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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Cities are tackling rising heat – but they have to avoid a dangerous trap | Extreme heat | The Guardian

COVID is surging again. Here’s the latest on new variants, updated vaccines, and masking | AAMC The latest, highly contagious subvariants are driving infections, but new vaccines expected this fall may help stem the tide of another wave. AAMC

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The reason COVID-19 cases are increasing this summer is likely because people who haven’t been recently vaccinated or infected have fewer antibodies at the ready to fight off the first sign of the virus and are more likely to experience its symptoms, including fever, chills, sore throat, cough, congestion, body aches, gastrointestinal issues, and fatigue.

Why does it feel like everyone is getting Covid? Covid’s summer surge, explained Ellen Ioanes Vox

Also see: The Summer 2024 COVID-19 Surge Is Happening. Here Are The Top Symptoms You May Be Experiencing

Healthy lifestyle lowers the risk of post-COVID complications, finds study (medicalxpress.com)

... the study found that individuals with a favorable lifestyle had a lower risk of hospitalization, lower incidence of long-term or on-going health issues affecting multiple parts of the body, and reduced risk of post-COVID death, compared to those with an unfavorable lifestyle.

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Common respiratory virus that dwindled during the pandemic is on the rise, CDC warns, with higher risk for certain groups | CNN A seasonal respiratory virus named parvovirus B19 – sometimes also called fifth disease – is increasing in activity, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday. Katherine Dillinger CNN

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Mpox never stopped spreading in Africa. Now it’s an international public health emergency. Again. The mpox outbreak never ended in Africa. Now a deadlier strain is spreading. Jess Craig Vox

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WHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency as a new form of the virus spreads The World Health Organization has declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency. AP News

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency on Wednesday, with cases confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries and a new form of the virus spreading. Few vaccine doses are available on the continent.

As heat waves hit U.S., poll finds most can't locate local cooling station (medicalxpress.com)

... new poll finds many people can recognize the signs of heat sickness if it strikes them or someone else.

However, many more don't know crucial information that could help them during a heat wave, such as the location of cooling centers where they can seek relief from the pounding heat, researchers discovered.

"Communities must do a better job of making the public, especially the most vulnerable, aware of these centers," said Ken Winneg, managing director of survey research at the Annenberg Public Policy Center in Philadelphia.

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