COVID-related loss of smell tied to changes in the brain A new study of 73 adults recovering from COVID-19 finds that those who lost their sense of smell showed behavioral, functional, and structural brain changes. CIDRAP

..."Given the significant global incidence of COVID-19, identifying factors that can distinguish individuals at risk of developing brain alterations is crucial for prioritizing follow-up care," the study authors wrote. 

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Congo gives update on mpox vaccine amid global emergency The Congo's health minister announced the country will soon receive its first batch of mpox vaccines. Newsweek

The Congo is set to receive its first batch of vaccine doses from the United States to combat the ongoing mpox outbreak next week, the country's health minister said in a press conference on Monday.

Rural communities of color across the US find new ways to get the health care they need Haywood Park Community Hospital was the closest hospital for many in Brownsville, Tennessee, a rural city in the eastern part of the state. Kenya Hunter Medical Xpress

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It's more common for people in rural areas to die earlier than urban residents from things like heart disease, cancer and stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But hospitals have closed throughout rural America in the last decade, leaving some of the 46 million people who live in these areas fewer options to get the care they need when they need it.

U.S. Health and Human Services launches awareness campaign on viruses, vaccines - UPI.com Health and Human Services announced a national campaign on Monday to increase public awareness of common respiratory viruses and available vaccines. UPI

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Now that mpox is a global health emergency, will it trigger another pandemic? The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing outbreaks of mpox in Congo and elsewhere in Africa to be a global emergency, requiring urgent action to curb the virus’ transmission. AP News

Is mpox going to trigger another pandemic:

That seems highly unlikely. Pandemics, including the most recent ones of swine flu and COVID-19, are typically sparked by airborne viruses that spread quickly, including by people who may not be showing symptoms.

COVID activity shows signs of slowing in parts of US Wastewater levels are at the very high level nationally, but show downward trends in the South and Midwest. CIDRAP

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Nationally, wastewater detections of SARS-CoV-2 are at the very high level for the second straight week. The highest levels are still in the West and South, followed by the Midwest and the Northeast. The CDC's latest update, however, shows downward trends from high levels in the South and Midwest.

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ALSO SEE: https://thehill.com/homenews/4832099-covid-19-summer-surge-us/

Antiviral used for mpox no better than placebo, NIH says Just as mpox is declared a global health emergency, the antiviral tecovirimat is found to be no better than placebo against it. Jason Mast STAT

The National Institutes of Health said Thursday that an antiviral often used to treat mpox did not resolve patients’ symptoms faster than placebo in a randomized trial.

The results are notable because the drug, tecovirimat, has rarely been studied clinically for mpox, despite its wide use during the 2022 and 2023 outbreaks in the U.S. and Europe.

IFRC says shortage of testing, vaccines hampers mpox response in Africa | Reuters

Socioeconomic disadvantage magnifies COVID-19 effects, slows recovery, data suggest Recovery from COVID-19 takes longer, and infection has a greater effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), among socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, suggests an observational study published in BMC Infectious Diseases. CIDRAP

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