Global immunization efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years A major landmark study reveals that global immunization efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives – or the equivalent of 6 lives every minute of every year – over the past 50 years. The vast majority of lives saved – 101 million – were those of infants.

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NASA chief asks nations to work together on climate change NASA is hoping that nations will work together more closely in the future on topics such as climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions, the space agency's head, Bill Nelson, said on Tuesday. Stefanie Eschenbacher Reuters

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COVID-19 found to increase the risk of severe cardiovascular problems in people with HIV

A study led by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies on STIs and AIDS of Catalonia (CEEISCAT)—a group from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), the Fundació Lluita contra les Infeccions (FLI), and Odense University Hospital (OUH)—has revealed that people living with HIV who have experienced an episode of COVID-19 face a significant increase in the risk of cardiovascular diseases in the year following infection.

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Massive amounts of H5N1 vaccine would be needed if there's a bird flu pandemic. Can we make enough? The first signs that H5N1 avian flu was starting to spread from person to person would trigger a race to produce massive amounts of vaccine. Helen Branswell STAT

There is no way to predict if the virus will acquire the capacity to spread between people, or when and under what conditions it would make that fateful leap if it does.

Q&A: Climate change and health care—how individuals and institutions can help

Unseasonably mild winters. Forest fires and smoke. More reports of catastrophic storms. We've experienced increasingly extreme weather changes in the past few years, and the intersection between environmental issues and health is a pressing concern.

Myles Sergeant is an assistant clinical professor in McMaster's Department of Family Medicine who is deeply involved in efforts locally, provincially and nationally to reverse the effects of climate change. ...

We spoke with Sergeant about the dangers of climate change, the power individuals and the health care sector have to make more sustainable choices, and why he hasn't lost hope to save our "frail planet."

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Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don’t Meet Them. - KFF Health News The staffing regulation was disparaged by the industry as unattainable. Patient advocates say it doesn’t go far enough. Labor unions welcomed the requirement. khnerich KFF Health News

The Biden administration finalized nursing home staffing rules Monday that will require thousands of them to hire more nurses and aides — while giving them years to do so.

US respiratory virus activity continues to tail off Wastewater COVID detections declined to the minimal level and are highest in the Midwest. CIDRAP

Respiratory virus activity from flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continues to decline across most of the country, with only two jurisdictions—North Dakota and Wyoming—reporting high activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in updates today. ...

Hospitalizations continue to decline, but overall deaths were up slightly.

Dengue cases top 5.2 million in the Americas as outbreak passes yearly record, PAHO says | CNN Dengue cases are surging in the Americas, with cases reported topping 5.2 million as of this week, surpassing a yearly record set in 2023, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Michael Rios CNN

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Long COVID patients show immunological improvement two years after infection Biomarkers for long COVID that were present in patients at eight months have largely resolved by 24 months among a cohort of people who contracted COVID-19 during Australia's first wave. Science X Medical Xpress

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