CDC endorses prophylactic antibiotics to reduce STIs in high-risk groupsAdobe The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finalized its guidelines for post-exposure prophylaxis against bacterial sexually transmitted infections on Tuesday. For groups at higher risk of contracting syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea, the… Jun 04 24June 04, 2024Article at STAT
A new cholera vaccine will increase supply, but will it be enough to manage global outbreaks?AFP via Getty Images Weeks after the global public health community sounded the alarm on the shortage of cholera vaccine, the World Health Organization moved to prequalify a new cholera vaccine last month. The vaccine is a simplified version of the… May 09 24May 09, 2024Article at STAT
At Milken Institute conference, CDC director Mandy Cohen talks public health preparednessScreen capture via Milken Institute In the spring of 2020, as Covid-19 took hold around the world, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention director Mandy Cohen was the head of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services. Among the… May 06 24May 06, 2024Article at STAT
Covid cut life expectancy by 1.6 years globally, but the leading causes of death haven’t changed since 1990Go Nakamura/Getty Images The leading causes of death haven’t changed since 1990 — with one glaring, pandemic-sized exception. According to the latest analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study, which reviewed deaths from 288 causes in over 200… Apr 03 24April 03, 2024Article at STAT
Cholera vaccine shortage reaches worst point yet, with experts fearing deadly outbreaksJEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP via Getty Images An unprecedented shortage of cholera vaccine has public health experts fearing that a recent surge of outbreaks across developing countries will only worsen, a situation they argue is as regrettable as it was… Feb 28 24February 28, 2024Article at STAT
Mammograms are less effective for women with dense breast tissue. Medical experts disagree on what to do about itBENOIT DOPPAGNE/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images Millions of American women over age 40 receive regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer. About half of them turn out to have dense breast tissue — which makes screening significantly more… Jan 23 24January 23, 2024Article at STAT
Preterm birth and infant mortality measures in U.S. remain stubbornly highAdobe Preterm births and infant mortality are at alarming levels in the U.S., according to a new report published on Thursday by March of Dimes. In 2022, 10.4% of all babies were born premature — before 37 weeks of gestation — a slight improvement… Nov 17 23November 17, 2023Article at STAT
Medical illustrations neglect people with dark skin. A Nigerian doctor-to-be is working to change thatIllustration: Hyacinth Empinado/STAT; Photos: Courtesy Chidiebere Ibe Medical illustration is both an art and a science. But it can have a huge cultural impact, too, as medical student and illustrator Chidiebere Ibe discovered when his illustration… Aug 22 23August 22, 2023Article at STAT
Global childhood vaccinations edge closer to pre-pandemic levels: WHO reportYURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images Global childhood immunization coverage has nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report, with 4 million more children receiving full immunization in 2022 compared to 2021. But the report,… Jul 18 23July 18, 2023Article at STAT
The WHO pandemic accord is shaping up to be all but meaninglessThis past week in Geneva, an intergovernmental negotiation body (INB) met to discuss the latest draft of the Pandemic Accord, a plan for prevention, preparedness and response to any upcoming pandemic under the leadership of the World Health… Jun 16 23June 16, 2023Article at Quartz
$24 billion could prepare the US to tackle every viral pandemic imaginableToday (May 11), the covid emergency is officially be over in the US. It ended globally last week. This doesn’t mean covid is over: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are still nearly 80,000 new cases and 1,100… May 11 23May 11, 2023Article at Quartz
Pfizer's RSV vaccine promise to the Global South is already several years behind scheduleIt took decades, but vaccines for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a common respiratory virus that can be serious or deadly in infants and older people, are finally becoming available. On May 3, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved… May 07 23May 07, 2023Article at Quartz
After 7 million deaths and 800 million cases, the WHO declared the covid emergency overThe actual numbers were much higher than the official counts It’s been 1191 days since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared covid-19 a pandemic (or, officially, a public health emergency of international concern) on Jan. 30, 2020. Today, May… May 05 23May 05, 2023Article at Quartz
90% of mpox deaths in the US have been Black menBetween May 10, 2022 and Mar. 7, 2023, more than 30,200 people in the US contracted mpox (formerly: monkeypox). The majority of cases occurred between the end of June 2022 and early September 2022, though new infections were recorded as recently as… Apr 20 23April 20, 2023Article at Quartz
Scientists are bickering over who was first to identify covid's genomeThe Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID), a large database launched in 2008 to collect and share the genome information of influenza viruses, is a key tool for scientific cooperation at the international level. Through it,… Mar 31 23March 31, 2023Article at Quartz
As Covid-19 shot sales dwindle, BioNTech doubles down on cancer vaccinesLike Moderna and Pfizer, the biotech company is turning its covid windfall to the quest for new cancer treatments BioNTech is over covid. Or looking past it, at least, planning to invest the company’s pandemic windfall into the development of… Mar 27 23March 27, 2023Article at Quartz
Rich countries are all set to hoard bird flu vaccines that don't even exist yetHere we go again? A subtype of bird flu (H5N1) that has been circulating in Europe, the Americas, and Asia has shown the ability to spread among mammals such as minks, seals, and sea lions. And although experts think there is no reason to fear yet… Mar 22 23March 22, 2023Article at Quartz
A more equitable covid vaccine rollout could have saved a life every 24 seconds in 2021The World Health Organization (WHO) declared covid-19 a pandemic three years ago, on Mar. 11, 2020. The declaration has not lapsed, and though most cases are mild, more than 20 million people are currently ill with covid. Since vaccines were rolled… Mar 11 23March 11, 2023Article at Quartz
The full genome sequencing of Cambodia's bird flu strain took less than a dayAvian flu — or H5N1 — is a deadly disease, although not one that typically affects humans. It’s been going around globally for decades, but there have been no cases of human-to-human transmission. Human cases instead typically result from… Mar 01 23March 01, 2023Article at Quartz
Giving birth in the US is becoming a deadlier affairThat the US is a deadly country for new mothers, particularly Black mothers, has become a well-known fact. In the past few years, the issue has been addressed by a series of policy proposals, campaign statements, and even a dedicated Black Maternal… Feb 27 23February 27, 2023Article at Quartz
