Tuberculosis infections, including those that are drug-resistant, increased globally in 2021 for the first time in years, according to an Oct. 27 report from the World Health Organization.
Category: Public Health
WHO identifies 19 fungal ‘priority pathogens’
For the first time, the World Health Organization released a list of fungal “priority pathogens” that have emerged as significant public health threats. The list can be found here.
6 updates on ‘escape variants’ BQ.1 and BQ.1.1
Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — dubbed “escape variants” for their immune evasiveness — are steadily gaining prevalence in the U.S. and now account for more than 16 percent of all COVID-19 cases confirmed nationwide, CDC data shows.
US aims to boost Ebola testing capacity as Uganda outbreak grows
The U.S. is working to expand its Ebola testing abilities to prepare for the possibility that the virus could make its way into the country, CBS News reported Oct. 25.
Healthcare systems account for 4% of global CO2 emission, study says
Healthcare systems account for more than 4 percent of carbon dioxide emissions on a global average basis, according to an Oct. 24 report from the World Economic Forum.
Kids make up a third of flu hospitalizations: CDC
Hospitals are already seeing predictions of a severe flu season unfold, with 1,674 flu patients admitted to hospitals nationwide for the week ending Oct. 14. Kids account for more than 30 percent of flu hospitalizations, the CDC told NBC News in an Oct…
White House ramps up efforts to promote omicron booster
President Joe Biden will receive his updated omicron COVID-19 booster Oct. 25 and launch several efforts aimed at getting more Americans to do so ahead of the holiday season, according to the White House.
An Abortion Rights Question on the California Ballot Revives the Debate Over ‘Viability’
California voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to explicitly protect abortion rights. But there is disagreement over whether the proposal, Proposition 1, would merely enshrine existing rights or expand them.
CDC tallies 6 monkeypox deaths: 3 updates
Health officials in Illinois, Maryland, New York and Nevada are the latest states to report deaths in residents who tested positive for monkeypox, CBS News reported Oct. 21.
HHS awards $21 million to 13 hospitals to fight emerging special pathogens
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response awarded $21 million to 13 healthcare facilities to help fight against special pathogens, like COVID-19.
