shortages as extreme drought and floods sweep southern Africa | CNN More than 24 million people face hunger, malnutrition and water scarcity as experts warn the crisis could become an “unimaginable humanitarian situation” Sarah Dean CNN

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The warning from Oxfam on Wednesday came as Zimbabwe joined other southern African nations in declaring its drought a national disaster, following earlier declarations by Zambia and Malawi....

Study finds many younger people from high income neighborhoods jumped the eligibility queue for COVID-19 vaccines in NYC

Despite vaccine shortages, many younger people in New York City accessed vaccines ahead of schedule, particularly in high-income areas, according to new research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Low-income areas with high proportions of older people demonstrated lower coverage rates than wealthier areas in the first three months of vaccine rollout, and higher mortality over the year. The findings are published in the Journal of Urban Health.

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US flu, COVID, RSV activity continues to recede With the drop in flu activity gaining momentum, several parts of the US are now below their regional baselines. CIDRAP

Respiratory virus activity in the United States is still elevated but continues to decline, with only 6 jurisdiction reporting high levels, down from 10 the previous week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its data updates.

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CDC issues health alert for bird flu infection in US The U.S. CDC on Friday issued a health alert to inform clinicians, state health departments and the public of a case of avian influenza in a person who had contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus. Reuters Reuters

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Among fully vaccinated, study shows Paxlovid does not shorten symptoms A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that, for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but having at least one risk factor for severe COVID, the antiviral drug Paxlovid did little to reduce symptom duration, but experts caution the findings might not apply to older patients. CIDRAP

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Bird flu dairy cow outbreak widens in Ohio, Kansas, New Mexico Bird flu has infected a dairy herd in Ohio for the first time and was detected in additional herds in Kansas and New Mexico, according to the U.S. government, expanding an outbreak in cows that has raised concerns about possible risks to humans. Tom Polansek Reuters

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Lamborghini and Rolexes seized in massive EU police raid over €600M Covid fraud Cops said the organized crime group used “advanced technologies” including AI to produce false documents for laundering cash. POLITICO

ROME — Police on Thursday arrested more than 20 suspects in Italy, Austria, Romania and Slovakia as part of a major investigation into massive fraud linked to the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund.

Covid cut life expectancy by 1.6 years globally, but the leading causes of death haven’t changed since 1990 The top causes of death globally — heart disease, stroke, COPD, and lower respiratory infections — were unchanged since 1990 except for two years of Covid pandemic. Annalisa Merelli STAT

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California map shows where state will become underwater from sea level rise Sea level rises could cause areas along California's seaboard to be flooded or entirely consumed by water, modeling suggests. Newsweek

Areas of populous cities along California's stretch of the Pacific Ocean could be flooded or entirely consumed by water if, due to the effects of climate change, sea levels rise as predicted, modeling suggests.