A gold mining town in Congo has become an mpox hot spot as a new strain spreads

A gold mining town in Congo has become an mpox hot spot as a new strain spreads

KAMITUGA, Congo — Slumped on the ground over a mound of dirt, Divine Wisoba pulled weeds from her daughter’s grave. The 1-month-old died from mpox in eastern Congo in August, but Wisoba, 21, was too traumatized to attend the funeral. In her first visit to the cemetery, she wept into her shirt for the child … Read more

Los Angeles area sees more dengue fever in people bitten by local mosquitoes

Los Angeles area sees more dengue fever in people bitten by local mosquitoes

LOS ANGELES — Health officials warned Wednesday that the Los Angeles area is seeing more dengue fever cases in people who have not traveled outside the U.S. mainland, a year after the first such case was reported in California. Public health officials said at least three people apparently became ill with dengue this month after … Read more

‘Deeply ashamed’: Canadian Medical Association apologizes for harms to Indigenous peoples

‘Deeply ashamed’: Canadian Medical Association apologizes for harms to Indigenous peoples

The organization representing Canada’s doctors has issued a formal apology for the harms the medical profession has caused Indigenous Peoples. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) made the apology Wednesday at a ceremony in Victoria, attended by representatives of First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples. CMA president Dr. Joss Reimer said the organization was “deeply ashamed” … Read more

Tulane’s public health school secures major gift to expand

Tulane’s public health school secures major gift to expand

NEW ORLEANS — A longtime donor who has given more than $160 million to Tulane University is the new namesake of the university’s expanding 112-year-old school of public health, Tulane officials announced Wednesday. The amount of Celia Scott Weatherhead’s latest gift wasn’t revealed, but school officials indicated it will help transform the institution into one … Read more

Never heard of eastern equine encephalitis? Cases are ‘likely underreported’ – National

Never heard of eastern equine encephalitis? Cases are ‘likely underreported’ – National

Cases of eastern equine encephalitis are rare in Canada. But after an Ottawa man died of the mosquito-borne virus just weeks ago, experts and public health officials say cases are likely underreported. The virus is rare but deadly, with a 33 to 70 per cent fatality rate for humans and the potential to cause severe long-term … Read more

Man who sold fentanyl-laced pill liable for $5.8 million in death of young female customer

Man who sold fentanyl-laced pill liable for .8 million in death of young female customer

LOS ANGELES — In 2019, Brandon McDowell was contacted by a sophomore in college who asked to buy Percocet, a prescription painkiller. What the 20-year-old sold her instead were counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that can be lethal in a dose as small as 2 milligrams. Hours later, Alexandra Capelouto, also … Read more

RSV Can Be a Killer. New Tools Are Identifying the Most At-Risk Kids

RSV Can Be a Killer. New Tools Are Identifying the Most At-Risk Kids

After 25 years as a pediatric infectious diseases specialist, Asunción Mejías is too familiar with the deadly unpredictability of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an infection that hospitalizes up to 80,000 children under the age of 5 every year in the US. “It’s a disease which can change very quickly,” says Mejías, who works at St. … Read more

Pakistan police arrest key suspect in gang rape of a woman polio worker

Pakistan police arrest key suspect in gang rape of a woman polio worker

MULTAN, Pakistan — Pakistani police arrested the key suspect in the gang rape of a woman polio worker who was assaulted by three men during last week’s vaccination campaign, officials said Wednesday. Two other suspects are still at large. The assault on Thursday in Jacobabad, a district in the southern Sindh province, was one in … Read more

An ancient African tree is providing a new ‘superfood’ yet local harvesters are barely surviving

An ancient African tree is providing a new ‘superfood’ yet local harvesters are barely surviving

K0TWA, Zimbabwe — Since childhood, Loveness Bhitoni has collected fruit from the gigantic baobab trees surrounding her homestead in Zimbabwe to add variety to the family’s staple corn and millet diet. The 50-year-old Bhitoni never saw them as a source of cash, until now. Climate change-induced droughts have decimated her crops. Meanwhile, the world has … Read more