Monkeypox virus: dangerous strain gains ability to spread through sex, new data suggest Nature - A cluster of mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sparks worries of a wider outbreak. Kozlov, Max nature

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Evidence from past outbreaks indicates that this strain, called clade I, is more lethal than the separate strain that sparked the 2022 outbreak. Clade I has for decades caused small outbreaks, often limited to a few households or communities, in Central Africa. Sexually acquired clade I infections had not been reported before last year.

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Teen vaccination cut COVID-19 cases by 37% in California, new data show Researchers also estimated that 230,134 cases were averted in kids aged 5 to 11 years, a 24% reduction. CIDRAP

JAMA Network Open has published a new study showing that, from April 1, 2020, to February 27, 2023, in California, an estimated 146,210 COVID-19 cases were averted by vaccination in teens aged 12 to 15 years, representing a 37% reduction.

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New study uses AI to predict malaria outbreaks in South Asia (medicalxpress.com)

Researchers from NDORMS in collaboration with international institutions have demonstrated the potential of using environmental measurements and deep learning modeling to predict malaria outbreaks in South Asia. The study offers promising insights into improving early warning systems for one of the world's deadliest diseases.

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CDC launches online tool to help Americans manage extreme heat (medicalxpress.com)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a new online heat forecaster to help communities better prepare for summer's scorching temperatures.

The HeatRisk Forecast Tool is a joint effort between the CDC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service to give Americans a week-long heads-up that broiling temperatures are headed their way. It is all close at hand at the HeatRisk Dashboard online—just enter a zip code for the latest forecast and updates.

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Tough new EPA rules would force coal-fired power plants to capture emissions or shut down A rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency would force power plants fueled by coal or natural gas to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. AP News

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Nearly 40% of people in the US live with unhealthy air pollution, report says | CNN More people across the United States – nearly 40% – live in places with unhealthy levels of polluted air, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. Jacqueline Howard CNN

...Extreme heat, drought and wildfires are among the factors that have contributed to a rise in deadly air pollution, especially in the Western part of the country, said Katherine Pruitt, author of the report and senior director of the American Lung Association’s Nationwide Clean Air Policy. 

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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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