FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID vaccine targeting JN.1 strain

Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization for an updated version of Novavax's (NVAX.O)

Mosquito-borne illnesses are rising: Here's how to protect yourself Mosquitos love heat. And as summers get warmer, mosquito-borne illnesses are rising, in the U.S., Europe, and South and Central America. Here are some tips to protect yourself. NPR

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Here’s what you need to know about protecting yourself from a potentially infectious mosquito bite.

Climate crisis threatens medical blood supply in US amid extreme weather Turnout at blood drives affected as summers get hotter and extreme weather causes cancellations, Red Cross warns The Guardian

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US tests for bird flu in California dairy cattle The U.S. Department of Agriculture is testing to confirm possible cases of bird flu in dairy cattle in California, the nation's biggest milk-producing state, USDA said on Friday. Reuters Reuters

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Analysis shows how unproven therapeutics were portrayed in the media during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic A new study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine is shedding light on how scientific evidence and the uncertainty surrounding three unproven therapeutics were portrayed by the ... Science X Medical Xpress

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The findings appear in the JMIR Infodemiology.

Summer COVID surge shows we may have to return to 2020 pandemic measures As the summer of 2024 draws to a close, the United States finds itself once again grappling with a surge in COVID-19 infections. ckulat The Hill

... where do we realistically go from here, given that it is clear that COVD-19 is far from over? While much progress has been made in terms of vaccination and treatment, the current surge is a stark reminder that complacency is not an option. The road ahead will require a renewed commitment to public health, both from government leaders and from individuals.

Nigeria receives 10,000 doses of mpox vaccines from US

ABUJA, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Nigeria has received 10,000 doses of the mpox vaccine from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the first batch of the vaccine to reach the country which has confirmed 40 cases with no fatalities so far.

ALSO SEE: Africa's mpox response is less than 10% funded, says Africa CDC

‘Most people are confused’: What to know about the latest Covid shot While the risk of hospitalization and death is nowhere near what it was in 2021, there is still a danger, particularly for the elderly or those with compromised immune systems. POLITICO

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“One of the challenges of today is just that people aren’t going to get vaccinated,” said Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. “Most people are confused. They don’t really understand what’s happening or what the risk to them is,” when it comes to Covid.

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Glut of climate risk data prompts fear of US home insurance hike | Context Climate risk disclosure data is educating - and dividing - home-owning Americans David Sherfinski Context

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As climate risk data becomes ever more prevalent, U.S. homeowners now have new know-how to future-proof their main asset but may also end up paying more to guard against the possible fallout of a fast-changing climate.

EEE, West Nile, malaria: Know the difference between these mosquito-borne diseases Diseases spread by mosquitoes are in the spotlight again because of recent U.S. illnesses. People in some areas of Massachusetts have been warned to stay indoors when mosquitoes are most active after a rare case of eastern equine encephalitis was discovered. AP News

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Heat-related deaths spiked 117% in the US since 1999 | CNN As temperatures reach record levels in many parts of the US this week, emergency rooms bracing for a new normal: More patients are becoming gravely ill because their bodies can’t take the heat. Jen Christensen CNN

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The authors say heat-related deaths are probably undercounted.