What happens when a vaccine skeptic leads health policy? Ask Florida Among the names being floated to head the Department of Health and Human Services are RFK Jr. and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. Both are vaccine skeptics, which worries pediatricians. NPR

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Cases hit pre-COVID lows as virus season begins Respiratory virus season in the U.S. has so far proven to be quieter than the previous several seasons. Tina Reed Axios

The U.S. may be heading into Thanksgiving with respiratory disease levels at lows not seen since before the pandemic, and with few immediate signs of another tripledemic.

Instead of seasonal flu, COVID-19 or RSV, the big public health concern at the moment is walking pneumonia — a bacterial infection of the lungs that's hitting kids and adults at levels not seen in years. ..

COVID Map Update Reveals Shift in 'Very High' Water Virus Levels "Very high" levels of the virus were detected by the CDC in New Mexico, with "high" levels in Oregon, Arkansas, and Maine. Jess Thomson Newsweek

"Very high" levels of SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—have been detected in wastewater samples in the U.S.

Exxon CEO says Trump should keep U.S. involved in global effort to address climate change

President-elect Donald Trump should keep the U.S. involved in global efforts to address climate change, Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods said Tuesday.

California Dengue Cases Prompt Swift Response From Public Health Officials - KFF Health News With the arrival in California of dengue, a dangerous mosquito-borne disease present mainly in more tropical climates, public health authorities are deploying a range of strategies to beat back the Aedes mosquitoes that spread the virus. khnkytjaw KFF Health News

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Paxlovid cuts COVID hospitalization, death risk and speeds symptom relief, studies find Overall, the risk of developing 28 out of 36 long-COVID symptoms lessened when vaccines were effective. CIDRAP

New findings from two studies have tied use of the antiviral drug nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) to a reduction in COVID-19 hospitalizations and death, as well as to faster resolution of symptoms and less use of healthcare resources.

Benefit seen only in older patients

As H5N1 bird flu continues to spread around the US, health officials recently found that 7 percent of dairy workers tested on farms in two states had evidence of recent infection — and some had signs of infection even when they didn’t feel sick.

Teen Hospitalized in First Human Bird Flu Case in Canada Officials are investigating the source. AFP ScienceAlert

A teenager in British Columbia has become the first person in Canada to test positive for bird flu, authorities said Saturday. ...

Officials said the infection probably came from a bird or animal.

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CDC reports slight flu rise in children, first kid's flu death of season Meanwhile, COVID activity remained low amid a shift in variant proportions and RSV levels rose in 3 US regions. CIDRAP

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H5N1 bird flu is evolving to better infect mammals, CDC study suggests Rising H5N1 bird flu cases in the U.S. prompted the CDC to study the virus in ferrets, revealing it may have the potential to spread and cause severe symptoms in other mammals. Kamal Nahas Live Science

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Trump’s reelection casts a shadow over the start of global climate negotiations Trump’s return to the White House raises questions about whether the country will continue working on global climate initiatives. NPR

Global climate talks started today in Baku, Azerbaijan, a major oil and gas producing country that borders Russia and Iran on the Caspian Sea.