WHO: Common respiratory viruses seen in samples from remote DR Congo outbreak Further tests found seasonal flu, rhinovirus, COVID, and other common respiratory viruses, alongside malaria and complications from malnutrition. CIDRAP

...

The WHO now refers to the outbreak as acute respiratory infections complicated by malaria. Officials said acute malnutrition led to an increase in severe illnesses and deaths.

...

Study indicates improved health care value cannot be achieved by hospital mergers and acquisitions alone Mergers and acquisitions of U.S. hospitals and health systems rarely improve the quality of care delivered or result in lower health care costs and prices, according to a study published in the Journal ... American College of Surgeons Medical Xpress

...

Drugmakers to raise US prices on over 250 medicines starting Jan. 1

France reports bird flu on two farms, losing disease-free status

Bird flu update: CDC says it's searching for these pandemic red flags The CDC has revealed the red flags it is monitoring for that suggest that bird flu was about to become the world's next pandemic. Newsweek

The CDC told Newsweek Monday that while bird flu's current risk to the general public remains low, the agency is carefully monitoring for several red flags that could indicate that the virus could be on the verge of becoming a pandemic.

Those red flags include any outbreaks of bird flu that are spread from person-to-person, as well as evidence that the virus has mutated, making it easier for it to spread between humans.

COVID update: CDC map reveals states with "high" wastewater viral activity Levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, were found to be high in more than half of U.S. states' wastewater. Newsweek

...

Between December 15 and December 21, the CDC detected "very high" levels of COVID-19 in the wastewater levels of 14 states: Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri, Minnesota, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The CDC found "high" levels in 14 states: Idaho, Utah, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine.

CDC: Respiratory illness activity high nationally RSV activity remains high, with pediatric hospitalizations increasing across most of the country. CIDRAP

According to the latest weekly update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19, seasonal influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity continue to increase across the country, with COVID wastewater detections reaching high levels. ...

Climate change led to 41 extra days of extreme heat this year on average: Analysis Climate change led to nearly six extra weeks of dangerous heat worldwide over the past year, according to a new study from Climate Central and World Weather Attribution. The report, released Friday… zbudryk The Hill

...

Clinical and Operational Changes in ED Management of COVID-19 The following is a summary of “Correlates of improved outcomes in patients with COVID-19 treated in US emergency departments,” published in the December 2024 issue of Emergency Medicine by Slutske et al. Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the impact of therapeutic advances during the COVID-19 pandemic on clinically relevant metrics of emergency care. Physician's Weekly Admin Physician's Weekly

...